Mercedes-Benz X-Class (2017-2020) Review

For ultimate bragging rights at the builder’s yard trade counter, nothing beats chucking down a set of Mercedes-Benz keys. It’ll mean instant respect from your colleagues driving Fords and Mitsubishis – and proof positive that your business is doing well enough to afford the hefty step-up in purchase price or monthly lease costs.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class doesn’t call for any compromises in terms of usability, though. It takes all the Nissan Navara’s robustness and, well, keeps it fully intact. If anything, the powerful V6 version is even more useful still, simply because of the surfeit of pulling power it possesses.

However, if your business is on a budget, you’ll either have to take a back-to-basics Mercedes-Benz X-Class, or trade the three-pointed star badge for something more mainstream. Even pickups can carry a premium price tag, it seems.

The most obvious alternative to the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is the vehicle it’s loosely derived from: the Nissan Navara. This machine has built a formidable reputation for toughness over the years, and itself has quite a following.

The Mitsubishi L200 is another popular pickup, as is the Isuzu D-Max. A semi-premium competitor comes in the shape of the Volkswagen Amarok – the German brand even offers its own V6 version – and the Ford Ranger has an expensive, outlandish range-topper called the Raptor, which those with X-Class money might be swayed by.

Then there’s the legendary Toyota Hilux, a pickup icon that cannot be ignored. In terms of reliability, ability and reassuring reputation, it’s unsurpassed.

Quality is a tale of two halves. The top half of the dashboard is good, particularly in high-spec form where it gets a lovely stitched covering. It’s not quite ‘proper’ Mercedes-Benz standard, but it’s a pretty convincing, workmanlike-take. Some of the materials have a beautiful finish, particularly the modern open-pore wood-style trim. We also like the stock aluminium-look panel, which wouldn’t look out of place in a C-Class.

It starts to become less convincing as your eyes move down. That’s when you see the Nissan bits. Now, the Nissan Navara is a very robust and well-assembled pickup, guaranteed to offer decades of service straight out the box. But it is not a premium vehicle, and the leftovers in the Mercedes-Benz X-Class highlight this all too starkly.

Lower-down plastics in the cabin are scratchy and hard. The controls lack sophistication. It all looks a bit too much like Mercedes-Benz has, where possible, thrown out a Nissan control and stuck in one of its own buttons, while leaving everything else surrounding it the same.

Unfortunately, it’s this sort of stuff that you notice when you live with a machine. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class has loads of showroom appeal, but the impression of quality becomes tarnished the more you live with it.

As standard, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen. This is quite a nice feature to find within the rather austere-looking Pure variant – you don’t expect such sophistication from a machine wearing unpainted black plastic bumpers. It follows the familiar Mercedes-Benz logic via a touchpad controller on the centre console.

Some find the touchpad absolutely infuriating, as it’s far from easy to use, particularly when you’re bumping along at speed over rough roads. Turning the rotary wheel below is most people’s favoured way of interacting with it, simply using the touchpad as a hand rest.

The upgraded system is much more comprehensive. With an 8.4-inch HD screen, the Comand Online system adds 3D sat-nav, life traffic information and all sorts of other goodies. At a price, mind, which is why not all Mercedes-Benz X-Class models have it. A more basic form of sat-nav was included, though, along with DAB and Bluetooth.

Another neat add-on is a 360-degree parking camera beamed through the central screen. For a big vehicle with a deck as long as the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, this is a very useful feature indeed. But it’s relatively rare, due to a heady £1,000 option cost when new.

Pickups are big machines (the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is a whopping 5.3 metres long), but they sometimes don’t feel quite so large on the inside. Luckily, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is able to benefit from the roomy platform it inherits from the Nissan Navara, which generally caters quite well for the driver and their passengers.

The seating position has the usual ‘high floor’ feel of a pickup, so you feel particularly raised up high. There’s lots of legroom and, of course, that tall driving position makes pickup drivers feel like kings of the road. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class is particularly good here, because the seats are so supportive. Disappointingly, though, the steering wheel doesn’t have any reach adjustment, ultimately compromising the driving position for many.

In the rear, another old-school pickup grumble was making those in the back feel like second-class citizens. Bench seats were spongy and uncomfortable, and the backrests were much too upright to be remotely comfortable. Again, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class goes against the grain here, with a well-padded bench and nothing like the discomfort of some others. Still, the floor is high, which gives a knees-perched feel, and the big transmission tunnel also eats into space for the middle-seat passenger. It suits four people, not five.

Then there’s the rear deck: the reason people buy pickups (well, apart from the VAT element and tax savings). The bed length of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is almost 1.6 metres long, and the width is not far shy of that, either. Depth is nearly 0.5 metres, and the maximum payload (again, mindful of tax-friendliness) is 1,042kg, breaking the one-tonne mark that allows the Mercedes-Benz X-Class to be classified as a commercial vehicle by HMRC. 

