Sometime after the mid-2010s, Mercedes decided it needed a pickup in its portfolio. The natural move would've been to modify the G-Wagen and turn it into one, preferably based on the second-gen that came out in 2018, and market it as a punchy workhorse with real three-pointed star underpinnings.
Instead, they teamed up with Nissan and used the third-gen Navara. Thus, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class was born. Essentially a rebadged Navara offered at a premium, it never really became the best-seller Mercedes thought it could be. This, together with multiple recalls and the fact that some owners spent more time in the shop than behind the wheel, made them pull the plug on it after only three years.
The last Mercedes-Benz X-Class rolled off the line in Spain in 2020 as an expensive failure to remind its maker and every other car manufacturer out there that rebadging a successful product doesn't mean the vehicle will be successful. No high-ranking exec at Mercedes wants to repeat that fiasco, so it is safe to say we will never see a brand-new X-Class ever again. Not with the Nissan Navara's underpinnings, anyway.
That doesn't mean there aren't certain people out there who wish the X-Class would come back. After all, we've witnessed several discussions about how it could become successful, sprinkled with the occasional rendering. And speaking of the latter, the premium pickup is now once again gracing the digital realm, this time courtesy of AutomagzTV on YouTube.
Completely unrelated to the Nissan Navara, this virtual take on the model has a boxy appearance that makes us think of the G-Class. There are some notable differences, but overall, it's very similar to the posh truck. As we already mentioned, we think that launching a pickup version of the G-Wagen would be less risky than what Mercedes did with the Navara, though if priced accordingly, it might be on to something.
Does this mean Mercedes could give it a shot? We wouldn't bet on it, as there’s nothing to suggest this move. The second-gen G-Class is getting ready to be refreshed and will add a battery-electric derivative to the ICE-powered models. The EQG promises to be an exciting machine and very capable off the beaten path, unlike some zero-emission high-riding vehicles out there.
For the right amount of money, you could buy a Mercedes G-Wagen pickup with only the delivery miles under its belt. Several tuners can convert your SUV into a workhorse, including Brabus, whose proposal also brings enhanced looks inside and out and a healthy power boost. The 800 XLP has 800 metric horses (789 hp/588 kW) from its tuned 4.0L bi-turbo V8, a significant improvement over the 585 ps (577 hp/430 kW) offered by the stock model.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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