Set to arrive in Germany in November 2017 and other global markets — but not the United States — in early 2018, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is, according to Mercedes-Benz, “the first pickup from a premium manufacturer.”
Lincoln Blackwood? Cadillac Escalade EXT? Lincoln Mark LT? You apparently don’t count.
We’ve seen the concepts before. Mercedes-Benz today revealed the production X-Class, a Nissan Navara-based pickup truck from the three-pointed star.
Marketed in Pure, Progressive, and Power trim lines, the X-Class will initially be available with two diesel powerplants generating 163 and 190 horsepower as well as a 165-horsepower gas-powered engine. Mercedes-Benz says the range-topping X-Class will feature a V6 diesel with 258 horsepower.
Though related to the Navara, the X-Class is both wider and longer, making the Benz a particularly large pickup in many of the markets in which it will compete. At 211.8 inches long, the X-Class is 20 inches shorter, bumper to bumper, than a Ford F-150 SuperCrew with the 5.5-foot box. Mercedes-Benz says the X-Class’s bed is 62.5 inches long, 61.4 inches wide, and 18.7 inches high. Payload maxes out at nearly 2,300 pounds; towing capacity rises as high as 7,700 pounds.
The X-Class will be available with rear-drive or “engageable all-wheel drive,” though the top-spec X350d is equipped solely with permanent 4Matic all-wheel drive. Mercedes-Benz will also make available its Dynamic Select system with Comfort, Eco, Sport, Manual, and an Offroad mode, the latter not available on the AMG C43 Cabriolet.
But it’s with a premium interior that Mercedes-Benz hopes to support the idea of premium pricing. Mercedes-Benz credits the instrument panel’s “concave trim element,” leather dashtops, silver door handles, specially developed seats, a 9.4-inch Comand infotainment screen, and a range of customizability.
Mercedes-Benz isn’t new to the commercial sector, with a large van presence across much of the world. But whether a German pickup truck (built in a Nissan plant in Barcelona, Spain, and a Renault plant in Cordoba, Argentina) would fly on this side of the Atlantic is a massive unknown.
Minimizing the X-Class’s chances of a U.S. presence are the costs associated with importing, a comparatively small American midsize segment, and past rejection of premium brand trucks.
Which apparently don’t exist in Mercedes-Benz’s books anyway.
[Image: Daimler AG]
Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars.
They did say “Premium” manufacturer, which is not a term I would use for either Cadillac or Lincoln. Though this thing is right in the vein of what they did for pickups, being a gussied up working man’s truck rather than anything bespoke.
Probably would sell just fine here, were it not for the chicken tax making it completely unprofitable to bother doing so.
If Mercedes Benz keeps offering up products like the CLA, GLA, and pimped out Nissan pickups, I’m not sure “Premium” manufacturer is a term that will apply to them much longer either.
Although the Cadillac and Lincoln pickups were not to my tastes, with their smooth, powerful V8s, imposing size, and plush interiors, I can see where they might be considered more credible “Premium” vehicles than this blinged out Nissan…
As I said, I think they are doing the same thing that Cadillac and Lincoln did, nothing premium about this product but the price. Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t sell here like popsicles in July were it not for the chicken tax making competitive pricing impossible.
V8, size, and plush make for no more premium than the craptastic American landbarges of the 70’s. Brougham is back, baby!
That said, reality of the world today is you cannot be just a premium manufacturer anymore. You just can’t sell enough product to have the necessary economies of scale. Audi is the lucky one here – they get to have their cake and eat it too thanks to Volkswagen. Mercedes and BMW have to get a bit more creative. Mercedes partnering with Nissan and BMW with Toyota is smart and necessary. I suppose in theory they should probably have a cheaper sub-brand, but that is really expensive, and most of the world doesn’t care since they don’t see Mercedes quite the same way that (some) Americans do. I personally don’t get the angst – for many years my garbage was picked up by Mercedes trucks, did not color the way I look at an S-class any more than a CLA does.
It is not impossible. If they would sell well, 25% could be absorbed, assuming they could not leverage any of their North American assets to at least partially assemble it here. THEY DID THIS BEFORE WITH VANS.
The chicken tax is a lame excuse to cover up the fact that they can’t go toe-to-toe with the well equipped American trucks.