What does this mean in practice? A standard-sized Euro pallet can be plonked down straight between the wheelarches. All that’s left is to wind down your window and take the high-fives all the way out of the builder’s yard. The standard tailgate drops down 90 degrees, but you can order the Mercedes-Benz X-Class without a rear bumper, enabling the tailgate to swing down a full 180 degrees. Mercedes-Benz also fits LED load bay lighting as standard; it’s activated by a switch in the centre console.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class can tow up to 1,650kg, but the muscular V6 turbodiesel can haul a full 3.5 tonnes, so will be able to drag almost any form of plant you need to hire – and quickly get to the site before the men have to down-tools.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class dimensions are 5340mm long, 2113mm wide and 1819mm tall.

The clattery four-cylinder diesels that form the core Mercedes-Benz X-Class range are the same as those used in the Nissan Navara. Mercedes-Benz has been able to quieten them down a little, but you’ll still prefer to surge forward on the wave of turbocharged torque, rather than painfully revving to the redline and leaving your passengers on tenterhooks that something may explode.

The 163PS version isn’t really powerful enough. It’s a budget option that’s OK for urban use, but as soon as you start putting the Mercedes-Benz X-Class to hard, heavy-duty work, you’ll want the more powerful 190PS version (and its substantially improved pulling power).

Ths same goes for the gearbox: basic models come with a manual, but this is almost anathema for a Mercedes-Benz. An automatic is essential, even if the shift lever is something of a relic from the past.

By far the nicest option is the 3.0-litre V6 diesel. The X 350 d has 258PS of power, great swathes of torque, and a much more harmonious engine note. It fully delivers the experience promised by the badge on the bonnet. Even the seven-speed automatic is slick and swift. What a pity it carries such a hefty price premium.

Pickups are not as refined as SUVs, and certainly not as quiet as conventional premium saloons. For the breed, though, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is pretty good. Noise levels get a bit high at speed due to wind and road roar, but it’s better at normal speeds and quite acceptable in town. 

A surprising aspect of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class is the suspension’s ability to dampen down the sound of bumps and thumps from the road – if you have standard-sized wheels, that is. Models with larger alloys (that is, the majority) are less impressive in this respect.

The four-cylinder diesel engines are generally rather gruff, and you won’t relish the prospect of revving them hard. The V6 diesel, however, is lovely, and makes a rich rumble that feels decidedly premium SUV-like.

For best refinement, it’s advisable to get a load cover for the rear deck. This both improves aerodynamics and reduces the wind noise from the rear end.

Safety perhaps isn’t a major concern for pickup drivers, but it certainly is for Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class was never going to lag in this regard. Unusually, it was tested by Euro NCAP – and scored a maximum five-star rating, which is almost unheard of for a commercially-oriented vehicle.

The safety organisation scored adult occupant protection at 90 percent and child occupant protection at 87 percent. Even pedestrian safety was given an 80 percent score, with 77 percent for safety assist. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class comes as standard with a full suite of airbags including a driver’s knee airbag, seatbelt reminders for all five seats and, impressively, autonomous emergency braking that detects (and stops for) pedestrians.

Premium-grade features were available, too – such as a speed assistance system that highlights the speed limit on a particular road and limits your speed if necessary. Lane-keep assist was also available, to warn drivers when they are drifting out of lane. This is a feature normally found in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and is a major safety bonus in something that’s likely to be used intensively by tired workers.

Given it wasn't on sale for very long and didn't sell in big numbers you won't be surprised to learn that the Mercedes-Benz X-Class didn't feature in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class has been the subject of some recalls however, including one related to the trailer stability system, but this should have been rectified under warranty.

As a brand Mercedes-Benz placed 13th overall out of 30 manufacturers, which is good but not brilliant. It is ahead of key rivals BMW and Audi however.

Insurance costs are surprisingly high, even for the base-spec X 220 d Pure variant with the 163PS diesel engine. This falls into group 34. The X 250 d is group 38, or group 39 for the top-spec Power version.

The V6 is even pricier, with an insurance rating into the 40s. This will have a knock-on effect for overall running costs.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class was launched in 2017, so it benefits from the flat-rate £165 a year VED (road tax) rate. Be careful with the V6, though, because expensive list prices when new mean it may still be eligible for the £520 a year ‘expensive car’ premium in years two to six.

There are other tax benefits for choosing a pickup, such as flat-rate benefit-in-kind company car tax, reclaimable VAT for VAT-registered benefits and other money-saving deals that make the Mercedes-Benz of pickups a particularly appealing proposition.

You’ll find it easy to spot the base-spec Mercedes-Benz X-Class Pure by its black plastic bumpers and rather austere seat upholstery. Steel wheels are standard, too. Seats are manually adjustable, although it does get semi-automatic air conditioning. 

We prefer the Mercedes-Benz X-ClassProgressive, which comes with painted bumpers, chrome door handles, silver finish for the radiator grille and heated electric door mirrors. Plus, thank goodness, 17-inch alloys. The black fabric upholstery and aluminium trim are easier on the eye and other luxuries include chrome-look air vents, footwell lighting and an auto-dim rear-view mirror.

Mercedes-Benz X-Class Power is the top spec. It has more chrome on the outside, LED headlights, keyless go, folding door mirrors, electric seats with Artico leather, a stitched dashboard top and high-gloss interior trim. Alloy wheels grow to 18 inches, too. All V6 models only came in top-spec Pure trim.