002

Specifications
ENGINE: 2.3 litre turbo-diesel,
140kW/450Nm
TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic
SUSPENSION: Front: independent;
Rear: 5-link coil sprung solid axle
STEERING: 13.4m turning circle
BRAKES: Front: ventilated discs Rear: ventilated discs
FUEL ECONOMY: 7.9 l/100km (claimed)
WHEELS & TYRES: 18” alloy wheels;
255/60 R18 tyres
WADING DEPTH: 600mm
TOW RATING: 750kg (unbraked);
3,500kg (braked); 1,021kg payload;
3,250kg GVM
APPROACH/DEPARTURE: 30
degrees/25 degrees
ANCAP RATING: 5-Star
PRICE BEFORE OPTIONS: $64,500
(incl GST; excl dealer costs)
LOADED4X4 RATING: 90/100
Verdict
At this point, you’ll be thinking that I’ve lost my marbles over
the X-Class, but the reality is I lost them years ago. I will confess
to liking the X-Class an awful lot. I particularly like the fact that
Mercedes-Benz has priced the X-Class competitively enough for it
to shake up the incumbent players in this niche. Anyone shopping
for a 4X4 ute that has $55,000 or more to spend can now buy a
well-equipped Mercedes, and that makes the X-Class the new cat
in the pigeon cage.
The top-spec Power retails for $64,500 which compares
favourably with the Ranger Wildtrack at $61,790 and the new
HiLux Rogue at $61,690, and if you’re shopping for a lifestyle
ute, I’m willing to bet that there’ll be plenty of buyers that would
choose a Mercedes-Benz over a Ford or a Toyota. I know I would.
The mid-spec Progressive automatic retails for $57,800, and
that compares very favourably to the Navara ST-X which retails
for $54,490. Which would you buy?
I’m not sure how many X-Class utes will see bush tracks on a
regular basis – I hope plenty do – but for now, I suspect real offroad
usage will remain the domain of the other brands. I can see
the X-Class challenging the Ranger for the attention of the mall
crawler/street machine brigade, particularly when the V6 arrives
in showrooms. Let’s face it; if you want a mint whip, you can post
about on Instagram, Mercedes-Benz trumps Ford all day long.
We should all embrace the X-Class, because it is going to
challenge the competition to add value to their 4X4 ute offerings
and force them to introduce basic gear like, rear disc brakes and
coil sprung suspension, that should have been standard years
ago. Forget the Navara connection, it’s irrelevant, go check out
the X-Class.
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