So, a Mercedes garbage truck doesnt taint your view of an S-Class, yet a 40 year old car taints your view of modern luxurious pickups.
That makes total sense if you simply hate American manufacturers and welcome any others who can “stick it to them”.
Oh, and the S-Class being big, plush and with a V-8 is great, but a big American product with a V-8 and a nice interior is icky.
Could you be any more transparent? Your own words prove your bias against American products. You try to defend it, you make it even more profound.
NA is not the target market for this, so they are going for a more lucrative Global market
It is not a Nissan Navara, but was based on the Navara. It will a basic and Premium fit out according to the model.
It’s a Navara with puffy fenders. Close enough. But why import/CKD it, when the Frontier will be a “Navara” next year, when they’ll be the same? The X-class may show up then, but as it’s been proven, US consumers aren’t welcoming to a pickup with a heavy badge.
And so far, there’s no “King Ranch” (to Platinum/Limited) of midsize pickups. We don’t think of midsize pickups that way. $49K seems to be ceiling for them, fully loaded with options.
A F150 is a slightly longer version of an old US Ranger
Will they? Indications so far are that the U.S. Frontier will continue to be the old “D40” revision.
@JDG1980
That is right. They are more worried about the Titans Luke warm sales
@PenguinBoy
Looking at it more like Ford Lariat trim
Mercedes is a FULL-line automaker, including commercial vehicles – and has a bit of a different brand image in Germany/Europe as it does here.
The original A Class was every bit an econobox (with the B Class not much better).
Then there’s the taxi-fleet spec E Class.
Doing (modified) re-badge jobs (as this X-Class) is nothing new to MB as they had previously done it on the MB Citan panel van (a badge-engineered Renault Kangoo).
The G-wagen was developed as a military vehicle at the bequest of the Shah of Iran.
And one can not only find the Tri-star badge affixed at the front of commercial vans such as the Sprinter and Vito (not to mention the aforementioned Citan), but on commercial trucks as well, including (gasp!) sanitation/garbage trucks.
So to say that Cadillac isn’t a “premium” manufacturer just b/c they have a few models which share platforms with lesser brands is a bit of a cop-out when Mercedes does it as well (not to mention Lexus), in addition to being involved in all manners of commercial vans and trucks.
Yes, all those vinyl clad Mercedes vans sure are premium. Well, they are when you go to buy parts, that’s where the “premium” part kicks in. Does Lincoln sell a cargo van? A Cadillac version of the Chevy Express would most certainly be more appalling than the Cimarron.
Yeah, Cadillac and Lincoln trucks aren’t premium because they were just modified versions of mainstream trucks. Not anything like this Mercedes being based on a Nissan mainstream truck. Oh wait, yes it is.
As for the chicken tax, Diamler already sells the Sprinter and Metris vans here, they’ve circumvented the chicken tax before, they could do it again.
In fact, they have a new $500m plant here to build the Sprinter now. If they wanted to sell it here, they could very easily. They could also try getting away with importing CKD kits like they did for years with the Sprinter (and its Freightliner and Dodge clones).
That’s only assuming the Nissan truck plant in Mississippi couldn’t accommodate them. Perhaps partial assembly there (the Nissan bits) and then a trip to South Carolina (for the Mercedes bits). They’re not that far apart logistically. No more so, I’d think, than the “final assembly” plant in Oshowa from the corresponding plant in the US (speaking of the Chevrolet Silverado). Disclaimer, I haven’t actually compared the two.
They won’t do it because they know that in no time, probably during a car magazine/website tester’s drive, someone will pull up next to it in a Denali/King Ranch/Platinum/etc and LHAO. “Aww, how cute. A little truck dressed up like a Mercedes.”
They know it will instantly be compared to American full size trucks. The ones that pull trees out of the ground and even customers out of Mercedes cars. They’re bigger, stronger, more capable and just as nice inside.
Nothing about this is better in any way, except in the anti-American vehicle/policy/damn-near-everything person’s eyes, and that’s because it ISN’T an American truck.
Its the same reason most people buy a basic half ton over a midsize truck. More truck for your money wins.
