Pickup trucks are sure popular. Buyers like them, to the point that one—Ford’s F-150—has been numero uno in sales for decades now. Manufacturers like them too, mostly because they get to sell a ton of them (remember, number one seller), and because they make a decent amount of scratch on every one they sell. That’s led to a number of manufacturers increasing the truck count in their portfolios Both Nissan with the Titan and Toyota with the T-series have done so.
It also caused some companies not traditionally known for trucks to contemplate entering the market. Honda has actually taken the leap offering the non-traditional but extremely capable Ridgeline. Another company that’s just about to pull the pin on their own pickup is Mercedes Benz, a car maker long known for white collar cars, but not so much blue collar trucks.
It’s impossible to say who exactly Benz is planning to target with this new truck: the marches-to-the-beat-of-their-own-drummer Ridgeline types who need a truck to transport their hand-made hemp hammocks? Or maybe they want a piece of that high-end F-150, Silverado, and Ram market that’s so lucrative? What do you think? More importantly, what do you think about a Mercedes pick up in concept, do you give it a Brah! or a Blah?
Image: AutoEvolution
Hooniverse Asks: Mercedes Benz Pickup- Brah! or Blah?
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What is this thing supposed to be, is indeed the question? Something like a truck counterpart to the Metris? That could be okay, if not exactly exciting. Or a Mercedes counterpart to the F-150 Unobtanium Stetson Extra Limited IMakeMoreMoneyThanYou? Then the only people that would care are not ones I want anything to do with.
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I think it’s clear that it will be a ‘rest of the world,outside the USA’, vehicle just like it’s competitors the Toyota Hilux, VW Amarok and Misubishi Triton and it’s sister vehicles from Nissan and Renault.
And like these vehicles not to be sold in the USA unless the market for midsize utes improves.
Will Americans stop buying trucks by the yard?
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People will buy it, and I’m not talking disappointed ute fans. Companies with an MB fleet contract will lease them in white, wearing huge vinyl badges. In black, on 28″ wheels (come on guys, can’t you do better than a bycicle yet?) and with some chrome added will sell, too. I’ll have to skip numerous articles about the AMG once that’s announced.
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I prefer this one..
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/7238/images/143885/large/2l-image.jpg
Mercedes have a long history of commercial vehicles, from vans to light trucks in Europe anyway, and not really pricier than the equivalent stuff without a three pointed star, I’m just confused as to whether this is supposed to be a commercial thing like the Toyota HiLux or Nissan Navara, which it’s closer to in size from what I’ve read or a weird “lifestyle” product thing?
I mean when you think about it, all of you complaining about the lack of a compact pickup like the HiLux stateside, this could be your answer.. -
Since it’s really just a Nissan with a Mercedes badge glued on, the target market must be the coveted 3,300 who purchased a Lincoln Blackwood…Blah…
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It was 4,872 (built) to be exact.
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Exactly. Nissan is at the back of the pack as far as midsized trucks are concerned right now. It won’t be the first instance of this unholy alliance though, as there’s an Infiniti cute ute (QX30 or something) to which Mercedes has leant bones.
Whomever at Mercedes decided to get in bed with Nissan needs to dragged into the street and publicly flogged. Every time Mercedes has cozied up to a lesser automaker, Mercedes has come out on the losing end.-
Except for the Chrysler tie up. They didn’t choose the automaker with the biggest stockpile of cash randomly. Nothing like marrying for money!
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Chrysler was an equal at the time of the merger, not a lesser automaker.
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Lesser in perceived stature, but much greater in terms of cash on hand. Of course, by the mid 1990s Mercedes was well along on the path to harming its US reputation by building the rather low-quality M-class SUV (after a failed attempt at a a Mistubishi-based SUV).
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They do sell one of their joint venture vehicles in the USA, as a Mercedes Benz Sprinter, but the rest of the world gets the other version as well, and has for quite a while.
