Thousands register interest for X-Class

More than 7000 Australians have registered their interest in the new Mercedes-Benz X-Class ladder frame dual-cab pick-up. And many of them have taken the next step and paid deposits months ahead of the ute’s local launch in April and without pricing being announced.

In a market where the high-spec and most expensive dual-cabs such as the Ford Ranger Wildtrak are the most popular sellers, the arrival of a Benz has every sign of being a hit.

And Benz isn’t shying away from that. It is pitching the X-Class as the first luxury pick-up and will charge a premium over other high-end utes such as the $61,790 Ford Ranger Wildtrak and current high water mark, the $67,990 Volkswagen Amarok TDI550 Ultimate V6.

“We have had a lot of feedback from dealers that they are getting quite a lot of people putting money down and people registering their interest has been strong,” said Mercedes-Benz Vans local communications boss, Blake Vincent.

Pricing is contentious because the X-Class has been developed from the same technical base as the Nissan Navara. The four-cylinder versions share the same drivetrain and 4x4 system and models destined for Australia will be built alongside Navara at a Nissan plant in Spain.

We drove the four-cylinder X 250 d in Chile last week. Pricing for the fours could be announced within a month and it’s not hard to see Benz pitching the most expensive version in the $60,000 bracket against bigger-engined rivals from mainstream brands. V6 pricing will be announced closer to its mid-2018 launch and is anticipated to have the top-spec version into the $70,000s.

“I hope you can see this is not a Nissan -- that there has been extensive work gone in to make this a true Mercedes-Benz vehicle,” Vincent said.

“We have added a lot into it that will justify that price premium.

“It has a really discreet interior and exterior design… and then there’s the ride quality that’s been achieved through the work on the axles and the 70mm wider track.

“There’s also the safety features; including seven airbags as standard and active brake assist [autonomous emergency braking] as standard,” Vincent stated.

Into the details
The X-Class will be offered in three fundamental drivetrains and three specification levels when it comes to Australia next year (2018) – Pure, Progressive and Power.

First up in April are the four-cylinders, both powered by different tunes of the same 2.3-litre direct injection turbo-diesel Renault engine.

The X 220d is a single turbo and makes 120kW and 403Nm. It will be offered in three variants; a 4x2 cab chassis and 4x2 and part-time dual-range 4x4 tub.
All will be base-level Pure specification
All will be cable-shift six-speed manuals

There are 10 versions of the twin turbo 140kW/450Nm X 250d offered across all three specification grades.
Pure: cab chassis and tub
Progressive: cab chassis and tub
Power: tub-only

All will be 4x4
All will come with a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed auto

The 190kW/550Nm X 350d 4Matic arrives in Australia mid-year. It will be offered in Progressive and Power specification levels.

The V6 turbo-diesel engine is a Benz unit, as is its 7G-Tronic seven-seed auto with paddle shifters, 4Matic permanent 4x4 system with low range and centre as well as rear-locking differential and Dynamic Select five-mode engine, transmission and start/stop adjuster.

Vincent said the expectation was that the Power specification and V6 engine would be the most popular choices, with strong interest also shown in the four-cylinder Progressive.

Fuel figures and performance
Benz has issued European fuel consumption, emissions and performance figures for the four-cylinder X-classes. These stats should translate (within a few percent) to Australia.

X 220d 4x2: 7.4L/100km combined and 195g CO2/km. 0-100km/h: 12.5 sec
X 220d 4x4: 7.6L/100km combined and 200g CO2/km. 0-100km/h: 12.9 secs.
X 250d 4x4: 7.9L/100km combined and 207g CO2/km. 0-100km/h: 11.8 sec

Safety equipment is an X-Class strong point, with all versions including seven airbags and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard. The AEB works from 5-200km/h. Lane Keeping Assist, Active Braking Assist, Trailer Stabilisation, tyre pressure monitoring and four-wheel disc brakes are also standard.