So, they’d sell an embarrassingly low amount of them here. Not worth the effort. Only outside of the US and Canada, where our trucks are too gosh-darn big, does it have a chance.
*Oshawa
my apologies
Can I as an aspiring warlord assume some of that customizability entails run-flat tires and bullet-proof glass?
@Tosh
They are Toyota Hilux speciality
A gussied up Nissan with MB interior and badges? No thank you…I think I’ll stick with my Ridgeline RTL-E…or for a diesel, I’d buy a Canyon in Denali trim…
@klossfam
Not a Nissan. It was based on the Nissan, but appears to have virtually nothing in common, including the suspension, body and drive lines
That tablet on the dash looks especially bad with all that empty space between the CD player and HVAC controls.
Pedestrian. Waiting for the Maybach pickup.
Sweet Nissan…errr ,Mercedes just like the CLA/GLA with cheap a$$ interior, cheap a$$ build-quality, diesel sounding clackety engine and schizophreniic transmission!
Way to sully what remains of your soul/heritage/legacy, genius management at Daimler, by likely broadcasting this Nissan Navaho-whatever you call it as a “Mercedes.”
I beat the rental CLA I had in Nevada-Arizona to within an inch of its sad life. Good times and a fitting treatment for that pile of excrement!
@Deadweight
Will sell well for it’s target market
If you think the interior of the CLA/GLA is cheap (which it is), then you would really be impressed by the interiors in the original A Class and B Class.
When I used to travel back and forth to Germany, I often times wound up with an A-class. In higher-spec and engine levels, I rather actually liked the wee-beastie. Not that it would have every sold in the US, mind you…but it worked great on the narrow streets between Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart. Coupled with a manual trans, I enjoyed driving them. Premium? Not really. But as has been said already here, MB provides vehicles across the spectrum overseas. They’re not all loaded E and S classes over there.
Mercedes: Just because you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD do something.
@I_like_stuff
On the surface it should sell well. Mercedes does make Trucks in NA well HDT ones
I like stuff,
The global pickup market will sell lots of these.
Oddly, US full size pickups will only remain profitable in NA, an ever shrinking pickup market proportionally and global pickups are in over 180 countries.
The global market is larger than the US pickup market.
Even in Australia we sell more pickups per capita than the US. This is mainly midsize and a few US fullsize. You guys count most light trucks as pickups as well. That’s why Australia is important in the 4×4 and pickup world.
Oddly, US fullsize pickups (except Tundra/Titan) would be very profitable any place the Hilux sells well. Their extreme/obscene profits in the US should give you a clue.
Obviously selling imported vehicles around the world has its share of obstacles, technical and otherwise, especially RHD conversion, but it’s mostly that same extreme/obscene US profitability that has kept US pickup makers at home, never needing to reach out to foreign markets. But absolutely none, are nearly as inviting as the US is to foreign automakers. It’s not a “2-way street” obviously.
No, you would be starving trying to off load that US junk in the ME. ” Oddly” would be an appropriate word. Highly unprofitable
RobertRyan,
I’m currently working in the ME and the country I’m in has quite a few full size half ton pickups from the US.
Funnily, they are not used for work or even towing, Hiluxes, Navaras, Mitsubishi’s, Tata’s and Great Wall’s are used as work utes of choice, not US full size pickups.
Imagine a Tata or Great Wall as a preferred work vehicle. I never thought I would encounter that!
Even in Australia we have some of those Brazilian F250s as “work” utes.
@Big Al from Oz
Even those Chinese Pickups are built for work, but I would not get too excited about their build quality and reliability.
On a Caravanning site a former F350 owner has switched to an IVECO has a tow vehicle. Strange choice on the surface of it, but he was pretty scathing about the F350
@Big Al from Oz
His post on the forum
”
I had an F350 and would not recommend them as being terribly robust.
I got a reasonable trade in for it against an Isuzu, but I’m not sure they realised how many times I had re-attached the rear spring hangers with a stick welder, or that the bullbar was now a structural component…
The seats were comfy, and the seated position was behind the front axle. That’s about all I can say that was good about it compared to the Isuzu 4WD trucks where you are seated over the axle.
The Iveco 4WD seats you behind the axle, it seems to be incredibly robust (I’ve had no issues yet) and is in my opinion more comfortable than the F truck was.
