There’s been a lot of hubbub over the years about Mercedes-Benz launching a pickup truck. To be honest, it’s not that weird. The three-pointed star has been making utility vans, heavy-duty work trucks and unimogs for decades now. So it really isn’t that odd that Mercedes is finally making a pickup. But it is odd to finally see it after years of teasing. But the question that BMW fans are asking is likely, “Will the Mercedes-Benz X-Class push BMW to make a pickup?”
To be honest, the answer is almost certainly “no”. BMW doesn’t seem to have any real interest in making a pickup. While Mercedes-Benz has a long history of making some of the most rugged work machines on the planet, BMW does not. It makes sense for Mercedes to have a truck but not so much for BMW. Plus, would a pickup truck really work with the Ultimate Driving Machine ethos?
Now, BMW has pranked us with an E92 M3 pickup truck, which caused many enthusiasts to think it was a real thing. However, it was just a car BMW built to run parts back and forth between warehouses. Once built, BMW decided to make an April Fool’s prank out of it. So it has a bit of notoriety, which caused many rumors. BMW also made a pickup out of the E30 M3 for the exact same reason. But BMW never had any real desire to put such a thing into production.
What’s interesting, though, is that this X-Class looks quite good. It’s chunky and rugged while also looking decidedly Mercedes-Benz. So it looks like a more premium pickup and could rival the higher-end Ford F150s and Dodge Rams. On the inside, there’s a weird blend of rugged utilitarianism and luxury. The steering wheel and gauges are plucked right from an E-Class, making it look premium there. However, the chunky shift lever and shift gate look plucked straight from Nissan’s parts bin (thanks to the relationship between Mercedes and Nissan).
Could BMW do something like this? Yes, probably. However, I don’t think they should. Mercedes has a long history of proper off-road machines, with locking diffs and genuine rock-crawling capability. BMW does not.
