The production version of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class double-cab bakkie has been revealed, and much has been said about the fact that the German brand’s pick-up is based on the Nissan Navara. But just how similar are the two?
Well, we decided to put the two bakkies side by side – in digital form, anyway – to see how they differ.
- Mercedes-Benz X-Class: Concept vs. production…
- ‘Natural move’ to base X-Class on Navara – Mercedes
- Here’s what the Mercedes X-Class looks like in base spec
- Mercedes releases X-Class bakkie’s off-roading specs
- Mercedes-Benz X-Class double-cab bakkie revealed!
And it’s from the front three-quarter view that the German and Japanese bakkies are least alike. Whereas the Nissan’s grille stretches between the sweptback headlamps, the X-Class shares its frontal design with Benz’s range of SUVs, complete with deep-set headlamps and twin-louvre grille.
While the A-, B- and C-pillars look very much alike on the two vehicles, the Mercedes clearly employs squarer wheelarches than the Nissan. Although the two bakkies share a 3 150 mm wheelbase, the X-Class is 85 mm longer and 70 mm wider than the Navara.
Round back, the X-Class sports far slimmer tail-lamps than the Navara, with the latter’s tailgate also featuring a character line framing the centrally sited Nissan badge. It’s in profile that the two bakkies look the most alike, particularly when one’s eye is drawn to the upward flick just fore of the C-pillar, which has been inherited by the Mercedes.
Inside, perhaps the most obvious carry-over from the Nissan to the Mercedes-Benz is the gear-lever (automatic versions of the Stuttgart automaker’s passenger vehicles, of course, generally house their gear-levers on the steering column).
Still, the German brand has included all manner of Mercedes-specific equipment in the X-Class cabin, from the floating infotainment screen to the trademark air-vents and multifunction touchpad. Take note that the Mercedes interior seen here is of the top-spec variety.
Dimensions
Mercedes-Benz X-Class
Wheelbase: 3 150 mm
Length: 5 340 mm
Width: 1 920 mm
Height: 1 819 mm
Nissan Navara
Wheelbase: 3 150 mm
Length: 5 255 mm
Width: 1 850 mm
Height: 1 830 mm
