Is this the bakkie the Mercedes-Benz X-Class should have been from the get-go? LANCE BRANQUINHO recently travelled to Slovenia to sample the latest iteration of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class. This time around, though, it wears the X350d nameplate and is powered by a German-built engine.
Isn’t it only logical that a German double-cab bakkie should be powered by a Bavaria-sourced engine? We’d think so, but since its original launch earlier this year, this has not been the case for the Mercedes-Benz X-Class. Instead, the Stuttgart outfit chose a Japanese engine – or more accurately, a Nissan-sourced engine – to do duty in its premium pick-up truck.
NEW LEAF
Now, however, Merc has launched a new one, and this is the X that’s supposed to alter perceptions. It’s called the X350d 4Matic and while the name only suggests a derivative in numbers, the figures, and of course country of origin, tells a very different story.
Firstly, it’s German. In fact, it’s designed in Stuttgart and built in Berlin. Secondly, the 3.0-litre V6 produces 190 kW of power and 550 Nm of turning grunt. This grunt is sent to the wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox, powering it from zero to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds while it only runs out of steam at 205 km/h.
That’s quite brisk, we’d say, for what is essentially a commercial vehicle. Not just brisk, according to Mercedes, who reckons that this is the fastest double-cab in its class.
THE X350D IS NOT JUST A STYLE-ISH NAVARA
Remember we mentioned something like perceptions and changing it? Well, the X-Class needs to shake the opinions of the buying public that it is just an ambitiously priced Navara. And, while both brands use the Nissan platform, for the X-Class V6, engineers had to strengthen the chassis some to cradle the larger V6 engine.
While it ticks all the performance boxes in an attempt to distinguish itself from the Navara, with a latent high-speed cruising potential and enough overtaking potency, it sacrifices no off-road ability. Away from the blacktop, it’s not afraid to get its designer shoes dirty – that’s if you choose to specify it from the list of wheel-size options Mercedes-Benz offers on the X350.
You can choose from three sizes ranging from 17 to 19” as it caters for any terrain eventualities. Want additional tyre air-volume for dedicated off-road hauling? The 17” wheels will do just fine. Or, how about delivering that perfect kerbside posing appeal? Well, there’s always the 19” wheels.
WHERE IT SHINES
So, does the mathematics of adding two more cylinders make it that much different to drive than its four-cylinder X-Class siblings? On steep Alpine descents during the global launch in Slovenia it did.
On the suspension front for one, the impeccably calibrated damping prevented any unnecessary nose lean due to the heavier engine mass above the X350d’s front axle. Also, the NVH levels (Noise Vibration and Hardness) remain class-leading but accounts for a significantly bigger weight burden compared to other double-cab bakkies of similar size and performance.
That doesn’t matter once the X350 is cruising at highway speeds, though, since the extra urge of the V6 coupled with the wider spread of gears makes it noticeably quicker than any of the X250s.
LAST WORD
Powered by Mercedes, for Mercedes, the first batch of X-Class V6 derivatives are scheduled to arrive on local shores during the first quarter of 2019. However, we don’t expect the X-Class to really bring all that much of a sales fight to the 165 kW Volkswagen Amarok 3.0TDI V6.
While it boasts significantly better performance, it probably won’t enter the market at much less than R900,000, making the R717,600 price tag of the entry-level V6 Volksie slightly more tantalising…