We tested the Mercedes-Benz X-Class 350d: the most refined and powerful pick-up on the market

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We tested the Mercedes-Benz X-Class 350d: the most refined and powerful pick-up on the market

After having discovered the new Mercedes-Benz X-Class right now just over a year ago, the firm's star reinforces its offer with a model that marks the innate character of the German house in the pick-up segment.

While the outside is the same work and leisure vehicle with the luxurious touch of Mercedes-Benz, the Class X 350d 4MATIC receives the changes that many of the loyal customers were waiting for, with even more premium finishes but with an engine 3.0-liter V6 and a 100% own Stuttgart transmission.

Class X 350d: the best interior of the segment

Mercedes-Benz has sought again the alliance with Renault / Nissan to embark on a segment unknown to them. The Class X takes as a starting point the new Nissan Navara or Renault Alaskan to debut among the pick-up, but looking for less professional users and more focused on leisure, adventurers or fans of the countryside with greater purchasing power than those who decide on the Japanese or French brands.

To achieve this, the exterior design of the Class X has tried to distance itself to the maximum of the Navara. Except for obvious areas such as the shape of the windows or other recognizable elements, the aesthetic section of the Class X adapts to the lines marked by the other models of the brand. The large frontal star dominates a large grill with lighthouses that are very familiar and soft lines. The rear lights with LED technology and the alloy wheels of 17 and 18 inches (19 "in option) have just finished a set with a lot of flavor to Mercedes-Benz.

We jump inside the first pick-up of the German house and we find, again, with the language of Mercedes-Benz. A large touch screen presides over the dashboard on four aerators and a metal molding that replicates the rest of the cabin. The surfaces are pleasant to the touch with some elements upholstered in imitation leather and, those that are not, are hard textured plastic with good finishes.

In the driver's seat the multifunction steering wheel is of content size upholstered in leather as the shift knob and the handbrake lever. After it, the cams of the automatic change (of series) are hidden and a control panel with double analogue dial escorted a digital screen for the information of the trip and the vehicle.

It is true that the interior earns many integers with respect to its Navara and Alaskan cousins, especially in the infotainment system used, but in fact it is not a cabin that is particularly bright compared to a tourist. At the end of the day the Class X is a country car and it is logical the absence of more padded panels in favor of hard plastic.

The tapestries are of quality and between the front seats the control of traditional control of the passenger cars of Mercedes-Benz makes the difference with their counterparts. The rear seats are typical of a pick-up, fair but not too comfortable.

A unique mechanical combination in the pick-up segment
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Under the body, hidden at a first glance, is the largest battery of distinctions. The differentiation that Mercedes-Benz has sought with respect to its direct competition is in the behavior. The frame is still the same chassis of stringers but with new features: the rear axle of rigid axle leaves the leaf springs and entrusts its suspension to a multibrazo scheme with springs, the center of gravity is located 20 mm lower and is 7 cm wider than tracks on both axes.

With these changes the Class X tries to approximate the ride comfort of its cars to the pick-up segment, and the truth is that it does. It feels good on the road and behaves better than the same vehicle if it was equipped with leaf springs and the highest weight. It circulates very well planted on the asphalt.

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In the engine of the Mercedes-Benz Class X 350d is the biggest claim of this pick-up. The diesel engine of six cylinders in uve and 3.0 liters (2.987 cubic centimeters for precision) turbocharged is exactly the same as that used in other models of the signature of the star as the GLE Coupé, also associated with the transmission 7G- TRONIC and 4MATIC all-wheel drive and forming an easily recognizable package.

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The behavior is markedly superior to that of the mechanics shared with Nissan. The 258 HP and 550 Nm of torque (as powerful as the Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI V6) offer a blunt delivery but with an excellent touch on the road, with immediate response and a behavior of the gearbox reasonably good for its purpose. If we must highlight one thing about this combination, it is its finesse, a perception that will be particularly appreciated by Mercedes-Benz customers.

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At its controls the Class X is perceived with a firmness and comfort a point above the average of the segment. In addition to the set-up of the chassis, the soundproofing work carried out in Germany is also perceived to create a pleasant environment for the occupants. The delivery of the engine is very full from below and with plenty of torque throughout the useful band, leaving on the road its characteristic hoarse sound.

At the level of character, the Dynamic Select electronics and its five driving modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport, Manual and Offroad) determine the character of the Class X. The variations act on the response of the accelerator, the behavior of the gearbox and the regulation of driving aids and are complemented with three modes of permanent 4x4 transmission: 4MAT, 4H and 4L.

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As the Class X is ready to abandon the road we let ourselves be convinced, we gear the 4H and Offroad modes, predisposing the electronic aids to anticipate their action on complicated circumstances and we throw ourselves into the mud.

It is a pick-up from a line of competent off-roaders, so the Mercedes-Benz X-Class develops with solvency when the terrain begins to break under the wheels maintaining a high dose of comfort. Irregularities are noted and the address transmits information to the driver, but

Mercedes-Benz Class X 350d: pick-up, but skimming the luxury
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The result is a pick-up that conserves its load capacity of up to 1 Tm of weight and a bed where it fits a Europalet but with a smoother behavior, more similar to that of a tourist. It is true that loaded to the brim, the spring suspension is more effective, but for use mainly in a vacuum or low load the suspension of the Class X is more comfortable on asphalt and equally competent off-road.

Technology is also a key point of the Class X 350d and is that it incorporates serial elements such as keyless entry and start, hill start assistant, LED lighting, 360º parking assistant, Thermotronic or electrically adjustable seats.

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Safety has also been reinforced with Active Brake Assist, seven airbags, ESP with stability control