136 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | october 2019
Plush and grunty
off-road, like a
more affordable G‘It soaks the bumps
up and this engine
is a monster!’
j O h N, FARMER‘Whatever
you do,
don’t touch
that without
sunglasses’FANCY A DRIVE?
If you’re curI o u s
about our b M W Z 4
or a r Iel NoMa d ,
get IN touch
[email protected] Alex Tapleyand possibly tree bandages and tree
stethoscopes, and is in the market
for a new pick-up, having run the
Hilux for five years.
‘The Hilux has been brilliant- it never goes wrong – but this is
brilliant. It just has everything, and
the quality is superb. I’d love it. But
my only concern would be getting
it dirty!’
Mark Williams owns an
engineering firm that does
something with wind turbines and
electricity. He explained it to me;
I didn’t really understand. But it
means he occasionally heads off
into distant fields to look at boxes
full of equipment, and also rides,
runs, swims, paddles and all of
that stuff I should do more of. He
has a Volvo XC90, paid for by the
company, for such a lifestyle.
‘I do like the idea of being able to
chuck all the work kit in the boot
during the week, and all the
cycling and watersport kit in at the
weekend, while up front it’s still
comfortable. It does both jobs.’
I point out to Mark that because
it’s a pick-up and subject to different
rules, he would pay £1200 a year in
company car tax for the X-Class
compared to the best part of
£8000 a year in tax for the XC90.
Fortunately he was sitting down
when I told him.
‘Wow. I’m now very, very
interested. Obviously the XC90 is
more refined, more comfortable,
possibly has better fuel economy
and more equipment, but nearly
seven grand a year saved? For what
I need a car for, I would certainly
look at the Merc next time round,
although there’s not much space in
the rear for such a big car.’
John, the farmer, is still to be
convinced though: ‘The cabin isand the quality. ‘The back is finished
superbly – in my Hilux this is all
bare metal, and when you’re lifting
tools in and out it gets scratched to
hell. Everything in here is covered in
tough plastic; much better,’ he says.
‘The quality of the hardtop is
also incredible. It looks like nothingcould damage it. It’s very impressive,
and actually when you look at the
price, it’s not too bad considering
what you get.
‘Then there are details like the
side window. The way that unlocks
off the central locking is great for
security, and it lifts right out the
way so you can get tools out that are
a long way back. And two windows
between the cabin and the loadbed
mean you can get really long objects
in here that go right through.
Handy for dogs, too – you can get
ventilation in when you’re driving.
‘The only problem I’d have is my
customers thinking I was doing far
too well, and wanting me to drop
my prices.’
The X-Class proves an interesting
proposition for all three: part
workhorse commercial vehicle, part
SUV. It certainly isn’t for everyone.
But for the right person, with the job
or the hobbies (or both) that need
posh gruntwork, it ticks an awful lot
of boxes.
@Sjmoody37‘Seven grand saved
in company car tax?
Now I’m interested’
MARK, ENGINEERa bit too plush for a pick-up if you
ask me. Not sure a season’s worth
of dust and oil would look great on
the leather-clad dashboard. It might
make me feel like I had to get it
cleaned out once in a while.’
Having failed to grasp how the
touchpad for the infotainment
works (‘Why doesn’t it just have
buttons?’), we take it down some
of his rough tracks. John starts
to warm to it. ‘Its off-road ride is
superb. There’s lots of suspension
travel, it really soaks the bumps
up and this engine is a monster.
It’s really quick and obviously very
useful off-road.’
Tree surgeon Andrew is also
impressed – by the practical touches