Mercedes-Benz X-Class – V8 petrol could be offered

Mercedes-Benz says it’s ready to shoehorn a V8 petrol engine into the X-Class pick-up truck, but only if customers demand it. Head of X-Class engineering Frank Schumacher told Australian publication Drive that the company is not only ready to upgrade its V6 diesel to beat its closest rival, the Volkswagen Amarok, but is also willing to take things a step further with the introduction of a V8 – if customers want it.

“Yeah, there is always more [power to be made from the V6 diesel] but that’s if the requirements come from a marketing point of view. If customers want more power with other platforms [and the X-Class], we react to customers’ wishes. If there will be wishes after the launch of the vehicle that says we need to have V8 then probably we will put in a V8, but that’s always a response on customer request,” said Schumacher.

The Stuttgart brand hasn’t shown any keenness in building an AMG version, Schumacher was reportedly ‘slightly dismissive’ of using Affalterbach’s famed 4.0 litre petrol V8, which is used, among other things, in the G 63, which makes 585 hp and 850 Nm.

However, a detuned version of the AMG mill, producing 422 hp and 610 Nm, has been used in regular Mercedes models like the G 500, so that’s still an option. “We surely can make it happen, it’s just a question of what V8 you want to put in. You can put the 6.0 litre in, yeah, but so far there is no plan,” he explained.

However, a V8-powered X-Class does seem to be a bit of an overkill, so if Mercedes-Benz were to pull the trigger, expect the eight-cylinder block to be fitted into a larger pick-up truck. “With a V8 you get out of the mid-size pick-up [segment], but if you look at the market correctly, most of it is focused on the four cylinder,” noted Schumacher. “A ute like that is a different size of vehicle and it is very limited to the US really – they will have their own market.”

To refresh your memory, the X-Class shares the same underpinnings as the Nissan NP300 Navara, and it’s offered with a range of four- and six-cylinder engines. The list begins with a Renault-sourced 2.3 litre four-cylinder engine that’s available in two states of tunes – 160 hp and 403 Nm for the rear-wheel drive-only X 220 d and 188 hp and 450 Nm for the X 250 d 4Matic. A choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic can be had – the latter available only for the X 250 d.

The current range-topper X 350 d is powered by a 3.0 litre turbodiesel V6 developing 258 hp and 550 Nm of torque, and it comes with the seven-speed 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission and 4Matic AWD as standard. There’s also Dynamic Select system with Comfort, Eco, Sport, Manual and Offroad drive modes available. So, tell us, what do you think of a V8-powered X-Class?

GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz X-Class launch in Australia

GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz X-Class X 250 d 4Matic, Frankfurt Motor Show 2017

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.