What's the news?
Mercedes is rapidly running out of letters to name its products with, and the announcement of a new pickup will only exacerbate the issue. Hang on, a what?
Yep, from late next year you'll be able to buy a pickup, ute, truck, bakkie or whatever it is that you call these things in your own regional dialect with a three-pointed star on the bonnet. Developed in conjunction with Renault and Nissan, and sharing a platform with the new Alaskan and Navara respectively, the X-Class aims to infiltrate the Latin American, Australian and South African markets by offering a premium load-lugging experience.
Two different concepts have been produced: the Stylish Explorer and the Powerful Adventurer. The former goes for the bling look with 22-inch rims and tyres that don't look hugely suitable for much other than the school run, and features lots of brown and white leather inside. LED lighting forms an outline around the full perimeter of the tailgate and the corporate grille with a moon-sized Mercedes badge dominates the front.
The Powerful Adventurer is painted in a sort of industrial yellow and looks altogether more purposeful with its big chunky tyres, lots of ground clearance and powerful electric winches front and back, handy for uprooting small trees and other general pickup-type stuff. Both concepts feature payloads of over a tonne and the ability to tow up to 3.5 tonnes behind, while the 4Matic permanent all-wheel drive system features independently locking rear and centre differentials to aid traction on slippery surfaces. There's even independent rear suspension, fitted in an attempt to alleviate the typical handling drawbacks suffered by pickups, and a V6 turbodiesel will top the engine line-up.
Anything else?
As has come to be expected, connectivity features prominently, and you can even use your smartphone to check where the vehicle is parked and how much fuel is left in the tank. There's obviously no word on pricing just yet, but as soon as we hear anything we'll let you know. Looks cool though, doesn't it?