Volkswagen LT Van 1996-2006
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/VW_LT35_2.5Tdi_2002.jpg/1280px-VW_LT35_2.5Tdi_2002.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Camionette_Gemeng_Nidderaanwen.jpg/1280px-Camionette_Gemeng_Nidderaanwen.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Volkswagen_LT_Series_%2815569052584%29.jpg/1280px-Volkswagen_LT_Series_%2815569052584%29.jpg
Volkswagen Crafter Van replaced the earlier LT van in 2006 and is being replaced now by a new version
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/VW_Crafter_2.0_TDI_Facelift.JPG
http://icdn-2.motor1.com/images/mgl/BBqw4/s3/2017-vw-crafter.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Police_Van_Seen_In_Auckland_City_CBD.jpg/1280px-Police_Van_Seen_In_Auckland_City_CBD.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Zdravotnick%C3%A1_z%C3%A1chrann%C3%A1_slu%C5%BEba_Jiho%C4%8Desk%C3%A9ho_kraj_Volkswagen_Crafter_Strobel.jpg-
Question: why does that Police van have palm trees on the roof?
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Because there are palm trees planted outside the modernist masterpiece of the AMP centre on the corner of Queen St and Victoria St West in Auckland Central NZ and the picture of the van was poorly crafted. The trees are behind the van, across the road.https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Burger+King+Queen+Street/@-36.8494337,174.7631803,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x6d0d47fad73a4d01:0xd3f5417c4da607d9!8m2!3d-36.849438!4d174.765369
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Oh my God. Is nothing sacred? I had almost given up hope for humanity when I saw a Porsche Panamera with a “Diesel” logo* on it here in Dallas the other day and now….
*Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know in Europe Diesels make so much sense – fuel economy and all that. But if you can afford a freakin’ Panamera, you can afford freakin’ gasoline – especially when I’m buying premium for less than $3 a gallon….-
Here, however, it’s the diesel power that will sell it. At least, it would for me if I weren’t content with my 14 year old Dodge.
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I’ve seen at least one Panamera diesel (maybe we saw the same one). I think it was in Plano. Seen a couple of Cayenne diesels, too.
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If you can afford a Panamera, you can afford Euro petrol prices. The main reason they sell in Europe often isn’t even economy, the CO2 figure often means a lower purchase price due to how purchase/registration taxes work in some countries. Anyone buying a diesel Panamera stateside needs to be beaten with their own hipster shoes.
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Maybe he got the towing package.
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Blah. At least the pickup market will be harder for them to ruin than F1 was…
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Brah! I like the Metris. I don’t think the US market needs this pickup. We have the Ridgeline. But will this be based on the International version of the Frontier? The Nissan Navara / Renault Alaskan? That interests me.
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I configured a Metris on their site one time, just for kicks. Not nearly as practical as a Sienna, but it’s definitely cool (and RWD). And I like the plaid interior material.
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Rear wheel drive and the plaid interior are the biggest selling points!
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Just like most have said, if this is Rest-of-World brand utilitarian working Benz with steel wheels and MB Tex interior and rubber floors, sounds great. They’ve at least proven with the Sprinter and Metris that they can avoid making some things for the badge snobs who think an illuminated tri-point star is a good idea. If they effectively make an ML with a bed, burn it now.
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Mercedes have been making utilitarian commercial vehicles for decades. Way before the Metris and Sprinter.
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Well, I’m aware of that, I’m just thinking very North America-centric. I’m sure we got things (I know the odd Unimog has slipped through, and the Canadian Armed Forces have been using G-Wagens for about a decade), but there’s definitely a mindset here that Benz = Luxury Car, and that anything that isn’t a proper old school wafty luxury car isn’t a proper Benz, ignoring that an E-class with hubcaps is a defacto taxi basically everywhere but here.
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i have a flare and 10 liters of #1 diesel and am not afraid to use it
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It is a Nissan NP300 – the same size as the current frontier sold in the U.S. I see this truck every day and is nothing to write home about. I think Mercedes should have looked for a better truck to base its pickup, make it like a premium Amarok, but not a Nissan. MB, at least make it look completely different from the NP300 so that I could hardly tell its based on that. Give it you own interior but keep the Nissan engine at least it would be cheap to fix
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I have no strong feelings one way or the other. It doesn’t bother me if companies make things that I don’t want. In fact there are companies all over that are making things that I don’t want day in and day out. They aren’t making me buy one.
