MERCEDES X250D POWER
What exactly am I gawping at here?
The irst proper pickup from Mercedes.
Digging deep into its partnership with Nissan,
Merc has nicked the
Navara’s undercrackers and dialled the chintz up a few notches. Two four-cylinder diesels are available, with a V6 coming later in 2018.
Looks perfect for my #blessed #lifestyle…
Of the four this is the one that attracts most interest from bystanders. ‘Power’ spec is as bling as you can go, with chrome on the bumpers, 18-inch wheels, LEDs all-round and not a single bit of black plastic in sight.
Anything tough under the skin?
Navara chassis and engine layout includes switchable fourwheel drive (which Merc cheekily sticks a 4Matic badge on) with low range as standard. X250d is seven-speed auto only. Rear dierential lock on options list for £495, as is 20mm of increased ground clearance for £220.
Is it like sitting in a wheelie bin?
There’s a lot of hard plastic. Most of the buttons are robust enough for you to operate them with gloves on. Dark Label version has familiar VW infotainment with nav and reversing camera plus heated front seats.
A decent steer or something to fear?
The most car-like pick-up here to drive. Steering and ride quality are almost as easy and sophisticated as a Polo’s. The V6 is gravelly and torquey, and feels even quicker than the stats say, despite a slightly indecisive gearbox.
Does it actually stack up as a workhorse?
There’s a wide-reaching and business-orientated options list, decent-ish legroom in the back for three of your crew to clamber into, and it has the widest load bay here by 60mm. Can carry up to 1068kg without falling apart, but braked towing limit is 3100kg – 400kg less than the Ford and Merc.
VERDICT Best all-rounder here: quick, capable, tough, sophisticated and a blast to drive.