TINASHE MAKICHI
The Mercedes Benz X-Class has managed to aggressively penetrate the Zimbabwean market where it has become a household feature mostly for the well do celebrities in Harare.
The notable characters driving the latest beast from the German car manufacturer is Albert Ndabambi aka Boss Albert (red) and flamboyant businessman Tazvi Mhaka (black).
Though not so popular in the beginning due to reservations that people had about the vehicle, the X-Class is fast becoming a vehicle of choice and a symbol of status in the upmarket suburbs.
The Mercedes-Benz X-Class copies Nissan Navara in terms of shape.
The X-Class pushes the boundaries of the classic pickup and it complements the prized strengths of a mid-size pickup with the typical Mercedes-Benz characteristics of driving dynamics, comfort, design, safety, connectivity and an extensive scope for individualisation.
With poise and assurance, it shrugs off the rigours of the wild, its bold design turning heads as it goes. It is robust and powerful enough to cope effortlessly with more difficult off-road terrain and spectacularly stylish in a way that is sure to catch the eye in the urban jungle.
This beast fits the bill as a functional and reliable partner both in one’s everyday work and for spontaneous leisure-time adventures.
“Introducing a vehicle that brings different worlds together in unprecedented fashion: welcome to the XClass, the Mercedes-Benz among bakkies,” said Mercedes South Africa.
The X-Class is robust through and through: it can carry loads in excess of 1 000 kg and pull trailers weighing up to 3 500 kg. This calls for a solid and sturdy supporting framework.
With this in mind, Mercedes built the bakkie on a solid ladder type frame made of high-grade steel. So you can load the vehicle up to your heart’s content – tools, machinery, materials or sports and leisure equipment. The robust base ensures you will make good headway in off-road terrain, too.
An optionally available stainless steel under-guard protects the engine, transmission and exhaust system when driving over obstacles off-road.
If sticks and stones could speak, they’d be dumbstruck by the X-Class.
When you switch from rearwheel drive to 4MATIC and “low” all-wheel mode, activating the lowrange gearbox and the differential lock1 on the rear axle, you’ll have no problem coping, even in more demanding terrain.
The generous ground clearance of 222 mm leaves plenty of space for rough ground under the vehicle. When you’re in an adventurous mood, the X-Class will take you up gradients of up to approximately 100 percent on appropriate surfaces, maintaining stable handling at angles of up to approximately 49°.
This puts even more enjoyment into off-road trips and the second all-wheel-drive mode, “High”, can be activated when driving in less demanding off-road terrain or in trickier road conditions.
Hallmark Mercedes-Benz comfort is ensured while you are out and about, with intuitively positioned control elements, state of the art multimedia systems. When things get hot, the interior climate control, the comfortable and highly adjustable front seats and the comfort suspension will help you to keep a cool head. And when things get tight, the optional Parking Package with 360° camera keeps you fully in the picture.
You won’t go unnoticed! The distinctive Mercedes-Benz design of the X-Class is an absolute head-turner. The impressive front with centrally positioned Mercedes star, simulated under-guard, power domes on the bonnet and striking headlamp design optionally featuring LED technology lend the bakkie a dominant appearance.
The scope of equipment for the X-Class is as individual as your trips, with the two clearly differentiated lines, progressive and power and a host of individualisation options.
Genuine accessories developed especially for the X-Class, such as the striking styling bar or the robust side bars, the hardtop or the hard cover, underscore the vehicle’s expressive character and make the X-Class your very own bakkie, which may well be one of a kind.
Climb aboard, start the engine and feel the vehicle’s full power right from the low rev range.
Zimoco is the authorised dealers for Mercedes Benz vehicles in Zimbabwe.
