This could be a prelude for a U.S. debut of the luxury truck.
Is Mercedes Benz planning on releasing a long-bed version its X1_ pickup truck? We thought the answer was yes, but spy photos of a Mercedes pickup truck with an extended bed were taken last March. However, that was all we saw. It was not seen again and no production models were ever produced. Although we thought that the project had been cancelled, photos released today show otherwise.
This truck is clearly not camouflaged, except for the wrap around the fuel door. That’s a bit bizarre, to be sure. Camo was used on the truck last time we saw it. This suggests that either testing is complete and no need to conceal details or that we are looking at a slapped-together test mule. Mercedes has kept a lot of secrets about whether such a machine is possible. The automaker is also keeping a low profile about whether the X-Class will make it to America.
This could be the reason this vehicle exists. U.S. buyers would be attracted to a longer bed and more power under the hood. Mercedes supplies them with a turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel engine with 255 horsepower (190kW) and 406 lbft (550 Newton-meters). Mercedes engineers may be able to fit the 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 into the X-Class. However, this would only happen if enough demand exists.
We can see that an extended-length X-Class would not be the same pickup as the one with the longer bed at the rear. The prototype has what appears to be a standard X Class bed, but with an extra length at the front. This means that there is also a longer wheelbase beneath. This could explain why the testing is continuing. Even a slight increase in wheelbase can have a significant impact on other components, especially the rear suspension.
We will keep an eye out for any new X-Class news.