Roy Ellery (MotorReview.com.au)The X-Class is a vehicle that has given plenty to talk in the recent weeks, a massive wave of both positive and not-so-positive comments arguing about this new piece of machinery that is about to satisfy the craving.
No doubt that with all the information that has been shared with us, we might already deduce which were the real reasons for the X-Class Project’s creation, why this name and why we are getting a pick-up concept from Mercedes-Benz in 2017.
Of course, it’s important to consider first which has been the changing points of the Benz brand in the last few years. Maybe not so drastically but they had successfully progressed into the commercial automotive industry and with it, advanced to a more “mainstreamish” type of vehicles like recent SUVs they have created, this without losing the fine Germanic taste.
A Meaning Behind the X
Close to what they aimed before, Mercedes-Benz wants to take their product and send it into a more commercial range. According to Volker Mornhinweg, the head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, “(we) have the competency to do both –commercially and private cars- like the Vito and V-Class. From our perspective, we thought it might be more reasonable just to make it different in comparison to our competitors, where we position the car more on the lifestyle angle”.
In theory, they could have had a low-spec model called differently and a high-end version named as the X-Class. But Mornhinweg insisted that there were plenty on the table before they took a final decision. We think that the X is also the perfect fit to the rough and tough commercial aspect.
Promising Partnership
Another topic that has been polemic in these discussions has been the partnership. What kind of results would bring the union between Mercedes-Benz and Nissan-Renault to market more efficiently and make this type of projects a reality?
This product was designed with Nissan’s help. The Japanese carmaker has plenty of experience in the pickup field, so, at first sight, this seems like a smart move for Mercedes-Benz, which is partnering with experts.
Within the car industry, collaborations are made quite often, based on convenience to create masterpieces. The reasons why Mercedes-Benz and Nissan joined are explained in the announcement and general review of the concept pickup. But, in few words, they did it to save time and money.
Here, the polemic topic is that many customers noticed the similarities between the X-Class and the Nissan Navara, which suppose a problem. The bodywork and the chassis look very similar on the outside, without even considering the diesel powerplant that they will probably share.
Depending on the angle you look at it, the opinions greatly vary and the reviews related to the X-Class are going to change dramatically in the first moment people buy it.
This appealing concept will become a reality soon. The X-Class is going to hit the markets between 2018 and 2019, mostly depending on the region, and the estimated starting price is around AU$40,800.
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