X marks the spot for the new Mercedes-Benz ute
Premium car brands have always kept their distance from the rest of the other marques by releasing more polished vehicles at a higher price which usually sell in lower numbers when compared with the more mainstream fare.
Mercedes-Benz though, has been a prestige brand quickly gaining sales momentum on the Australian market, often breaching the top-10 selling brands of the month thanks to offerings including its C-Class mid-sizer, four-door CLA and the GLC crossover.
Soon however, the German car-maker will release its first-ever ute with the hope of pushing its sales tally even further than ever, and to capitalise on the booming local pick-up market. You read that right, Mercedes-Benz is coming out with a ute.
In keeping with the rest of Mercedes nomenclature, the new ute is dubbed X-Class and will be built on the same platform as the current Nissan Navara NP300 workhorse, albeit with bespoke styling changes including the front grille, bumpers and headlights.
Aussie-spec X-Class utes will hit local showrooms in 2018 and be sourced from a Nissan production facility in Barcelona, Spain with a trio of turbo-diesel engines on offer topping out with a V6.
Punters hoping for a full-fat V8-powered AMG-tuned ute maybe disappointed to hear that there are currently no plans to bring such a version to market, but just imagine how bonkers a twin-turbo 340kW/600Nm petrol bent-eight German ute would be.
Starting at the bottom end, the X220d will share the same 2.3-litre four-cylinder diesel engine as its donor car, matching its 120kW/403Nm output, and is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox driving either the rear axle or all four wheels.
Stepping up to the X250d adds another turbo to up the ante to 140kW/450Nm and will be available with three pedals or a seven-speed automatic transmission in rear-wheel- or all-wheel-drive configuration.
However, the headline-stealing X-Class is undoubtedly the X350d flagship turbo-diesel V6 producing 190kW of power and 550Nm of torque, making it the most powerful one-tonne pick-up in Australia by outclassing the 165kW/550Nm turbo-diesel V6-powered Volkswagen Amarok.
Paired exclusively with an all-wheel-drive system and seven-speed auto, the X350d will compete directly against the likes other flagship workhorses including the VW Amarok Ultimate, Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Toyota HiLux TRD.
Three trim levels will also be made available – range-opening Pure, mid-spec Progressive and range-topping Power – which will further differentiate the X-Class from its Japanese donor car.
Starting at the bottom, the Pure grade is designed around form over function with unpainted front and rear bumpers for the tradie looking for a workhorse or even fleet buyers looking for the basic X-Class experience.
While the Progressive grade gains a splash of colour to those components, the Power spec adds chrome highlights to the exterior for a more premium look.
Inside, the X-Class is all Benz with high-end materials and the brand’s signature cross-themed air vents, large central entertainment and information system with multifunction touchpad and 5.4-inch colour display nestled between instrumentation.
Progressive and Power grades gain a massive 8.4-inch centre screen – the biggest in the pick-up class according to Mercedes-Benz – which incorporates satellite navigation, 360-degree surround view cameras, rearview camera and more.
Although pricing has yet to be confirmed, rumours are circulating that the X-Class will kick-off from around $35,000 before on-road costs – putting the base ute about $5000 north of other entry-level workhorses.
The price is expected to stretch to about $80,000 for an X-Class with all the bells and whistles, which should make it the most expensive ute available on the Australian market.
However, for the X-Class to succeed, Mercedes-Benz will have to contend with more established pick-up players who have already carved out large and loyal fanbases.
Volkswagen – the other German car-maker that produces a ute – has had its Amarok pick-up on the market for the better part of a decade and has recently expanded its turbo-diesel V6 offerings. However, the Amarok is built on Volkswagen’s own platform instead of borrowing one from elsewhere like the X-Class.
The Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux are also segment stalwarts, with both models enjoying strong sales and the latter finishing last year as the best-selling model in Australia.
Ford’s range-topping Ranger Wildtrak has been a sell-out success for the Blue Oval brand, with rumours pointing towards a new performance-orientated Ranger Raptor on they way and a new sub-top-spec FX4 to satiate demand.
Similarly, Toyota has recently re-introduced the HiLux TRD to the Australian market – although this time it is just a styling package rather than the previous version which also included performance upgrades.
Mercedes then, has a lot riding on the X-Class workhorse then. It needs to simultaneously position itself well above established blue-collar ute players, as well as its Navara donor car, and a more premium offering from a compatriot car-maker.
Time – as well as sales – will tell if the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is a success or a failed toe-in-the-water exercise.
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