Had you told me 30 years ago I would have the opportunity to offroad in a Mercedes, I would have assumed you were implying I was military bound. But with the release, and ensuing feverish popularity, of the G-Wagen, that fantasy became a reality. The world wants to off-road (or pretend to) in luxury.
Enter the newest kid on the Benz block: the just announced Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup truck, unveiled today in Sweden.
Since Benz first went on the record last March with plans to release a mid-sized truck with a heightened payload capacity that would beat out that of all its American rivals, adventurous dads and metropolitan moguls alike have been waiting with bated breath. And in a stream today from Stockholm, the manufacturer revealed the first look at two slick concept iterations of the proposed X-Class. They also confirmed that hands-down, no doubt, this “rough” rider is coming to market.
The X-Class is a four-door short-bed (so, smaller than the Ford F150) and seats five people. On the interior, it’s as handsome as one could expect, with nubuck-leather seats and oak trim. Of the two releases, one comes in an arresting Ecto-Cooler metallic green with a fixed electric winch at the front. The other is a more minimal version for the city mouse. Their respective names are the “Stylish Adventurer” and “Powerful Explorer,” because apparently after 90 years in the business, Mercedes has just plain run out of quality descriptors.
And while these two extreme makes are not exactly what we’ll see come off the line in mid-to-late 2017, it does signify Mercedes closing a gap in their portfolio and bringing the world what it demands: “On-road luxury and off-road badassness, you can have it all!”
via Truck Yeah!
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