Mercedes-Benz X Class In the Wild

[neelyrc]

Walking home from the beach this afternoon I spotted this X-Class pickup parked near my home, the first one I have seen in the wild.  This one is an X250d.  Basically this is a rebranded Nissan/Renault and is actually built by them in France.  To make a real MB out of it you must go to the X350d, a 3 liter V6 diesel model with the trusted MB turbo diesel.  Prices start around $40,000 and proceed into outer space depending on the options.  A very, very nice luxury pick up but in the four door configuration you can only haul a couple of bags of groceries in the short bed.

This one isn't scheduled for the USA market.  I see that they are pushing it at Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. I'm sure you folks down under will enjoy this luxury ute!

 

[Garry]

Yes Ralph,


They are meant to be available for order now but I have not seen one yet.

[zak]

Cool truck.
Is that built on a GL or ML chassis ?

jz

[neelyrc]

From what I have read, neither.  Apparently the chassis was jointly developed with Nissan.

[WRe]

Hi,
the X-Class chasis is from a Nissan Navara and other technical details as well from a Renault Alaskan. The cars are even build by Nissan in Barcelona for Europe, Australia and South-Africa and by Renault in Cordoba,Argentina for the American market. Engines and transmissions come from Mercedes and Renault.
Nissan and Renault are more or less the same cars, Mercedes should be more comfortable, has better brakes and handling.
...WRe

[WRe]

... end of production: May 2020

[Cees Klumper]

Not a day too soon.

[Garry]

Didn’t last long, two years here and only sold about 2000.  Cost here ranged from $50-70k usd so way to expensive and a bad press killed it.  Agree with Cees, no loss to the world.

[mdsalemi]

Well, here it is as Mercedes tries to dominate and make a vehicle in every class from the tiniest of city cars to the most massive of trucks, and everything in between. Guess the world didn't need a Benz badged pickup or Ute as they say down under...??

Don't reallly know if this ever made it in the USA. About as useful as the Lincoln Blackwood, for those with a memory, but at least that had some pedigree to it--the F Series.

But Garry, a lot of trucks in the USA today are approaching if not exceeding that $$$ threshold, particularly those well equipped and in the 2.5 and 3.5 ton category--the heavy haulers. Ford F250, F350, RAM 2500, 3500, Chevy/GM 2500, 3500. All of those can get pretty pricey!

[Tyler S]

But Garry, a lot of trucks in the USA today are approaching if not exceeding that $$$ threshold

I can attest to that. My 2020 Ford Ranger Lariat 4wd crew cab tipped just over $50k.

[Garry]

I keep forgetting our exchange rate is way down to about $0.68 to the usd. So a $50k usd ute is in the $75 k range here.


A top of the line Ford Ranger here is probably well under $70k Aust and more like $60k Aust which puts it cheaper than the USA’s price.


Good for our exports!!,

[Tyler S]

Garry, yes indeed. Another reason is the Ranger never went AWOL in Australia. So at the new release here in the states the prices have been a bit bloated.

[MikeSimon]

as Mercedes tries to dominate and make a vehicle in every class from the tiniest of city cars to the most massive of trucks, and everything in between.   

That seems to be the strategy at all manufacturers that used to be in a narrow segment. Porsche, a powerhouse sports-car manufacturer for decades, suddenly needs a 4-door sedan and a SUV, so does Lamborghini and so does Ferrari. Interesting fact, the Volkswagen Phaeton - a great flop, in my eyes - was developed and brought to market because Ferdinand Piëch wanted to get back at Mercedes Benz for invading the VW market segment with the "A" class.
While diversification may not be a bad thing, it can backfire. Some of these "we have it too" models may be slow sellers and a burden to the portfolio.

[mdsalemi]

I can attest to that. My 2020 Ford Ranger Lariat 4wd crew cab tipped just over $50k.

I bet an F150 would have been less. It would have been if purchased in Michigan.

[Mike Hughes]

I bet an F150 would have been less. It would have been if purchased in Michigan.

Maybe if it was a base XL or XLT.

The current Ranger sold in North America is quite a bit more expensive than the previous version discontinued almost a decade ago.  I just checked the dealer locator and the most fully equipped Ranger Lariat 4X4 Crew Cab with sport appearance package and wheel upgrade in stock at any dealer in the U.S. has an MSRP of $48570. Even with factory incentives and dealer discounts, with taxes, registration and fees it could easily hit or exceed $50K, depending on where it is registered.

While it is true that the Ford highly incentivizes the F-series trucks (in order to maintain their winning streak of 43 consecutive years of producing America's best selling truck) these days the typical F-150 Lariat 4X4 Crew Cab is a 60-70K vehicle and a Limited tops out within spitting distance of $77K!

[MikeSimon]

I always looked at this claim for the "best selling truck" with some critical eye.
GM was selling the Silverado and the Sierra, essentially the same truck. And if you added both of these up, in some years, there were more of these than the F-150

[mdsalemi]

...in some years...

Those are the three magic words.

There are more F150s sold, generally, than any 4-wheeled road vehicle on earth. If Ford were to spin off the F-Series as a separate company, it would be, by itself, in the Fortune 500.

https://www.torquenews.com/3768/latest-numbers-show-just-how-popular-ford-f-150

They sell more in a few weeks than the entire W113 production run from 1963-1971...