Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Oh, what a preposterous proposition it would be if Mercedes-AMG were to imbue the X-Class pickup truck with the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from literally everything from the muscly C63 to the track-oriented GT R. But a performance-oriented model isn’t going to happen, at least not during the lifecycle of this generation.
Speaking to Cars Guide on the sidelines of the X-Class’ world premiere in South Africa, Volker Mornhinweg let the cat out of the bag in a pretty straightforward manner. According to the global boss of Mercedes-Benz Vans, "I think the car is quite impressive already when it comes to styling and so on.” He went on by saying: "I think the product is not right for V8."
There, case closed, you can wave goodbye to any hope whatsoever about a potential Mercedes-AMG X 63 S 4Matic+ or something like that. On the other hand, the Mercedes-Benz Vans managing director for Australia didn’t dismiss the preposterous idea completely. "We won't be bringing in an AMG at this point in time,” commented Diane Tarr, “but naturally the headquarters colleagues are very away of the AMG status and demand."
And when you think about it, Diane is on to something here. Maybe the Nissan Navara NP300-based platform isn’t capable of handling the torque developed by the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, maybe the three-pointed star wants to play safe at first and see if the X-Class actually sells in the markets the automaker is most interested in. Even a V6- or I6-powered Mercedes-AMG X-Class would be rad, and if everything goes according to the German automaker’s expectations, AMG will surely take up the challenge.
Even though the X-Class will not be AMG-ified with force-fed V8 grunt in the foreseeable future, M-B has confirmed to the Australian media that a chassis cab model will hit showrooms in the spring of 2018. The work-oriented body style of the mid-size pickup truck will benefit from a five-link coil-spring rear suspension system like any other X-Class in the model lineup.
There, case closed, you can wave goodbye to any hope whatsoever about a potential Mercedes-AMG X 63 S 4Matic+ or something like that. On the other hand, the Mercedes-Benz Vans managing director for Australia didn’t dismiss the preposterous idea completely. "We won't be bringing in an AMG at this point in time,” commented Diane Tarr, “but naturally the headquarters colleagues are very away of the AMG status and demand."
And when you think about it, Diane is on to something here. Maybe the Nissan Navara NP300-based platform isn’t capable of handling the torque developed by the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, maybe the three-pointed star wants to play safe at first and see if the X-Class actually sells in the markets the automaker is most interested in. Even a V6- or I6-powered Mercedes-AMG X-Class would be rad, and if everything goes according to the German automaker’s expectations, AMG will surely take up the challenge.
Even though the X-Class will not be AMG-ified with force-fed V8 grunt in the foreseeable future, M-B has confirmed to the Australian media that a chassis cab model will hit showrooms in the spring of 2018. The work-oriented body style of the mid-size pickup truck will benefit from a five-link coil-spring rear suspension system like any other X-Class in the model lineup.
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