Yahoo Autos This Is the Mercedes X-Class Pickup Truck
Last October, Mercedes-Benz previewed its long-awaited X-Class pickup truck in concept form, promising a production version to come in the future. At an event in South Africa today, the X-Class midsize pickup made its official debut, but sadly, Mercedes didn't confirm it was coming to the US.
Previously, we'd heard that the X-Class wouldn't come to North America, but we reported earlier this year that there's actually a chance that it could make it here. Either way, it's still a fascinating truck. Here, the X-Class would compete with the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, the Toyota Tacoma, the Honda Ridgeline, and the upcoming Ford Ranger. There's obviously a market for upscale full-size pickups in the US, but Mercedes isn't sure if the same is true for mid-sizers.
Mercedes is offering the X-Class with four engines, two four-cylinder diesels, a four-cylinder gas engine, and a V6 diesel. It'll be offered in both rear- and all-wheel drive form, and either with a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed automatic. At launch, the X-Class will come with switchable 4Matic all-wheel drive with a low-range gearbox, while a permanent all-wheel drive system will arrive later.
As you'd expect, Mercedes also promises that the X-Class will be better on road than other pickups. The German automaker claims that the X-Class' dynamics are "on a par with passenger cars." Mercedes is also offering the X-Class with its safety tech like lane-keep assist, and autonomous emergency braking.
The X-Class is based on the non-US market Nissan Navara, though its styling is pure Mercedes - the front Facia looks quite a lot like the GLS SUV. Inside, the X-Class gets some of its own design touches, and you'll recognize a lot of switchgear from elsewhere in the Mercedes range. Most obvious is the 8.4-inch "Comand" touch screen that's offered in the C-Class and other Mercedes cars. The X-Class will be offered in three forms - the work-truck-esque "Pure" (pictured at the top of this post), the more luxurious "Progressive," and the stylish "Power."
Depending on drivetrain options, the X-Class offers a maximum towing capacity of 7716 lbs, but every X-Class offers 2230 lbs of payload capacity. European-market X-Classes get a comfort suspension as standard, but there's an optional, 20mm higher off-road suspension too. In markets outside Europe, the off-road suspension is standard.
The X-Class will start at €37,294 ($43,106 USD) when it goes on sale in Germany in November. Prices for other markets haven't been announced yet.
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