Brabus boosts Mercedes X-Class pick-up to 208bhp
Big wheels, added power and leather interior added to the Mercedes X-Class as Brabus transforms the pick-up
While we’re used to Brabus tuning Mercedes’ fastest saloons and SUVs (and the occasional Smart), it has now turned its attention to the X-Class pick-up truck. Its enhancements apply styling and interior tweaks - and what the firm calls its ‘D4 PowerXtra performance upgrade’ - to the X 250 d.
The most obvious exterior change in the tranformation from Mercedes to Brabus X-Class are the wheels: in place of the regular 17- or 18-inch items are a set of twin seven-spoke rims, 20 inches in diameter. The wheels are complemented - a word used with caution - by a huge Brabus logo on the nose, a chunkier mount for the front number plate, and quad tailpipes.
To add further menace to the Brabus X-Class, a pair of LED light bars, which engage on full beam, are fitted along the roof.
Inside, the seats can be trimmed in almost any shade or style of leather that Brabus customers desire. The remainder of the cabin is standard to the X-Class, save for aluminium pedals and a set of branded stainless steel scuff plates.
Brabus has tinkered with the 250’s ECU to extract an extra 20bhp from the 2.3-litre turbodiesel engine. A total of 208bhp isn’t exactly enough to transform the X-Class into a Brabus Rocket - the 11.5-second 0-62mph time is 0.3 seconds faster than the X 250 d - but peak torque has risen to 510Nm. That’s a 60Nm improvement and one which will be most noticeable when towing or lifting heavy loads.
For those wishing for a little more power, Brabus will soon be working its magic on the soon-to-be-launched X 350d. With 254bhp and 550Nm as standard, it has the potential to be a seriously rapid workhorse.
See how the Mercedes X-Class performed against the Nissan Navara and Volkswagen Amarok in our pick-up group test…
