Rumored: Details Spill Out On Mercedes-Benz's New Truck

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Submitted by Will Maley on January 30, 2016 - 11:10AM

Last April, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would be building a new midsize truck for certain markets. At first, a lot of us thought it was a joke. But we soon realized Mercedes wasn't fooling around.

Australian outlet CarAdvice recently got some information from an insider who was at a recent design forum.

What do we already know?

Before we get to the new information, it would be a good idea to recap what we know for sure about Mercedes' mid-size truck.

  • The truck will be out sometime before the end of this decade
  • Mercedes-Benz's commercial division (i.e. Sprinter and Metris) will handle the development work
  • The cooperation between Daimler and Nissan has expanded to include this project. Mercedes' new truck will use the underpinnings of the new Nissan Navara midsize truck.
  • Mercedes has announced the truck will be sold in Australia, Europe, Latin America, New Zealand, and South Africa
  • Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon said in April he would like would like the U.S. office, not the home office to make a final decision on whether or not this truck should be sold here. A decision is expected sometime this year

Now for the new information.

First up, the insider said that Mercedes is currently debating whether to use X-Class or Z-Class as the name for the truck. X-Class is currently the favorite as it brings the impression of ruggedness and off-road capability.

Unlike most midsize trucks where there is a selection of different cabs (single, extended, and crew cabs), Mercedes is only working on a crew-cab version. Not only does this cut down on the development work, but it also allows Mercedes to distance their truck from the Navara.

Three trim levels will be on offer; a basic work truck, a mid-level model with more equipment, and top-trim model with all of the luxuries. Both the basic and mid-level models will come equipped with a turbocharged 2.3L four-cylinder diesel with 188 horsepower and a selectable four-wheel drive system. The top-trim comes with the choice of either the 2.3 or a turbocharged six-cylinder diesel with 255 horsepower and a full-time four-wheel drive system.