The Pure and Progressive get a reversing camera, while the Power adds a 360-degree camera and LED headlights. A five-star ANCAP rating is expected for X-Class.

Equipment by grade:
The Pure grade kicks of the X-Class line-up.
Standard equipment includes:
Grained front bumper in black, rear bumper painted in black
17-inch steel wheels
Halogen headlamps
Electrically adjustable outside mirrors
Ventilation outlets in high-gloss black
Seat upholstery in black ‘Tunja’ fabric
Rear view camera
Plastic floor covering
Manually adjustable front seats
Audio 20 CD infotainment system with 17.8 cm (7-inch) TFT
Two-way speakers front and rear
Air conditioning
Four load-securing rings on the sides of the load bed
12-volt charging in tub
Rear cargo light

An optional Plus Package includes Parktronic parking assistance system and load-securing rails in the floor of the load bed.

The mid-grade Progressive adds:
Front and rear bumpers painted in the vehicle colour
17-inch six-spoke light-alloy wheels
Heated outside mirrors
Windscreen made of heat insulating glass
Rain sensing wipers
Garmin Map Pilot sat-nav
Carpeted floor covering
Grained instrument panel in black
Ventilation outlets galvanised in silver shadow
Seat upholstery in black posadas fabric
Manually adjustable front seats
Steering wheel, shift lever knob and handbrake lever in leather
Door sill panels in aluminium and illuminated front footwell
Digital Audio with eight-speaker system
Chromatic rear view mirror with compass
Load-securing side-rail system

There are three optional packs offered with Progressive:
Comfort Package comprises electrically adjustable front seats with lumbar support, Thermotronic dual-zone automatic climate control, seat upholstery in Artico man-made leather/Dinamica microfibre, and a stowage net in the front passenger footwell. An optional Style Package comprises LED High Performance headlamps and part-LED tail lamps, an electrically opening rear window, tinted rear windows, side running boards, roof rails and 18-inch six-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels. The optional Parking Package comprises Parktronic parking assistance system and 360-Degree Camera.

The top of the range X-Class Power models add:
Chromed visual underbody panelling in front bumper
Chromed rear bumper
18-inch six-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels
LED High Performance headlamps and part-LED tail lamps
Folding outside mirrors
Instrument panel with upper section in Artico man-made leather including contrasting top-stitching and a large trim element with a matt black pixelated look
Black seat upholstery in Artico man-made leather/Dinamica microfibre
COMAND Online multimedia system and navigation
Electrically adjustable front seats with lumbar support
Stowage net in front passenger footwell
Automatically dimming inside mirror
Compass in the rearview mirror
360-Degree Camera
Parktronic parking assistance system
Thermotronic automatic climate control
Keyless Go
Load-securing side-rail system
Side steps

An optional Style Package for the Power includes an electrically opening rear window, tinted rear windows, side running boards, roof railing and 19-inch six- twin-spoke light-alloy wheels. A Winter package will be offered across the range comprising front-seat heaters and heated washer nozzles. While Bluetooth is standard across the X-Class range, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not available at launch and are at least 12 months away. Mercedes-Me connectivity is not yet available here either.

Load of bull
X-Class will come with a significant number of options and accessories, including a bull bar and snorkel developed for Australia with local suppliers. Light covers and extendable mirrors are also being developed locally, but will come after the launch.

“We understand how important accessories are to our market,” said Vincent.

“Everyone likes to build up their cars and customise it to how they need it.

“It’s something we have taken very seriously. We have a really good starting point and we will continue to develop extras as we need to,” he stated.

Metallic paint is optional across the four-cylinder range, while 18 and 19-inch alloy wheels are optional, as are alternate interiors.

Side, Sports and Styling bars are offered along with a canopy, bed liner, bed divider, load securing rails for the load bed, storage box, off-road underbody protection and three types of tonneau cover – soft, hard and rolling.

Read our X 250 d 4Matic drive review.