Mercedes is promoting the hard-working and playful sides of its new X-Class pickup. Neither one of them is available in the U.S.
Mercedes-Benz has made pickup trucks before. The G-Class, most famous for being a square-bodied SUV, has been manufactured with an open bed before. You can even say the same for the Unimog. Those are hardcore rigs, though. The new X-Class is a different kind of truck.
In its new commercial for the X-Class (above), Mercedes-Benz shows its dual personalities, both of which form a premium lifestyle vehicle. On one hand, the X-Class can be dressed up enough to blend in with other high-end vehicles in city settings. Mercedes-Benz offers several accessories for it, including a rear styling bar over the bed. Its LED headlamps cut through urban nights while the COMAND System navigates through the metropolitan sprawl.
On the other hand, the X-Class has the goods for fun in the wild. It’s constructed on a ladder frame and features 4MATIC all-wheel drive with low range capability and a locking rear differential for getting over challenging terrain. There are various ways of securing cargo in its bed, which can carry more than 2,200 pounds. The diesel-powered truck can pull up to 7,716 pounds of trailer and weekend toys behind it.
Only people outside of the United States will be able to buy the X-Class and drive it from the opera to an open field. It’s a puzzling situation. Americans throw a lot of money at luxury trucks these days. In a press release for its 2018 Super Duty Limited, Ford points out how checking all the boxes on one can bump the price above $90,000. Both the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups are available with a diesel engine and an off-road suspension. The Toyota Tacoma has made a killing as a truck for people with active outdoor lifestyles. It seems as if the X-Class is a missed opportunity for Mercedes in the United States, but is it, really? Would you buy one?
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Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
