Mercedes-Benz is gearing up for an expansion of its
X-Class pickup family. Since its launch in 2017, the Nissan Navara-based truck has been
offering only one body style, a double cab with a regular bed. That’s about to
change however, as Mercedes-Benz is cooking a more capable and practical
version with a longer truck bed – something we’ve known since last year when a
fully-camouflaged prototype was spotted in Northern Europe.
The longer-bed X-Class has been spied again,
this time with no disguise on its bodywork. Furthermore, the additional segment
that extends the bed is highlighted in a different color for everyone to see.
While a long bed is always a good idea when it comes to pickups, the question
is where is Mercedes-Benz going to sell it? The current version of the X-Class
is already long enough for European markets, so an even longer one might be a
bit of a stretch, pun intended.
What if Mercedes-Benz finally decided to bring the
X-Class over to the United States, though? It would certainly make sense to
offer it with an extended bed and a more powerful engine. Just don’t get fooled
by the badging on the prototype. While the fenders feature V6 turbo badges, the
tailgate says “X 250 d,” which is the designation for the 190 PS 2.3-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel.
We tend to believe this is a V6 model, however. In
Europe, the X-Class is offered with a range-topping 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel
unit that makes 258 PS and 550 Nm of torque and is linked
to a standard 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox and 4Matic four-wheel
drive.
This powertrain would certainly be a good fit in the
U.S. market where diesel engines have started to penetrate the midsize pickup
segment in recent years. Still, there’s nothing official from Mercedes-Benz on
this topic so we’ll just have to keep an eye out.
