The Bakkie Evolution

The real Mercedes-Benz X-Class is only a few months away

- John Paige

A new flagship to the Mercedes X-Class range is set to arrive in early 2019 with the quiet claim of being the fastest bakkie on sale. Men’s Fitness tagged along to the international test drive in Slovenia where the high altitudes, similar to Johannesburg, and the gravel tracks converged in a similar proving ground to back home.

From the outside the X350d doesn’t differentiate itself vastly from the lower spec models apart from some new badging amid other little flourishes. The three-pointed star still looms large, the headlights resume passenger car sleekness and there’s a confluence of European contours that tie in with the rest of the Mercedes SUV range from which it takes its cues.

Flagship status however is not attributed to the way it looks.

Mercedes, along with Volkswagen, are in a bakkie battle for performance, taking the once agricultural workhorse and transforming it with speed, agility and comfort. There’s more emphasis on everyday driving across changing terrain than there ever has been before. As such, the X350d swaps the 2.3-litre turbodiesel, fitted to the rest of therange, with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel of mostly passenger car descent. The outputs sit at 190kW and 550Nm, 0-100kph in 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 205km/h linked to permanent all-wheel drive and a 7-speed automatic gearbox. To say the X350d is quick, is an understatement. Ostensibly the engine incorporates F1 technology. Bet you didn’t think that would be a sentence used when describing a bakkie.