Let’s be honest – European pickup trucks cannot stand side by side with those manufactured by Ford, GMC, Dodge, Ram, Toyota, etc. The reason is that customers in the US and Canada have more need for such vehicles. However, this doesn’t mean that European car manufacturers can’t produce a decent pickup. The most anticipated one is coming from Mercedes factory and it will be named 2018 Mercedes GLT Pickup. It is going to be a midsize truck that will try to position itself on the North American market. Although the release date is a little bit far, the truck was spotted on the streets and we already have some spy photos.
2018 MERCEDES GLT PICKUP REVIEW
The GLT is being developed in cooperation with Nissan. This means it will take after some pickups manufactured by this Japanese automaker. According to spy photos, it is obvious Mercedes’ pickup is based on the same platform as the new Navara NP300. Joint venture with Nissan was a good idea since the German automaker doesn’t have enough experience in this segment. So far we can tell the GLT will be a high-performance truck with only one possible disadvantage. The price seems too high for a new vehicle in this segment thus they might have a problem in the first year. We’re not sure what the reason for such price is, but we have high hopes Mercedes will make this pickup more affordable.
ENGINE SPECS
It is just too early to be certain what unit will be placed under the hood of the 2018 Mercedes GLT Pickup, but it is always easy to make some assumptions. In our opinion, it is most likely that this truck will get both turbodiesel and gas engine, with either four or six cylinders. Usually, midsize pickups have these units under the hood. Perhaps, Mercedes are going to develop a new engine, but let’s see what unit they can take from the current lineup.
If they decide to choose a unit from the current engine palette, it is most likely that it will be a 2.0-liter. This engine is able to deliver 205 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Since this is a pickup truck both front-wheel and all-wheel drives are expected. It is believed this unit is going to be mated to a 7-speed automatic gearbox. Top speed and 0-60 time won’t differ much from the competition. With the currently available information, we estimate that top speed of the GLT will be around 130 mph while the acceleration is estimated at 8 seconds. However, please have in mind this is just a speculation and we need to wait for the official information.
EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR
As you can see in the photos, the 2018 Mercedes GLT Pickup will resemble American trucks. Even though it was heavily camouflaged it is obvious it shares lots of features with Nissan Navara. Hood is going to be elevated and grille seems quite large. Above the air vents, we spotted headlight which is unusually large for a midsize pickup. There are side steps on each side since this truck is quite tall. Rear gate is quite practical because it can be opened down and sideways.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t take a look inside the cabin. Therefore interior remains a big mystery and we absolutely don’t have a clue what might be placed inside. However, Mercedes always have top-notch interiors thus we don’t need to afraid they will let us down. Just please be patient a little bit and wait for the German automaker to release more details about this midsize pickup.
PRICE AND RELEASE DATE
The price of the 2018 Mercedes GLT Pickup will probably be around $30,000 which is $3,000 more than Amarok’s price. Some people believe it will be presented by the end of the year, but 2017 seems more reasonable.
