Waldenbuch, Germany – Artist Jens Walko is almost as well known for his spy videos of as-yet-unreleased Mercedes-Benz models as for his avant-garde artworks.
Here he captures perhaps the clearest images yet of the upcoming X-Class double-cab one-tonner. To be built in Spain and Argentina as a joint venture with Nissan/Renault on the new Navara/Alaskan platform for the world market – including ours in the first quarter of 2018 – this is going to be a bokkie of a bakkie.
Unashamedly upmarket, there will be no single-cab ‘workhorse’ version and, if the concepts shown at the Stockholm motor show are anything to go by, the interior will be as luxurious as any of Stuttgart’s SUVs, with state-of-the-art gizmotronics galore.
But the Nissan DNA brings with it a proper ladder frame chassis with a conventional live rear axle (OK, no leaf springs, it has a five-link coil-spring set-up; we said conventional, not old-school), giving it a payload capacity of 1100kg and a tow rating of close to 3.5 tons.
One of the two X-Class concepts shown at the 2016 Stockholm motor show.
Base engines will be petrol and diesel fours sourced from Nissan/Renault, with a flagship V6 turbodiesel from Mercedes’ existing line-up, driving either the rear wheels or all four via 4Matic permanent all wheel drive, low range and two differential locks for serious off-road ability.