Photo: Carlex Design
Ah, the X-Class! A pickup truck that tries to appear what it’s not, namely a Nissan NP300 Navara with a swankier badge and the price to match the three-pointed star up front. Aimed at customers with an active lifestyle, the X-Class is also available with the mother of bike racks thanks to Carlex Design.
From the tuning company which utilized elephant skin for the seat upholstery of a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the StyleRack is a surprising bit of equipment. “The vehicle and bike carrier will be tested on the mountain roads of Georgia” according to Carlex Design, and pricing starts at €4,995.
Two options are available, namely the rail for a third bicycle at €178.35 and Carlex Design in-house assembly at €227.25 including VAT. The chassis is made of carbon-steel seamless pipes while the covers are aluminum. The entirety of the rack is powder coated for both looks and durability, and the Thule ProRide 598 rails feature a load capacity of 20 kilograms (44 pounds) each.
An electric lifting system comes standard with a remote control, tilting the rails downward into the bed for easier access during loading and unloading. The thing is, opening the tailgate and lifting the bike up to the rails appears to be a big hassle. More to the point, it would’ve been easier for Calex Design to develop a tailgate-mounted rack or to fix the bicycles into the bed with straps.
The tunning company from Poland offers many more upgrades and aftermarket parts for the X-Class, including a six-wheeled leviathan. Development of the 6x6 is expected to finish by the end of the year, and it’s likely the suck-squeeze-bang-blow comes courtesy of the range-topping V6 turbo diesel engine.
Mercedes-Benz dealerships in the United States are eyeing the X-Class for North America, but so far, the three-pointed star didn’t do a thing. Not even Nissan offers the NP300 Navara in the United States, let alone Renault and the Alaskan. Dietmar Exler, who is the head honcho of Mercedes-Benz in the U.S.A., suggested that the German automaker would re-evaluate the prospect in a few years with the mid-cycle refresh of the X-Class.
Two options are available, namely the rail for a third bicycle at €178.35 and Carlex Design in-house assembly at €227.25 including VAT. The chassis is made of carbon-steel seamless pipes while the covers are aluminum. The entirety of the rack is powder coated for both looks and durability, and the Thule ProRide 598 rails feature a load capacity of 20 kilograms (44 pounds) each.
An electric lifting system comes standard with a remote control, tilting the rails downward into the bed for easier access during loading and unloading. The thing is, opening the tailgate and lifting the bike up to the rails appears to be a big hassle. More to the point, it would’ve been easier for Calex Design to develop a tailgate-mounted rack or to fix the bicycles into the bed with straps.
The tunning company from Poland offers many more upgrades and aftermarket parts for the X-Class, including a six-wheeled leviathan. Development of the 6x6 is expected to finish by the end of the year, and it’s likely the suck-squeeze-bang-blow comes courtesy of the range-topping V6 turbo diesel engine.
Mercedes-Benz dealerships in the United States are eyeing the X-Class for North America, but so far, the three-pointed star didn’t do a thing. Not even Nissan offers the NP300 Navara in the United States, let alone Renault and the Alaskan. Dietmar Exler, who is the head honcho of Mercedes-Benz in the U.S.A., suggested that the German automaker would re-evaluate the prospect in a few years with the mid-cycle refresh of the X-Class.
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