It bothers me a bit when companies stop making things that I do want, though. -
Worthwhile only if it’s given portal axles and a fire-breathing AMG V8TT.
So, basically, a G-class with a pickup body.
Better yet, why not just give us a G-class-based pickup, Mercedes?-
They already make what you’re asking for.
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I’m aware. And how many of those were made?
I’m thinking of a real series production of something a bit less radical. 4 wheels is enough.-
“4 wheels is enough”
You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about.
http://img4.hostingpics.net/pics/411707chopper340.jpg
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There is a M-B pickup truck. It’s called a Unimog.
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Brah? Blah? Meh….
Yuck. -
Bradley: I think I’m going to purchase one of those Pick Up Trucks.
Missy: Oh, like the one I saw at the Benz dealer when I was getting the S-Class serviced?
Bradley: No. I think something more, well, manly. Like in the commercials where the one truck carries the other.
Missy: That sounds silly. Just don’t think you’ll ever bring me to the club in it.
Bradley: Oh no. That’s what the Jaguar is for.
Missy: Fine. Have fun dear!
/Bradley buys F-150 Platinum to pick up floozies at the meat market downtown
/Missy bangs the pool boy in the back of the S-Class
Everyone’s happy. -
I think this is the only Mercedes 4WD truck I can stretch to, well used ones sometimes come up for auction after utility companies are done with them:
http://autoimages.org/wp-content/uploads/parser/Mercedes-benz-814-3.jpg -
I like the Nissan Frontier much better when it’s a Suzuki Equator.
http://image.motortrend.com/f/roadtests/trucks/1206_2012_suzuki_equator_crew_cab_rmz_4_first_test/40843671/2012-suzuki-equator-crew-cab-rmz-4-front-drivers-side-view-in-motion.jpg-
I’ve seen maybe three of these, ever. Were there any significant differences between them?
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Not to my knowledge. AFAIK it was strictly badge engineering. They were built right alongside the Frontier in Tennessee. The 2 things that appeal to me most about it are the front grille treatment vis-a-vis the Frontier and since almost nobody has heard of these they tend to be better bargains in the used market versus the exact same configuration in the Frontier. The only unfortunate part is that it shares the Frontier’s lackluster 4.0L V6 (261 HP, 281 lb-ft Torque) which gets MPG of 15/19 in Crew Cab trim (Auto trans only with V6 and 4×4)
http://images.autotrader.com/scaler/544/408/hn/c745a1af19a44ff8b8d11776f00c9175.jpg
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Mercedes Benz have had trucks in their range for quite some time.
Since Gottlieb Daimler invented them and produced the world’s first truck in 1886 – 120 years ago!
And now to keep their WORLDWIDE dealer network happy, they’re coming out with a Toyota Hilux competitor, ( just like their competitor and sometime collaborator Volkswagen Group, does with the Amarok- which also isn’t sold in the USA.)
Some of their worldwide dealer network also sell cars.
http://www.mercedes-benz.com.my/content/media_library/hq/hq_mpc_reference_site/truck__ng/trucks/actros/news/actros_news_ws_tyct_715x230_jpg.object-Single-MEDIA.tmp/trucks_ws_tyct_715x230.jpg
And they own outright some other brands you might see around.
http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/2008-mercedes-benz-truck-sales-at-all-time-high-4103_1.jpg
All types of trucks.
https://www.daimler.com/bilder/produkte/lkw/mercedes-benz/atron-2729-w820xh328-cutout.jpg
https://www.mercedes-seite.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/15C584_011.jpg
https://www.mercedes-benz.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/12/02-Mercedes-Benz-Trucks-International-TaskForces-660×602.jpg
http://www.prestigecv.co.nz/slir/w555-h419-c555x419-q90/551/
http://rossetts.co.uk/uploads/arocs.jpg
http://www.ahg.com.au/imgs/librariesprovider14/mercedes/1203×351-trucks-you-can-trust.jpg?sfvrsn=2 -
how sad is all i could think when i saw this….
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