New Model Focus
Mercedes-Benz’s first-ever ute will enter the New Zealand market in the first quarter of 2018 in workhorse and upmarket models, and at prices lower than pundits had been predicting. The X-Class will go on sale in rear-wheel drive and selectable four-wheel drive versions, with base prices ranging from $53,300 to $69,000, and that has surprised many industry observers.
The pricing is competitive against parts of Volkswagen’s Amarok ute range, and isn’t out of kilter with the more expensive models from traditional ute makers. Certainly, the prices are well below those speculated on by crystal ball-gazers who were imagining prices north of $70,000 for mid-range models and the possibility of a six figure tag for the top model V6.
There were voices that begged to differ, including one senior car company executive who suggested Mercedes was likely to come in with an aggressive pricing strategy that would take on the mid- to high-end models in the ute market. There will be sceptics who will ask why anyone would shell out the prices Benz is asking when they could buy a Nissan Navara – the X-Class is based on the Navara and uses the same engines – for less?
Against that is the cachet of the Mercedes name and the lustre of the three-pointed badge; and Mercedes is understood to have widened the cab. A narrow cab is seen by many as one of the Navara’s shortcomings.
The first X-Class utes will arrive here next April in a range that includes 13 variants.
Initially, the Benz will be available in workhorse models called the Pure, more upmarket Progressive, and luxury Power variants. The latter is aimed at urban buyers looking for a vehicle that can do the hard yards but also offers the luxury of a high-end car.
The X-Class is based on the Nissan Navara, and all models are powered by four-cylinder Nissan/Renault Alliance diesel engines and comes with manual or automatic gearboxes. The base model engine is the single turbocharger X 220 d which develops 120kW of maximum power and is used only in the three Pure grade models that open the range.
The second engine is the X 250 d biturbo motor, delivering 140kW; it’s fitted to the remaining 10 utes in the line-up. Standard gearbox with both the X 220 d and X 250 d motors is a six-speed manual, but an optional seven-speed automatic is available on all trim levels, depending on individual models.
The true X-Class range-topper, fitted with a V6 diesel and 4Matic permanent four-wheel drive won’t arrive until later in 2018. Mercedes hasn’t announced pricing but it’s likely to sit around the mid-$80,000 mark – considerably under the $90,000 to more than $100,000 that industry observers were expecting.
The V6 will develop 190kW of maximum power and 550Nm of peak torque. The latter figure equals the output of the V6 in the $84,000 Volkswagen Amarok ute, and between them, the German trucks’ torque figures outgun all other mid-sized utes on the NZ market...
