Mercedes-Benz X 350d options price shock

Mercedes-Benz Australia is keeping a lid on option prices for its X-Class pick-up range – and particularly the Mercedes-Benz X 350d that will top the range when it goes on sale officially before the end of this year.

But the information is out there if you know where to look. Here’s a hint though – you won’t find it on the Mercedes-Benz X-Class drive-away pricing calculator.

A prospective customer for the V6-engined Mercedes-Benz X 350d Power has revealed to us that a formal quote from a dealer with some preferred options resulted in a quoted price on the road of just over $95,000. Go the whole hog ticking options boxes and the X 350d price on the road could rise above $100,000.

As it was, the quoted list price for the X 350d was nearly $92,000 before the on-road costs and some negotiation with the salesperson.

Based on prices provided by the reader, we’ve come up with a basic on-road figure of nearly $83,400 with fewer options fitted. In contrast, a similarly specified Ford Ranger Wildtrack with the 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel and automatic transmission will cost buyers around $64,700 on the road.

And Volkswagen – shortly to introduce its upgraded Amarok V6 Ultimate – is running out the current model for about $71,800 on the road.

The starting price for the Mercedes-Benz X 350d is higher than the basic prices of the two competitors. In fact, at $73,270 for the entry-level X 350d Progressive, it’s actually over $11,000 more than the price of the auto-equipped Ford Ranger Wildtrack.

By the time the customer opts for the high-grade ‘Power’ model and throws in metallic paint ($863) and leather upholstery ($1590), the price of the X 350d is above $82,000… and that’s before factoring in the cost of registration and compulsory third-party insurance. Our buyer selected other options that added a further $10,000 to the quote.

The Ford Ranger Wildtrack is priced from $61,790 with the automatic transmission option that’s standard for the Mercedes-Benz X 350d. Seating with leather accents is standard, but not the full-house upholstery that $1590 will buy you with the Mercedes. The flagship Power trim level is priced even higher – at $79,415 – than the Mercedes-Benz X 350d Progressive.

In the case of the Volkswagen, the full-leather option is $2710, including a Winter Package as well. At $610, metallic paint for the Amarok is cheaper than the option for the X 350d, but it’s still more expensive than the Ranger’s option price of $550.

Doing without the leather option for the Euro brands will result in an on-road cost of about $83,400 for the Mercedes and about $71,800 for the VW, versus the figure of about $64,700 already mentioned for the Ford. So even comparing apples with apples, as far as possible, there’s a step of nearly $19,000 between the Ford and the Mercedes.

It’s a significant jump in price for a vehicle that owes much to the affordable Nissan Navara, as critics have repeatedly noted.

The reader supplying the information observed that “every time you tick another option box it generally throws money in the bin [at] resale time.” That’s why he questions the value of options for a vehicle such as the X 350d, especially when they’re not that cheap at the outset. Many of these features are standard for the Ranger.

But tellingly, it’s the starting price for the standard vehicle that makes the X 350d seem so expensive once the options are added.

Other options for the Mercedes-Benz X 350d include a towbar with trailer wiring harness for $1180 (standard for Ranger Wildtrack), a tailgate damper for $450, a rolling/sliding tonneau for $2995 (standard for the Ranger), a winter package for $536 and a style package – including 19-inch alloy wheels – for a cost of $1990.

Presumably there are many other options also available for the X 350d, with a fully-optioned model possibly passing $100,000 on the road.