Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Of the Big Three in Germany, only Mercedes-Benz accepted the challenge to build a pickup truck. The M3-based pickup truck BMW created as a one-off doesn’t count. This leaves Volkswagen somewhat undeterred in the face of the three-pointed star, and as ever, the people who represent the Amarok don’t miss a chance to take a jab at what Mercedes-Benz did with the X-Class.
Today’s story comes from Australia, with Michael Bartsch expressing a certain something about people in the market for a premium pickup truck from the mid-size segment. More to the point, he said that “people are also concerned about not being seen to be suckers,” referring to how the X-Class is nothing but a Navara with a nicer body shell and a design-driven cabin wrapped in hard-wearing but nasty-feeling plastic trim.
Speaking to Motoring.com.au, the boss of Volkswagen in Australia thinks “the market is fairly sophisticated and well educated and people are prepared to pay premiums for products that are premium and earn a premium.” Ouch! As in apply-cold-water-to-burn ouch if we read deeper into the context of this rivalry.
Love it or hate it, the truth of the matter is that Mercedes-Benz won’t have it easy selling the X 350d at 79,415 Australian dollars plus on-road costs. Heck, the Amarok 6x4 is priced at 79,000 bucks, and that one has six wheels like the G63 AMG 6x6 and Flying Huntsman 6x6.
Another way Volkswagen boasts about the superiority of the Amarok over the X-Class is the 3.0 TDI. Uprated to 258 PS (255 horsepower; 272 PS or 268 horsepower with overboost) and 580 Nm (428 pound-feet) of torque, the six-cylinder turbo diesel is that bit better than the V6 in the X 350d as far as on-paper stats are concerned.
Most importantly, however, Volkswagen undercuts the X-Class in pretty much every configuration of the Amarok that you could dream of. To this effect, Bartsch said that “time will tell” if Mercedes-Benz were right to re-skin the Navara into the X-Class to sell it at a premium.
On a different note, the Volkswagen official can’t deny that Ford did the right thing with the Ranger Raptor. Described as “a good product,” the bi-turbo diesel-engined off-road pickup truck “is something anyone would be happy to have in their garage.”
Speaking to Motoring.com.au, the boss of Volkswagen in Australia thinks “the market is fairly sophisticated and well educated and people are prepared to pay premiums for products that are premium and earn a premium.” Ouch! As in apply-cold-water-to-burn ouch if we read deeper into the context of this rivalry.
Love it or hate it, the truth of the matter is that Mercedes-Benz won’t have it easy selling the X 350d at 79,415 Australian dollars plus on-road costs. Heck, the Amarok 6x4 is priced at 79,000 bucks, and that one has six wheels like the G63 AMG 6x6 and Flying Huntsman 6x6.
Another way Volkswagen boasts about the superiority of the Amarok over the X-Class is the 3.0 TDI. Uprated to 258 PS (255 horsepower; 272 PS or 268 horsepower with overboost) and 580 Nm (428 pound-feet) of torque, the six-cylinder turbo diesel is that bit better than the V6 in the X 350d as far as on-paper stats are concerned.
Most importantly, however, Volkswagen undercuts the X-Class in pretty much every configuration of the Amarok that you could dream of. To this effect, Bartsch said that “time will tell” if Mercedes-Benz were right to re-skin the Navara into the X-Class to sell it at a premium.
On a different note, the Volkswagen official can’t deny that Ford did the right thing with the Ranger Raptor. Described as “a good product,” the bi-turbo diesel-engined off-road pickup truck “is something anyone would be happy to have in their garage.”
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