The truck lineup we have in the US is as strong as it’s ever been and the names we see are familiar. Every so often we have a newcomer to the group that gives us something a bit different, but many times that newcomer isn’t able to last very long because of the competition or because they are a sub brand of a company that already has a strong truck following. Lincoln and Cadillac have both attempted to bring us pickup trucks that were to be luxury models with the guts to get the job done, but truck customers preferred their Fords and Chevys to these other names.
Mercedes-Benz is poised to enter the truck market with a pickup truck of its own, but not ready to try and break ground in the US just yet. Yes, Mercedes- Benz has shown us a model called the X-Class that appears to be built in conjunction with Nissan and their Navara. Even though the new X-Class concept appears to be similar in style to the Navara, some AMG GT feature are evident on the truck and it looks like it could be a vehicle that is formidable and exciting right from the start.
The plan at the moment is to sell the X-Class in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain and South Africa. This will give the truck a good foothold in some important markets to begin with. This truck is already slated for the 2017 model year and will be expected to be on the road late in the year. They are working on development for the US market but have set no timeline yet as to when this truck would even attempt to become part of our market, which isn’t a surprise at all.
Right now two versions have been shown, a mild mannered street version that looks more likely to make its way to the midsize truck market and a beefy off roader. The expectation is that the production model will be a blend of the two and bring active abilities along with the power that’s needed. There will be a range of engines as you would expect from Mercedes-Benz and the top one is to be a diesel powered V6 that uses full time 4WD. This top end powertrain will have the ability to haul 2200 pounds of payload and tow as much as 7,000 pounds which is exceptional for a truck of this size.
Is this a truck you’d like to own? I guess the next part, other than it actually be offered in the US, is to see how it compares with price, capability, comfort and features to the current midsized truck lineup. For those who swear by the German engineering and Mercedes-Benz name, this might be the perfect workhorse, but for those of us who are brand loyal with our trucks, it may be a hard sell to actually look to purchase a luxury pickup truck in the midsized class.
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