Mercedes-Benz X350d: Review

Last year we were invited to sample the Mercedes-Benz X350d in tough off-road conditions in the wilds of Albania and it impressed with its combination of off-road ability and comfort. So naturally we were keen to test it out in Australian conditions and the Christmas/New Year period gave us the perfect opportunity.

The plan was to travel from Melbourne up to northern New South Wales for a spell on the family farm, then back down through the Southern Highlands to Gippsland in Victoria and back to Melbourne.

The fire disaster put paid to some of the plan, but we did complete the loop, most of which was done pulling a caravan weighing in at around 1800kg gross.

The Mercedes-Benz X Class was launched in late 2017 and since then has not sold as well as expected due to its initial high price and the fact that the first model, the X250d was fitted with a ho-hum four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

But for those who waited and opted for the X350d with Mercedes-Benz’s spritely and proven 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel mated to a lovely seven-speed automatic transmission, the package largely justified the high price.

The X350d boasts outputs of 190kW at 3400rpm and a thumping 550Nm of torque between 1400-3200rpm and it’s that torque that makes the difference.

Our test vehicle was in the top-spec Power trim which give virtually all the creature comforts of a modern luxury car including leather seats (heated in the front), 360-degree camera, full trip computer, tyre-pressure monitoring, satellite navigation and a full suite of safety features including automatic emergency braking, active lane-departure warning, stability control and a host of airbags for both the front and rear. There’s also automatic lights and rain-sensing wipers should you need them.

There are three driving modes covering economy, comfort and power and high and low ratios for off-roading as well as hill-descent control and a rear diff lock.

Approach and departure angles are quoted at 30 and 25 degrees respectively and the ground clearance is a respectable 222mm, although just how many of these luxo-utes will venture off-road, we’re not sure.

The suspension setup is double wishbones and coil springs on the front and multi-link with variable rate coils on the rear.

With the X-Class, Mercedes-Benz did what Nissan didn’t do – get the suspension right. The ‘Benz engineers also spent a lot of time on the NVH and got that right too. The result is a very quiet and smooth-riding ute. In fact, it rides better and quieter than many wagons on the market today.

And the handling isn’t ute-like either. The steering is well weighted and the X350d goes around corners better than virtually any other ute on the market.

As you’d imagine there’s grunt aplenty on hand and as we reported from the international launch in July 2018, it’s only matched by Volkswagen’s Amarok Ultimate. There’s a small amount of turbo lag from standstill but once you get going, the X350d fairly romps away.

Cruising at highway speeds, the V6 is loping along at around 1800rpm in seventh and if want to overtake a B-double, put the foot down and it’ll jump up and be doing highly illegal speeds before you know it.

As mentioned, I towed my 18ft caravan for the 3,000km round trip and this is where the X350d really shines. The van weighed in at 18000kg and the X-Class hardly felt it. This model is rated to 3500kg so my van was well within its limits and the old saying of ‘it hardly felt it’ really applies here.

Up hills, overtaking or just cruising, the X350d took it all in its stride. In fact on the haul up from the Hawkesbury River on the Pacific Highway, the V6 could actually accelerate with the van on the back.

And it did it economically. For the whole trip the X350d averaged 13.7 litres/100km which is fantastic for any vehicle towing a caravan. Sure, if I was really pushing it (which I was on the first part of the trip north) the figure would rise to around 15 litres/100km. But take it easy and stick with the traffic and the fuel consumption dropped into the 13s.
Using the fuel consumption we achieved a range of around 580 kilometres should be expected when towing. Around town unladen we got between 8 to 10 litres/100kms which would return a range of around 800 to 1000 kilometres.

The suspension handled the van well too, with very little sag in the rear end and plenty of travel left between the bump stops.

Inside, the X350d is very comfortable. The seats are well padded and I didn’t suffer any discomfort even after three or four hours straight in the saddle.

The rear is pretty roomy with the typical upright seatbacks. There are three Isofix child seat mounts which we used during the test. They have neat covers and are easily accessible.

Even with all the equipment of the top-spec model, the dash is neat and smooth with its polished-aluminium fascia and big central screen. Vision is very good and I found that despite its size, it’s a fairly easy vehicle park with all its cameras and 360-degree view.

As a tow tug and long haul cruiser, the Mercedes-Benz X350d is a cracker. It’s comfortable, economical yet has grunt to burn for towing or load hauling. The specification level in the Power spec leaves very little wanting and really the only thing I could ask for is radar cruise control.

The interior is big and comfortable with low noise levels and a very smooth ride even over some of our poor secondary roads. We’ve already tested the off-road capability of the X-Class and it’s very well equipped in that area.

Really, if I was in the market for a four-wheel drive dual-cab ute, this vehicle would be right at the pointy end of my shopping list.

Priced from: $75,000 (approximately, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 190kW/550Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.0L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 237g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety rating: TBC

Also consider:
>> Ford Ranger Wildtrak (from $61,790 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota HiLux Rugged X (from $63,690 plus ORCs)
>> Volkswagen Amarok V6 (from $60,490 plus ORCs)