The downside to the Iveco is that their dealer network is not as large as Isuzu, but with 40,000km service intervals you don’t need to find a dealer too often.”
RobertRyan,
We are using EcoSieze F150 crew cabs and EcoSieze powered Expeditions with a sprinkling of Kia Sorento’s, Hiluxes and a Mitsubishi Triton diesel.
We had to stop using the Sorento’s and EcoSieze powered Fords for anything but point to point driving. Idling is bad ju’ju for them in the heat here.
Hence my new term EcoSieze, not EcoThirst, which is apt as well.
We’ve seized some Sorentos and F150/Expeditions already.
The Hilux and believe it or not the Triton are handling the heat far better.
The vehicle of choice that is most popular is the V8 Nissan Patrol. It’s like a Corolla or Camry here.
It seems Hiluxes are the most common brand of ute. They all have 2.7 gas engines, no 4 litre V6’es. And oddly they are SR5s.
I’ve never seen or encountered a SR5 with a 2.7. The interiors are pretty basic, so it’s not like the Aussie SR5s.
Given the name “X-class” and all those X-shaped vents on the dashboard, it’s only logical to enlist Xzibit as their spokesman: “Yo dawg, I heard you like X, so we put a bunch of X shapes in your X class”
It does look like a Pimp My Ride version of a Nissan truck.
ISIS commanders line up for this already with 50-cal gun stands
This is my pick up truck. It is a Mercedes Benz X-Class in the Progressive trim level. It is a heavily based on a Nissan product. It uses a gas engine that produces the same horsepower as my 1988 Buick.
@ajla
In many markets they will drop the Gas option.
“No petrol-engined X-Class varaiants will come Down Under. The 122kW/238Nm petrol engine offered in left-hand drive markets is off limits for Oz. Nor will there be any move beyond the dual-cab body-style.”
Everyone makes a pickup now. Mercedes should be a little more daring by introducing a vehicle no one else has. A 6×6 four-door convertible….
http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/Mercedes-Benz-in-WWII-1.jpg
@Edsel
Market for those are outside NA
This is more or less what you wanted:
http://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/mercedes-benz/g-650-laundalet/first-drive
Sad. This is even more crass than a SAAB branded Trailblazer.
@ Matt Posky
A very TTAC comment.
“Mercedes-Benz isn’t new to the commercial sector, with a large van presence across much of the world.”
They happen to be the biggest truck maker on the planet. In NA they own Freightliner.
“Ram 700 = Mitsubishi L200.”
A very BigRobertAlRyan comment.
@JohnTaurus
Another stupid comment from John Taurus
“John Taurus” sounds like a code the police would use to describe suburban men venturing downtown in their family sedan to purchase sex.
“Attention all units, we have a potential John Taurus at the corner of main and 1st. “
So which one will we get in the U.S.: the Nissan pickup with the German logo built in the Japanese plant in Spain or the French plant in Argentina?
@Prove Your Humanity 2+9=?
None. Not destined at all for the US
Prove Your Humanity,
The next US Frontier might very well be based on the narrow body global Navara that is sold to compete against Chinese and Indian pickups in the developing world.
Ford called. It wants the Explorer Sport Trac it lent Daimler back.
@FreedMike
With AWD,and a 2,300lb payload?
Mid-Size Pickup (Premium) Birth Watch, Episode 1
…
Uh, I think this vehicle has more than a fair chance at success in the US market. I think Mercedes could easily sell 25k – 40k units per year.
MB should know “can’t have it” is a red flag to some. I fully expect them to hit the hot and trendy…Miami Beach, Ranches in Texas, Beverly Hills. You’d need to bring it in from your foreign holdings to show it off. A mercedes pickup ? There’s a small but rich demo who will appear at the dealer and say “take my money”. They won’t care about stump pulling or getting a horse trailer across Nebraska…that’s what the help is for.
@Speedlaw
It will come in basic ” trade an” versions as well as premium
“Best or Nothing”? You are kidding how truck designed (and built?) by discount/subprime brand like Nissan can be the “best”? @Mercedes – welcome to club, join Cadillac “The Standard of the World”.
