Wheels 26 Oct 2017

Page 1

October 26, 2017

Witness

WHEELS

ADVERTISING: AVIR THULSIRAM ON 084 278 3447

KZN’s Brett Swanepoel will be chasing Kenny Gilbert at the Atlas Copco Gold 400 in Gauteng’s West Rand this weekend. MORE RACING ON PAGE 4

… NOW YOU’RE MOTORING

X­Class gets thumbs up in Chile SIBONELO MYENI discovers Chileans like their double cabs as much as we do in Mzansi THE Mercedes X­Class double cab is one of the most hotly an­ ticipated cars not only in the bakkie segment but also inter­ estingly, the SUV segment. The local launch of the X220d and X250d is now confirmed aft­ er June next year, with the X350d coming later in the year. We, meanwhile, went to San­ tiago, Chile to find out if it’s worth the hype. South American countries are as mad for their bakkies as we are in Mzansi. In the city of Santiago every second car you see is a double cab, just like Durban. Wherever we stopped, the X­Class caused a stir with on­ lookers who asked many ques­ tions in rapid­fire Spanish (“En­ glisho speak” was generally our response). But their literal thumbs up suggests the X­Class will create much fanfare in Mzansi. LED daytime lights, twin­lou­ vre radiator grille with the prom­ inent three­pointed star domi­ nate the front. 17­inch to 18­inch wheel options are offered with the 18s the one to go for. Metallic colour options and three levels of cladding are of­ fered, starting off with the entry level Pure, mid­range Progres­ sive topping with the luxury Power. Customers can add a styling bar, canopy, various covers as well as numerous cargo and off­

road solutions — all developed and designed by Mercedes. Of these two I’d take the rock­ slider­lookalike side steps, to add to that off­road look, and mud flaps. For to me the rear of the X­Class looks unfinished with­ out large mudflaps. The five­seat interior main­ tains the current design theme in Mercedes­Benz passenger cars, with the dash mounted central Command infotainment screen and really comfortable seats. The rear seats are positioned higher than the front, aiding all round visibility. Fit and finish is generally good but there are some suspect items that are not Merc level in terms of quality. There are three interior trim options, six seat covers includ­ ing two leather variants and two colour roof linings to help buyers customise their interiors. As usual with Merc, buyers will have an extensive list of inte­ rior options to choose from, which can quickly add half the vehicle’s value. Like all Mercedes­Benz vehi­ cles, the X­Class features passive and active safety equipment in­ cluding Active Brake Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and Traffic Sign Assist, among others. Con­ nectivity is also offered with the Mercedes ME app. Three diesel engines are of­ fered, with two available at launch. The 2.3­litre Turbo die­

All the rear needs to finish the bakkie look are mud guards.

sel X220d has 120kW while the 2.3­litre Bi­Turbo diesel X250d has 140kW. Both these models come with either rear­wheel drive only, or shift­on­the­fly all­wheel drive that has a low range. Unfortu­ nately, the rear­wheel drive mod­ els don’t come with a rear diff­ lock, even as an option, a de­ mand that Merc should rectify as this is a big demand for Mzan­ si and European drivers. A six­speed manual transmis­ sion comes standard with a sev­ en­speed automatic available as an option. At launch we drove the X250d all­wheel drive and it felt refined especially from inside the cabin. Power delivery was noticeably better than its Navara cousin. Low­down torque delivery aids off road drivability as well. On gravel and in off­road driv­ ing, the all­wheel drive X250d offers unheard of levels of refine­ ment, noise insulation and vi­ bration management for the double cab segment and will def­ initely poach SUV buyers. We also got passenger rides in the X350d, the model set for launch in 2018. This model gets a 190kW/550Nm 3­litre V6 Tur­ bo diesel linked to a 7G Tronic Plus Auto transmission driving through a permanent 4Matic all­wheel drive system. The Dynamic Select is availa­ ble in addition. This model will definitely be the sports model for X­Class buyers. The unique suspension set­up allows for rugged roads as well as on­road refinement, offering SUV levels of comfort, albeit with that occasional “bakkie” feel over the bumps. The stiff suspension liked be­ ing pushed on the twisty bits of our test route, where the X­Class felt sure­footed with minimal understeer and roll. Rear passen­ ger comfort was also the best of any double cab I have ever sat in, including the KBs our KZN farmers like so much. • Full disclosure: Mercedes­Benz SA sponsored the trip to South America. • Catch Sibonelo Myeni live on Ukhozi FM, each Thursday from 7.45 am to 8 am.

The X­Class was introduced to Chile’s bakkie­loving drivers this week and our correspondent Sibonelo Myeni was there. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

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