It's Monday. Another week, another pickup

[Cowabunga]

This time a new brand to the market. The much anticipated facelift of the Nissan NP300, called the Mercedes X Class.

 

[ARW]

Much anticipated? By who?

 

[nick...]

Will be paying a packet for the badge and the servicing.
Nick...

 

[Rs chunk]

That's a pick up for show ponies! Chelsea tractor

 

[Cowabunga]

Much anticipated? By who?

Mercedes dealers?

The video is actually one hour and ten minutes long. It feels more like four hours long.
Be aware that the presenter is a rabid vegan who criticises leather as being 'unsustainable' and cruel, spouting rubbish about animals being reared specifically to be killed for their leather. He complements the cloth seats on this pickup as being 'sustainable'. He has zero practical experience of pickups and so doesn't mention things like the slow electric change for the part time 4wd and especially the tedious need to stop to change from low to high range and the time it takes.

He seems to mention at one point that this pickup is about double the price of the Nissan. He said this with a straight face without the slightest hint of a belly-laugh or sarcasm. A true German professional.

 

[chaffcutter]

Is it me or is that the most boring road test ever presented ! Top Gear it is not !

Beat me to it @Cowabunga

 

[Cowabunga]

Is it me or is that the most boring road test ever presented ! Top Gear it is not !

No, its not just you. Did you actually watch it all? Must say that I skipped a good bit of the tedious offroading rubbish.

 

[chaffcutter]

I didn't even get that far, mindblowingly boring bloke !

 

[Cowabunga]

I didn't even get that far, mindblowingly boring bloke !

His channel has a huge following though. Nearly 200,000 subscribers and regularly gets 20,000 and occasionally 50k views per video. The new Volvo XC60 review, for instance, has around 150,000 views. This makes him BIG money.

 

[chaffcutter]

His home audience must appreciate his thorough approach but I can't see him being very popular here...illustrates the German serious personality trait only too well I think.

 

[Cowabunga]

If you appreciate quality car reviews with a bit of humour, sometimes dry humour even, then I recommend

Savagegeese from Canada

Marek Drives from Poland

Harry's Garage from good old Middle England

AutoExpertTV from Australia

 

[Finn farmer]

Great, so now you get best from both worlds. Nissan, the frame snaps. Mercedes, the body rots.

Drops the Mercedes prestige a fair bit, being a Nissan with badge swap. Well, i'll be buying the real Mercs anyway.

 

[quavers]

used to be the hilux was the popular choice of pick up around here , now its the Nissan that seems to be the pick up of choice

 

[agrimax]

What'll be the faults with the Renault Alaskan version of the NP300,when it gets here?
http://www.parkers.co.uk/vans/news-and-advice/2014/december/exciting-new-pickups-for-2015-and-2016/

Can't see Peugeot's effort being a big seller,if it ever gets here,going by the styling. The Great Wall Steed didn't do too well here but at least it looked ok!

 

[Irish NZ]

Make these pick up threads stop...........

 

[roscoe erf]

Make these pick up threads stop...........

i thought it was another dating thread

 

[Davey]

They'll sell by the bucket load to MDs who want something they can park at the health spa and still get the VAT back.

Until now they all seemed to go for the Vito although Christ knows why?!

 

[colhonk]

Presume it has the same gearbox as the Nissan, What a disgrace the manual gear change is,typical Renault (ie,cr$p) nearly bad enough for me to apologise to the Duck ect about my comments on the auto boxes, but not quite

 

[leone75]

They'll sell by the bucket load to MDs who want something they can park at the health spa and still get the VAT back.

Until now they all seemed to go for the Vito although Christ knows why?!

I must be an idiot , I have one of these crap Vito vans and it has done 95k miles so far and has so far needed nothing but normal serivice , It is galvanised so the rust thing has gone hopefully now , I also have an old sprinter with 220k miles with little grief, I have a mate works at vans and his yard is full of transits with less than 100k needing new engines, welding etc. Any parts I have need for the vans haven't been any more expensive than anything else.
As far as Renault trafics and similar clones are concerned, I think I leave them well alone.

 

[Farmer Roy]

err
offroad ?
I skimmed through the video & didn't see anything that couldn't be tackled by a Toyota corolla . . .