Posh Pickup's Got Grunt

Mercedes-Benz X-Class X350d 4Matic

- Stuart Reichardt

While on the recent Slovenian launch of the new Mercedes X-Class 350d 4Matic, I had ample opportunity to put the vehicle through its paces in the scenic surrounds of the capital city, Ljubljana, and test the new V6 offering on and off-road.

The X350d is the premier vehicle in the X-Class line-up. It is powered by a long-standing 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel in the Benz range, and offers a lot more grunt than the 2.3-litre fourpots in the X220d and X250d. In the lower models, torque is increased from the mid 400s to 550Nm - the benefit of which can be felt both on and off-road. Power delivery is immediate and responsive when you put your foot on the gas. The output increase to 190kW is a significant jump from the 140kW found in the X250d - and this, of course, gives the 350d an emphatic sense of power.

Did I hear murmurings of the vehicle being too hard on the road? Well, that certainly did not impact on me in any way. I found the drive to be firm, both off- and on-road, just how it should be for a vehicle that will be used as a workhorse to carry loads on occasion. The suspension offers a fine balance between comfort (soaking up big road hits) and driving agility, when pushed towards its ample limits. Much has been made of the rear coil spring suspension, with its five-link setup locating a live axle which is allied to a double wishbone front end, and this, plus the Merc’s wide track, makes for a very stable ‘feel’ across different terrain. Double cabs are designed to take a load as well as tow, so the firm, stable drive of the X-Class seems perfectly judged. Nobody wants a spongy limo-like ride that bottoms-out easily at the first hint of the rough stuff.