If all else fails, just keep going straight
Poor brakes. Questionable handling. Better give Steve Moody a wide berth
On the sporting agility spectrum, the X lies some way west of a polo elephant, the springs and dampers unable to compensate for its height, weight and relatively unsophisticated ladderframe chassis.
Like a polo elephant, though, it’s pretty resolute at going forward with pace and is no shrinking violet when it reaches terminal velocity. The V6 churns out power and torque in a steady flow, and in Comfort mode it uses each gear to full effect. Gear choices are more scatty in Sport, though.
As you might expect, presented with a sharp bend there’s a lot of forward planning and cajoling needed, especially as the brakes are only just about strong enough for the job, but it’s not a vehicle that gets into sudden messy fits. Everything happens slowly, and is rescued by the endless four-wheel-drive traction.
The suitability of your cornering pace is checked not by chassis feel but by how level – or otherwise – your eyes are, and whether the dogs in the boot are pinned against the side windows. That said, this is a very fast country-lane car, because you can see miles ahead. Like an angry elephant, you just straightline everything anyway. Mercedes-Benz X350d 4Matic Month 9
The story so far
Corners? Where we’re going, we don’t need corners… + Surprisingly fast at covering ground
As long as that ground doesn’t have too many bends
Logbook
Price £47,405 (£59,834 as tested) Performance 2987cc V6 diesel, 253bhp, 7.9sec 0-62mph, 127mph E ciency 31.3mpg (o cial), 27.5mpg (tested), 237g/km CO2 Energy cost 21.4p per mile Miles this month 980 Total miles 9818