The Toyota Hilux received plenty of criticism for its poor showing in the infamous Moose Test in 2016 (something the Japanese automaker seemingly corrected the following year). So, how will the new Mercedes-Benz X-Class fare?
Well, the folks over at Spanish publication km77, who recently also put the new BMW X2 and the latest Volkswagen Golf GTI through the extreme handling evaluation, clearly wanted to find out.
Based on the Nissan Navara, the X-Class that km77 opted to use for the tough handling test, which is designed to simulate an animal suddenly running in front of a moving vehicle, was the X250d 4Matic (in automatic guise), wearing Continental ContiPremiumContact 6 rubber (255/60 R18).
Watch the footage below and you’ll see the X-Class bakkie being put through the test first at 69 km/h and then at 70 km/h, with the driver both times clipping a cone. Still, the double-cab responded well, with all four tyres staying in contact with the ground and the manoeuvre being completed without any drama.
A glance at other videos from the Spanish publication shows that bakkies like the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton performed slightly better (managing to complete the test at slightly higher speeds, that is). Interestingly, km77 appears to have not yet subjected the Volkswagen Amarok nor the Navara to the Moose Test.
Watch the clip below (take note that the commentary is in Spanish)…
