Is the Mercedes X-Class a real Mercedes? Well, yes and no. It's got the right badge, but about half of it doesn't add up, including the sound.
You see, the X-Class has the dubious honor of not having an AMG version, along with only the B-Class and a bunch of vans. The powertrain it gets is called "350 d" and consists of a V6 single-turbo diesel, and it's not a great one.
This has nothing to do with the X-Class being rough and ready for off-roading, but with the fact that it's a Nissan Navara under the skin: chassis, suspension, drivetrain and even some of the interior. It's even made at the same factory in Spain.
We think Nissan owes it to Mercedes after they helped them streamline their factories and taught Renault how to make wiring that doesn't catch fire. But outside Europe, you can get some amazing-sounding pickup trucks for not a lot of money. The Ranger Raptor comes to mind, but this story is about Ram.
Yes, the American truck brand that's way more important for the automotive industry than little old Fiat. Some of the trucks they make offer a lot more luxury and features than the X-Class, but we're here for the sound. A German company called Cete Automotive GmbH decided to fix the Mercedes truck by fitting it with an active sound system like the stuff that makes the SQ7 sound normal.
This uses a particular speaker-like metal case that's placed next to the exhaust and can be programmed to sound like anything. In this case, the big-block American V8 sound is available in several configurations, depending on whether you just want to mask the diesel or show off. The price isn't stated since every such conversion is custom, but it's probably upwards of a couple of thousand euros.
This has nothing to do with the X-Class being rough and ready for off-roading, but with the fact that it's a Nissan Navara under the skin: chassis, suspension, drivetrain and even some of the interior. It's even made at the same factory in Spain.
We think Nissan owes it to Mercedes after they helped them streamline their factories and taught Renault how to make wiring that doesn't catch fire. But outside Europe, you can get some amazing-sounding pickup trucks for not a lot of money. The Ranger Raptor comes to mind, but this story is about Ram.
Yes, the American truck brand that's way more important for the automotive industry than little old Fiat. Some of the trucks they make offer a lot more luxury and features than the X-Class, but we're here for the sound. A German company called Cete Automotive GmbH decided to fix the Mercedes truck by fitting it with an active sound system like the stuff that makes the SQ7 sound normal.
This uses a particular speaker-like metal case that's placed next to the exhaust and can be programmed to sound like anything. In this case, the big-block American V8 sound is available in several configurations, depending on whether you just want to mask the diesel or show off. The price isn't stated since every such conversion is custom, but it's probably upwards of a couple of thousand euros.