More Powered Mercedes Benz X-Class V6

The luxury SUV market has been exploding over the last few years, with car makers such as; Lamborghini, Maserati, Rolls Royce, and Bentley coming out with their own luxury versions. Now, the double cab market is going through the same trend where luxury brands such as Mercedes Benz are going for that segment, I’m sure BMW, Audi and maybe Range Rover could also follow suit. We had an opportunity to drive the Mercedes Benz X-Class earlier this year and now we are back at it with the V6 and let’s see if it’s more powerful or not.

One double cab that really exudes class is the Mercedes Benz X-Class. Having spent a day driving it, I had to get rid of all my preconceived notions I had about this car. Even though I had high hopes for the car, I learned that this double cab is different and should treat it as such. The car has a personality of its own and it genuinely does grow on you the longer you spend time with it.

This X350d V6 is the one member of the Mercedes family that is looking to disrupt the luxury automobile industry with its cheeky personality and finesse. From the outside, the V6 looks the part and it makes sure it sticks out from the rest of its family and on the roads as we saw while driving around the Western Cape mountains. The X350d V6 4Matic is a permanent all four-wheel drive car with the low-range reduction gear and differential lock on the rear axle to ensure an enjoyable experience while exploring off-road. On road, I found that it’s not a stop and go type of car, I felt that it had a bit of a lag when it came to pulling off and this become tedious in traffic. However, on open roads its ability to reach 0-100km/h in a claimed 7.6 seconds, the V6 turbocharged engine really does show off its power, agility and most importantly, control.

 

Characteristics I found disappointing about the car were mainly in the interior. I thought the dashboard was basic when compared to other Mercedes Benz models and seemed a little outdated. The Bluetooth audio works well, but a technical flaw was that the audio cuts when you connect a cable for the iPod function/to charge your iPhone. This then leads you to manually select a new input to continue listening to the audio. Another thing is that there is no Apple CarPlay nor Google CarPlay in this model. However, when compared to its counterparts the V6 is of a luxurious standard and has the right engine and design to help it “talk the talk” and “walk the walk”.

In terms of car drivability and external aesthetics, the Mercedes Benz X-Class X350d V6 is definitely spot on, despite the interior still having room for upgrading and re-configuring. The new Mercedes Benz X-Class V6 is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 diesel motor, pushing outputs of 190 kW and 550 Nm, with peak torque coming between 1 400 rpm and 3 200 rpm. However, in the end, I was ultimately impressed about what the V6 had to offer both on and off road. You can expect the X350d 4Matic to set you back from only R 904 188.

Writer & Photographer: Tshego Mmahlatji