According to motoring.com.au, the X350d will be offered in mid-range Progressive and top-spec Power trim levels, and start at $73 270 (R724 402) with the latter retailing for $79 415 (R785 157), making it $10 925 (R108 012) more than the 165kW Volkswagen Amarok V6 TDI Ultimate, $4 425 (R43 748) dearer than the bi-turbo 157kW Ford Ranger Raptor and just shy of the next-size up $79 950 (R791 341) Ram 1500 5.7 V8 Express.

As previously reported, the X350d swaps the 2.3-litre twin-turbodiesel powering the X250d and the Nissan Navara for Benz’s own 3.0-litre V6, which 190kW/550Nm and comes hooked to a 7G Tronic automatic gearbox with permanent 4Matic all-wheel drive. No top speed or fuel consumption figures were released, although Mercedes-Benz does claim a 0-100km/h of 7.5 seconds, 0.2 seconds down on the Amarok.

Down Under, the Progressive will be offered with items such as Lane Keep Assist, 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless go/start, dual-zone climate control, Autonomous Emergency Braking and a reverse camera, while the Power adds 19-inch alloys, surround view camera system, a black roofliner and aluminium dashboard inserts.

Standard on both models is Mercedes-Benz’s Dynamic Select system with five modes; Eco, Comfort, Sport, Manual and Off-Road, along with four-wheel ventilated disc brakes and a Tyre Pressure Monitor.

Given that local X-class pricing tops out at R824 205 for the X250d Power 4Matic 7G though, expect the X350d to retail for around R900 000, with the likely possibility of the Power becoming the first pick-up to eclipse the R1-million mark.

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