Inside looking Out
Will not be built by Nissan
@Robert Ryan – Again you’re just full of stupid comments. Yes it will be built by Nissan, yes it will run down the same exact assembly line with the Navara, yes in Spain, and why would it do otherwise??
This is what “re-badged” trucks do.
It’s OK to be ignorant of the facts, but why do you repeatedly comment with zero knowledge, but readily present things as *fact* that you obviously pull out of your A$$?
@Dimwit
Navara is built in Thailand for Asian market.
Regardless of where it’s sold, all X-class pickups will be built by Nissan, right down to the Mercedes emblems slapped on.
Do you understand this? Do you need me to type slower? With your dumb comment, it’s unclear if I’m getting through.
Dimwit
It is being built in Spain and Argentina, not Asia
Mike, I think Big Al and RobertRyan are two chatboxes and most likely not even from Australia. I am sure they would pass Turing’s test but it does mean they are AI – many chatboxes do pass Turing test. Turing test is kind of outdated by modern standards.
Inside Looking Out,
Lately I feel “non” Aussie. I’ve been traversing the globe for work!
No, I’m an Aussie and a Yank (from Long Island and South Jersey) and half French, so I visit France and Europe once a year, or thereabouts.
Sort of a mutt.
I don’t mind having a chat either.
Thanks for your compliment!
No problem – working as engineer in Silicon Valley I am AI fan. Tesla’s assembly plant is couple of exits away from my work. I may buy Model 3 one day.
It’s not like it’s any worse than what MB has already been doing with the Citan (aka rebadged Renault Kangoo).
Well, I can see a number of silly comments ranging from chicken tax to Navara.
First, more infomation from the author would reduce some of the dumbass comments.
The only parts borrowed from Nissan are the chassis, the body and a engine.
The chicken tax reduces competition in the US. A large number of people complain about vehicle prices, well a 25% tax on imports WILL reduce fair competition and increase prices.
This thing starts at 43,000 dollars. That is the price converted from Euro before any chicken tax is applied. 43 grand gets you a lot of truck here. I mean you are at very nicely equipped full sized truck money to start. Load this thing up with options and you are getting into king ranch money. Now I know which one you would buy, but I also know which one most Americans would buy. This is after a small niche of a small segment of the US truck market. Not really worth the effort.
Which country?
From what I’m reading a base model X Class will be competitive against the Amarok.
So, the Aussie base twin turbo diesel AWD will be in the mid 40s. Or low to mid 30s in USD.
The V6 diesel looks great with 550Nm of torque. That will haul butt in a mid sizer.
It seems to be a nice pickup.
Oh, don’t forget the talk of the Alaskan and Navara getting the Reno V6 diesel.
It seems the global pickup scene will be the place of real change.
GM has a LS3 powered Colorado in Australia they are trialling and the EcoSieze Rangers.
Soon if you want power and performance you could look at a global pickup.
But the ……….. chicken tax!
And the dude who comments the F150 is just a longer Ranger and claims the US truck market isn’t as lucrative as the global market is talking about silly comments? I got nothing.
Lil Troll
MB is the biggest Truck maker on the planet. They know where the profits are. You do not
I googled “Is Mercedes the biggest truck manufacturer on the planet”. The only relevant answer was your exact comment here.
You are da man, my son. Have you considerd getting professional help?
@conundrum
You are a new name for the multifaceted troll who inhabits this site.
And they only borrow the chassis, body, and engines? Wow may as well call it a clean slate design. Just damn.
Nissan body, chassis and engine for Mercedes price? Best of both worlds. Where can I get that deal? As long as Mercedes puts Mercedes paint and a Mercedes emblem on it, I’ll pay anything for a Nissan.
@the laine
None of the above. Body, chassis , drivetrain, engines different
@BAFO – What “competition”? Which pickups from around the globe (if the chicken tax was lifted) would be a *threat* to fullsize pickup prices?
@Dimwit
All US Pickups are built iby the same company
Yup, my 2016 f150 super crew 4×4 lariat, sticked at 43k. And it got turbo.
@johnnyz
How well does it go off road?
Living in Minnesota there are opportunities to go off-road but I do not. If I was going off-road I would not take a 43k truck, that’s what a 2k beater is for. However, when we get 8 inches of snow it plows right through!
