By Sala Masindane

Since its release, the Mercedes Benz X-Class has been a hot topic across the land. Some love it and some not so much. Be that as it may, the X-Class has managed to shake up the bakkie segment and created a new “premium bakkie” segment. Taking the thunder away from the premium bakkie segment narrative is that the X-Class is based on the Nissan Navara. This is not a bad thing in our view as the Navara is a good bakkie. The conversation just tends to be how ‘premium’ is the X-Class considering its relations to the Navara. Mercedes-Benz is not waiting for the dust to settle on that and has forged ahead with the X350 V6 which we spent time recently.

Why the V6?

The world is moving in different directions and the motoring industry is no different. Before, SUVs were not seen as daily runners but that has all but changed. They are all over now are outselling sedans in most instances. This is because of their all-round ability to do daily living whilst offering some off-road capabilities when needed. This is the same for bakkies, they are no longer seen as just workhorses. With this in mind, owners are demanding more luxury and power. I mean who wants an average and slow powerful bakkie? This is where a V6 bakkie comes in.

View this post on Instagram

Having spent a couple of days with the @mercedesbenzsa X350 V6, we can safely say that we’ve found the bakkie at home in city traffic and twisty roads. In the city the bakkie is at home and with help of the reverse camera and park distance control(front&rear) we could maneuver into most parking spaces which is great for a car of its length. On the twistes it’s firmly planted but due its size there’s a bit of body roll that is expected. We traveled down to Vryheid in KZN with three adults and we all were seated comfortably with sufficient legroom, although the storage space was a bit limited inside the cabin for our refreshments and wallets, our travel bags all fitted with space to spare. During all these trips we’ve managed a good 10.1 l/100km fuel consumption that is not far from the claimed 9.0 l/100km if you consider this also includes city driving.Hopefully we will soon find the gravel roads. #xclassv6 #mercedes #mercedesbenz #benz #xclass #mercedesbenzxclass #thebestornothing #bakkie #suv #gravel #bundus #city #johannesburg #durban #capetown 📸 @salaontop

A post shared by The Car People (@khulekani_on_wheels) on May 31, 2019 at 11:09pm PDT

Looks, interior and the drive

Cosmetically, the X350 is not dramatically different from the X220 or X250 in terms of looks. It retains the aggressive front grille with a large Mercedes Benz badge (that screams move out of the road). The X350 is quite imposing to say the least. The X350 can be differentiated by the V6 badge on the side of the bakkie.

Look, the cabin is not up to current MBUX standards that we have come accustomed to in the A or S-class. It feels quite dated but it would probably escalate the price tag to over a million if the latest technology was added. Space inside the cabin is also not the best for a bakkie with one cup holder in the entire car and average sized door-bins. Don’t get me wrong, it is comfortable and the front adjustable leather seats make long road trips even better. Talking about trips, we took the V6 to Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal for a family wedding and the drive was just amazing, the ride quality was good on gravel and there wasn’t too much body roll on twisty roads. The 3-litre turbodiesel was at home across all terrains. This is to be expected with power outputs of 190kW and 550Nm which is moved permanently to all the four wheels (4Matic) via the 7G-Tronic Pluss automatic transmission. Mind you, this 50kW more than the X250. Unfortunately, we never got to experience off-road capability, but owners have three modes or all terrains at their disposal that include; 4H for off-road, 4L for serious off-road and the daily use on road 4MT. The 360-degree camera would have also come in handy if we did go to tricky terrains, where the view is obscured or minimal.

During our time spent with the X350 we managed a good 10.1l/10km fuel consumption that is not far from the claimed 9.0 l/10km if you consider the stop and start nature of our trips in the city.

View this post on Instagram

Having spent a couple of days with the @mercedesbenzsa X350 V6, we can safely say that we’ve found the bakkie at home in city traffic and twisty roads. In the city the bakkie is at home and with help of the reverse camera and park distance control(front&rear) we could maneuver into most parking spaces which is great for a car of its length. On the twistes it’s firmly planted but due its size there’s a bit of body roll that is expected. We traveled down to Vryheid in KZN with three adults and we all were seated comfortably with sufficient legroom, although the storage space was a bit limited inside the cabin for our refreshments and wallets, our travel bags all fitted with space to spare. During all these trips we’ve managed a good 10.1 l/100km fuel consumption that is not far from the claimed 9.0 l/100km if you consider this also includes city driving.Hopefully we will soon find the gravel roads. #xclassv6 #mercedes #mercedesbenz #benz #xclass #mercedesbenzxclass #thebestornothing #bakkie #suv #gravel #bundus #city #johannesburg #durban #capetown 📸 @salaontop

A post shared by The Car People (@khulekani_on_wheels) on May 31, 2019 at 11:09pm PDT

Final thoughts

The whole idea of a Mercedes Benz bakkie was farfetched but it happened, and it did on the platform of a great bakkie, the Nissan Navarra. Notwithstanding, the X-Class (more especially the X350d) its own identity and it certainly feels like a premium offering. At a starting price of R 904,188, (its closest competitor being almost R70,000 less) the X350 does seem steep for a bakkie, however, this is not a typical bakkie, it’s a luxury bakkie. Opinion may be divided on this claim but it is a natural inclusion in the segment that aims to take things a bit further and that makes us think that if your bank account and lifestyle speaks to it, you’ll likely buy it, you’ll be surprised what it can do!