Mercedes aren’t the auto manufacturer you’d think of when looking for pickup trucks. It would probably be one of the American or Japanese brands like GM, Dodge or Nissan. But Mercedes is now showing us a preview of its foray into the pickup truck segment: the X-Class Pickup.
The X-Class Concept is a pair of pickup trucks to showcase the range that Mercedes plans to introduce to the market.
The first is the Powerful Adventurer which is a rugged, off-road beast. It has a high ground clearance, huge off-road tires and even a winch. The pigeonhole tailgate has more of a utilitarian feel. The wide carbon wheel arches and side skirts give the truck a two-tone colour scheme.
The second is the Stylish Adventurer which is more of an urban prowler. It has big rims and a lot of the creature comforts expected of a city cruiser. The front grille is more for show than go and the 22-inch rims are not for off-road. The trim inside the vehicle is also very luxurious. The wrap around tail light also adds a nice stylish touch.
The X-Class Concepts share the same platform as the Nissan Navarra NP300 and Renault Alaskan. The platform sharing is part of a deal between Mercedes and the Renault-Nissan Alliance to share technologies among the brands. There is still no word on the engine specifications and the corresponding performance figures that come along with it.
What we do know is that the X-Class can handle a payload of around 1.1 tonnes. It can also pull a load of 3.5 tonnes. The rear suspension is independent with coil over springs and dampers to make the X-Class handle like a proper Merc. It also has locking rear and inter-axle differentials to help it climb up steep hills with ease.
The X-Class Pickups are at the concept stage as of the moment but is expected to go into production late 2017.
We do wonder if we will see an AMG version of the pickup when it goes into production. Stay tuned for more news on the X-Class pickup.
Photo source: Top Gear
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