Johnnyz,
Does the X Class have the same chintzy Mitsubishi like interior as the F150?
Does the X Class return better than 15mpg like the 2.7 F150?
Is the MB a more refined vehicle with better handling dynamics?
Bigger does not mean better. A big vehicle is nice, but quality also counts.
IDK I liked the ford interior better than the Dodge or Chevy. Doesn’t look mitsu to me.
The 2.7 makes good power and I get 19mpg and I am not shy about putting my foot into the turbos.
I like Nissan’s too! My other car is a 2016 Maxima. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Hater!
Johnnyz,
You again highlighted the US pickup market.
“Oh I like the Ford better than a GM or Ram”, sort of response.
There is a lot more to the pickup market than those three.
Actually the most dynamic pickup segment is the global market at the moment.
johnnyz,
We have new aluminium F150s and Expeditions with the EcoSieze engines.
Their interiors are what could be expected from a cheap Mitsubishi or even some Chinese vehicles.
For the US to have big cheap vehicles, you must manufacture cheap vehicles.
I’ve owned Chevys, Mopars and Fords. Yes, the Alm body was a selling point, lower weight= moar performance.
I get it, you hate the Ford interiors. I would advise you not to buy one.
I also shopped the New Nissan PU, I didn’t look at the Toyo.
Ford won! Mitsu interior and all. BTW I like the interior with dark accents and the waterfall walnut piece on the doors. Go FORD!
OK, that’s all well and good. Nicely done MB.
Now Ford, can you please get on with the US version of the Ranger. Especially that Ranger Raptor. Because frankly that’s all many care about at this point.
Oh and you over there Jeep, stop dragging your damn knuckles on the Wrangler PU.
Yes, Sgt.! Please Santa, bring thelaine a Ranger Raptor and and send the Mernissan to Australia.
thelaine,
Judging by the difference in wheelbase and track of the Navara vs the X Class one must assume this influenced Ford to make the Ranger Raptor.
What is funny is if Ford wants MB prices for a midsizer.
@Big Al from Oz
Everest has that problem overpriced for what it is.
From the pricing I’m seeing a comparable X Class is in the same or near enough to the Ranger and Amarok.
@thelaine
We get both.
Woo hoo! You guys are awesome.
OP writes, “the first pickup from a premium manufacturer” with a snort of derision. It is though, because 97% of the world’s population lives outside the US, and are almost completely unaware of Cadillac and Lincoln, let alone their pickup trucks. Mercedes brand awareness is high everywhere, and they don’t plan to sell this thing in North America anyway, so they’re 97% correct in their self-serving marketing pronouncement. Still, that’s an A+.
Maybe Lincoln and Caddy are not percieved as premium manufacturers by the 97%.
@conundrum
The ones who know about them are Unfortuntely aware of them. Not that they would like to own one.
So, I guess this truck can be called a “Teutonic Titan”, huh?
Give me a Chevy or Ford and call it done.
Zackman
That is what you will get as they are not coming to NA
Who’s the designer behind the infotainment screen? Looks like they just glued an iPad to the dash…
The tail lights can use some detail like the traditional ribs to make it look more like a Mercedes. It looks too much like the ones on the Nissan Frontier.
The German price for this vehicle seems very high. So, I wouldn’t use the pricing in the title of this article as the basis for judgment.
Here in Australia it seems the price will be starting at around $40 000AUD for the X Class, or $30kUSD.
It will also top out at around $70kAUD or around $50kUSD. If you deduct the 15% tax (hidden Aussie tax) from the price it would cost less than $45k for one of the most advanced pickups in the world. How much is a top of the line US Colorado with a the p!ssy 2.8 diesel?
This is not bad for a midsize diesel with 35 less hp and 80ftlb less torque than a XD Titan.
It a damn shame the US can’t import some of these because the Chicken Tax is a barrier to freedom of choice.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/worlds-most-hitech-ute-unveiled-mercedes-xclass-due-on-sale-early-2018/news-story/be7a750886fc6a3a268da7accfe36158
Actually if the 15% is deducted from the entry model it will cost around $24kUSD. Not bad for a Mercedes Benz, especially a twin turbo diesel.
How much is a cheap diesel Colorado in the US?