Mercedes-Benz was supposed to rock the premium segment with its first-ever pickup truck: the X-Class. After showing it off as a “concept” late last year, they’ve finally unwrapped the Nissan NP300 Navara-based production model. And you know what? It’s just meh.

The brand with the three-pointed star is quick to point out that the X-Class is not aimed at your typical “Chedeng” buyer. According to their marketers, it’s aimed at “land owners and farmers in Argentina, business owners and building contractors in Australia, families with an affinity for premium products in Brazil, trend-conscious individualists in South Africa and Great Britain as well as sporty adventurers in New Zealand and Germany.” Well, okay. But with pricing that starts at 37,294 Euros (~ P 2,186,000) in Germany, it doesn’t seem worth double the price of the Nissan pickup it’s based on.



For luxury car money though, at least you do get that trademark Mercedes-Benz front-end styling: a twin-louvred grille with a giant star in the middle, a bulging hood, and headlights that extend far onto the sides. The rear is less differentiated with the change limited to the unique taillight treatment. Rim choices are generous though starting at 17 inches and capped off at 19 inches.

In terms of payload, Mercedes-Benz is proud that the X-Class can load 1.1 tons on its bed and tow 3.5 tons. It also happens to fit a standard Euro pallet straight in, a fact that’s constantly on the spotlight thanks to the standard cargo area lighting—a feature Mercedes-Benz is particularly proud of. There’s also a 12-volt socket back there for, you know, compressors and stuff.



Based off the Nissan NP300 Navara, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class comes with some familiar engines under the hood. Two of these engines are actually shared with Nissan: the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder in both single (163 horsepower) and twin turbo (190 horsepower) flavors. It even comes with the same 6-speed manual and 7-speed automatic transmission. Interestingly, the X-Class also features a 165-horsepower gasoline engine and exclusive to the Benz, a 258-horsepower, 550 Nm of torque V6 diesel engine. This top X-Class model will come with permanent all-wheel drive and a 7G-TRONIC Plus transmission with start/stop.

Inside, the X-Class features some familial MB cues such as the round vents and freestanding central display. It even gets some spiffy aluminum trim. However, look carefully (particularly at that drab looking flat dashboard), and you’ll see Mercedes simply tried covering the Nissan influences here and there.



Now, the most important part: Mercedes-Benz’s local distributor, Auto Nation Group is currently studying whether or not they can feasibly bring the X-Class to the Philippine market. However, they’ll likely face an uphill battle against the more mainstream brands that can offer the same, if not better features at a much cheaper price.

2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class Specifications

Overall Dimensions (L x W x H, mm): 5,340 x 1,920 x 1,819
Wheelbase (mm): 3,150
Maximum Payload (kg): 1,042
Towing Capacity (kg): 1,650 to 3,500
Maximum Water Wading Depth (mm): 600
Ground Clearance (mm): 202 (221 raised suspension)
Angle of Approach: 28.8 (30.1 raised suspension)
Angle of Departure: 23.8 (25.9 raised suspension)
Maximum Tilt: 49.8 (49 raised suspension)
Ramp Breakover: 20.4 (22 raised suspension)
Maximum Gradeability: 100 percent