Mercedes-Benz X-Class Concept on the Road Shows What Could Have Been

In the end, it turned out that they both were a lie as the 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class can best be described as a Nissan Navara NP300 with a three-pointed star badge strapped on its front and a fancier interior. As much as the Germans struggled to create a new niche for their product - the luxury pickup - in the end, it didn't make much sense.

The Stuttgart-based mid-sized truck is only just seeing its first deliveries, so we can't really say at the moment whether it's been a flop, a success or something in between, but one thing is certain: it's miles away from the exciting looks of the X-Class concepts shown in Stockholm.

As if to remind us of that, the Stylish Explorer has been spotted on the streets of a German town just outside a Mercedes-Benz showroom. With its white paint job, its big, 12-spoke wheels, its futuristic rear end and much more aggressive front design, the X-Class Concept manages to break any Nissan Navara ties, a feat its production version can't replicate.

But it's not all bad for Mercedes-Benz as it at least managed to keep the interior virtually identical, even though the materials used are of much lesser quality. Even so, the 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class has the best-looking cabin of any pickup truck by far. Thay may not mean too much in a segment where designers were more interested in making it practical and durable, but it's still probably the X-Class' only saving grace.

Well, that and the 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine, which should provide a level of refinement that other models using oil-burners can hardly dream of. But just imagine how much better it could have been if Mercedes had kept more of the Concept's exterior design as well. And if you're not feeling very imaginative, let this video do the hard work.