Long-term report: The Mercedes X350d gets the premium edge

You may remember that back before Christmas a bare-bones, full utility-spec Mercedes X-Class pick-up arrived on the fleet. No satellite navigation, a manual gearbox and dinky alloy wheels all made the white X-Class a proper, no-frills truck – and after a few months behind the wheel it was clear that it could handle almost everything we could throw at it.

But now, things are going a little more upmarket. Gone is the pared-back truck, replaced instead by this all-singing, all-dancing, range-topping V6 variant.

Now I’ll admit that I had grown quite attached to the previous truck; I liked the way that it handled and I liked the way that the huge tyres made the ride relatively comfortable. I even liked the steering, and the way it could get perilously close to 40mpg on a long run.

So when this new, jazzier version arrived, I was fairly concerned that it wouldn’t be able to deliver in the same way that its lower-powered stablemate had.

But I really shouldn’t have worried. Though the X350 does stumble when it comes to matching the X220’s efficiency, it makes up for it in a multitude of areas.

For one, it’s almost mesmerisingly quick for a vehicle of this size. The 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 diesel under the bonnet produces 255bhp, and that allows it to go from 0-60mph in 7.3 seconds. Whichever way you look at it, that’s quite fast – particularly for something as large and relatively cumbersome as the Merc. The engine is silkier and more responsive than the 2.3-litre unit fitted to the 220, and it transforms the way the truck drives into a far more premium affair. The seven-speed automatic gearbox is smooth-shifting, too.

The steering feels a touch heavier, and I’d argue that the added weight in the nose has blunted the Merc’s eagerness to turn into a corner too – though this really isn’t the type of vehicle destined for lap time glory.

All four wheels are now permanently driven (just the rears were in the X220, though four-wheel-drive could be selected manually), and this does mean that economy has taken a bit of a dive. Around town I’ve been seeing in the region of 25mpg, while on longer runs (such as a 250-mile round trip from Portsmouth to south Wales) it’s been hovering around the 30mpg mark. It means that though I’ve got more overtaking power at my disposal, I have been spending a bit more time at the fuel station.

Inside, there are now seat heaters for the electrically-adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control and a fully-fledged satellite navigation system. The seats are leather-trimmed, though save for these few additions it is still quite similar to the lower-spec version. The little touches do make a difference, however.

It’s also now got a lockable cover over the load bed. Though I do believe that an open bed is usually the best option for a pick-up (it means you can just throw in rubbish/garden waste/bags of sand/a paddling pool in the back), it does have its drawbacks. As I’ve previously mentioned, things to have a tendency to get quite wet when put back there, and – if they’re not strapped down properly – they can fly out, too. So the lockable cover helps when it comes to practicality and safety.

You can leave items back there without having to worry about opportunistic hands pinching your things. It’s also been fitted with a handy light, so when you open the load cover at night it bathes the area below in a white glow, making it easier to locate everything inside. You still get the useful 12v power socket back there too, thankfully.

But all of this does come at a price, of course. Whereas the X220 sat at around £34,00, the X350 is now nudging the near mid-£50,000 mark thanks to a higher list price and a smattering of options. And that’s a huge chunk of money.

It’s a lot of truck, in fairness, and for the people claiming back the VAT as it’s a commercial vehicle, the price will sting a fair amount less. I’ll have to see how it fares over the next few months to see if it manages to justify its price tag even further.