If the Volkswagen Amarok started a trend among European brands entering the ute segment, then Mercedes-Benz's arrival shouldn't come as a shock even if most associate the three-pointed star with the ultimate in luxury rather than practicality.

But most forget that Benz already has a strong presence in commercial vehicles with a range of vans, trucks and buses.

The X-Class is then a natural extension of that.

The X-Class brings a new level of sophistication and safety to the ute segment, traits you'd expect from a brand like Mercedes-Benz. 

The elements that the German brand could change within the cabin – everything from the middle of the dash upwards – look classy and feature high quality materials. 

It also brings the latest in crash avoidance technology to the segment, with automated emergency braking standard on all models. 

The X-Class' cabin brings a new level of design and presentation to the ute segment. 

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The dash layout looks a step above its rivals – at least from the middle of the dash upwards – with dramatically-styled air vents and a tablet-like infotainment screen perched on top. 

Those in the back are treated to generous space and also rear vents, which is surprisingly rare in this class, while front seat occupants have comfortable pews with plenty of adjustment in the driving position. 

Mercedes-Benz has built a reputation for moving the needle when it comes to safety, with the German brand the first to offer life-saving systems such as anti-skid brakes and airbags in passenger cars. 

While the X-Class doesn't bring any ground-breaking functions of that calibre it does set a new standard among dual-cab utes with every model featuring automated emergency braking as standard. 

That is on top of having a full suite of electronic driver aids like ABS and stability control, as well as a cockpit that features seven airbags, giving the X-Class a five-star ANCAP crash test rating. 

Test drive an X-Class at Taree Motorama, 54 Victoria Street, Taree.

For further information phone 6539 3300.

Source: Drive