V6 FIX

The X350d Is The V6-powered X-class Ute Buyers Were Waiting For, But Does It Live Up To The Hype?

- Matt Raudonikis

IT HASN’T been a full year since Mercedes-Benz Vans introduced its entry into the Australian one tonne 4x4 ute market. Arriving as the X250d, in double cab ute configuration and with a choice of three specification levels, the X-Class hardly set the market on fire. The premium price of the X-Class is part of the reason for this, but many buyers also see the Benz ute as a rebadged Nissan D23 Navara. While it is more than that, the X250d’s four-cylinder diesel powertrain is shared with the Nissan, so, in many ways, it is only the added comfort, convenience and safety features that truly set it apart from the donor platform.

The model many buyers were waiting for was the V6 diesel-powered X350d, and that wait is over. The 350’s V6 engine, seven-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4x4 system are all Mercedes-Benz hardware and take the X-Class to the top tier of one-tonne ute performance and price.

With 190kW and 550Nm the X350d equals the only other V6 ute on the market, the Volkswagen Amarok, for torque, and it betters the Vee-dub for power. However, VW retaliated, releasing a higher specification Amarok with 200kW and 580Nm; but the numbers aren’t enough to tell the full story.

While both the German utes follow the formula set by Japanese manufacturers with a ladder chassis riding on IFS and a live rear axle, the V6 Amarok differs in that it is offered only with a single-range transfer case (for now) while the Benz strays from the recipe with a coil-spring suspended rear axle. That comes as a result of platform-sharing with the Navara, which also has coils under the back.