WANT a posh Mercedes for work and play but don’t want to be hammered for company car tax? Well the answer is the new Mercedes X-Class pick-up.

It has taken the wraps off its new pick-up the Mercedes Concept X-Class which its brands the first premium pick-up – and offers it in two versions: for city and rough stuff.

The fact that they have chosen white for one and creamy yellow for the other simply highlights the fact that they are as different as chalk and cheese! Who would have expected to see the words ‘beauty’ and ‘pick-up’ in one statement.

But global appeal apart, what they both have in common in the UK is the attraction of double cab pick-up benefit in kind tax (BIK).

We won’t know the prices for a few months but for the tax year 2016-17 the BIK on any double cab pick-up like this good for a payload of over a tonne is £3,170.

So if you pay tax at 20% that’s just  £634 a year, or £1,268 for a 40% tax payer. Not bad! Compare that with the £1,689 (20%) and £3,377 (40%) for the lean new E-Class E220d AMG-Line saloon from the same brand. Throw in free fuel and for a 20% taxpayer it’s still just £63 per month in 2016/17 tax year!

Click here to find out more about the BIK on a double cab pick-up.

Pictured finished in a cool white metallic at launch, the Concept X-Class Stylish Explorer is the athletically-styled city version and shows what will distinguish the urban pick-up bearing the Mercedes star from the beefy sand-kicking jacked-up version for the rough stuff, the Powerful Adventurer.

With the Stylish Explorer, Mercedes has done what some aftermarket design houses might have considered in taking off all the rough edges and blending running boards and wheel arches with the bodywork while the Powerful Adventurer has the ‘bolt-on goodie’ take including winch and carbon trim.

Mercedes says: “The X-Class will be a true Mercedes from the hallmark brand design and comfort to the driving dynamics and safety.

“This will make Mercedes-Benz the first premium manufacturer to account for the changing customer requirements in the global segment of mid-size pickups, and it will make the tough one-ton pick-up with seating for up to five persons the first to be attractive as an urban lifestyle and family vehicle.”

The Concept X-Class Powerful Adventurer, pictured below finished in lemonax metallic, shows that the future X-Class will also possess all the strengths of a classic pickup – tough, functional, strong, and with off-road capability.

With the pick-up, Mercedes-Benz Vans will expand its product range with a fourth model series. At the same time, the brand bearing the three-pointed star will become the first premium manufacturer to occupy the promising segment of mid-size pickups.

Daimler AG will make investments in the high nine figures (euro) in the new model series by the time of the market launch. It will be launched in late 2017 under the name Mercedes-Benz X-Class. The key markets will be Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and Europe.

Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “With the Mercedes-Benz pickup, we will close one of the last gaps in our portfolio. Our target: we want to offer customers vehicles matching their specific needs. The X-Class will set new standards in a growing segment.”

Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said: “We will open up and change the segment of mid-size pick-ups – with the world’s first true premium pick-up for the modern urban lifestyle.

“Our future X-Class will be a pickup that knows no compromise. Ladder-type frame, high-torque six-cylinder engine, and permanent all-wheel drive are compulsory for us.

“As an added value we bring safety, comfort, agility, and expressive design – in other words, everything that distinguishes vehicles bearing the Mercedes star. We will thus appeal to new customers who have not considered owning a pickup before.”

Mercedes says it recognises the worldwide market for mid-size pick-ups is undergoing a radical change, becoming increasingly popular as versatile vehicles for a simultaneous private and commercial use and as vehicles for a strictly private use with the double cab the dominant body style with room for up to five.

More and more private and commercial customers ask for vehicles with the characteristics and comfort features of a passenger car.

Gorden Wagener, head of design at Daimler AG, said: “With its progressive design the Powerful Adventurer expresses cool modernity and thirst for adventure, while the Stylish Explorer on the other hand uses pure emotion to provide a tangible experience of modern beauty.”

Mercedes Concept X-Class Stylish Explorer:

The Concept X-Class Stylish Explorer, painted in a cool elegant white metallic, impressively demonstrates how the Mercedes-Benz pickup will make a decidedly stylish statement in its segment and in the urban environment.

The athletic design lends the concept car a markedly expressive and dynamic appearance. The distinctive front represents an evolution of the hallmark SUV face of the brand – with a more massive powerdome on the bonnet and headlamps extending far into the wings.

The classic SUV front apron and the strongly flared wheel arches put even more emphasis on the sense of width, and give the vehicle an even more solid stance on the road. At the same time, the front cites the single-louvre grille with centrally positioned Mercedes star, the face of the elegant Mercedes-Benz coupés.

The flared front and rear wings make room for a wide track and large tyre/wheel combinations for tough off-road use – 22-inch light-alloy wheels with a contrasting anthracite chrome finish give the Concept X-Class Stylish Explorer a towering and superior stance.

The running boards are integrated into the bodywork and emphasise the athletically sculpted body.

The extremely short front overhang, the very long rear overhang and two long lines stretching along the side amplify the focus placed on driving dynamics.

The rear of both concept cars sports the hallmark chromed SUV trim at the lower edge, and, as a distinctive feature, a continuous LED light strip in a slim chrome surround on the tailgate. It points to the unique character of the future pickup.

The interior of the Concept X-Class Stylish Explorer  features brown, very natural nubuck leather on the seats and on the dashboard, is combined with cool white nappa leather. The trim made of open-pore smoked oak contrasts with the brushed and polished aluminium trim elements.

The modern flair is further boosted by round air vents, the free-standing high-resolution central display as well as the central controller and multifunctional touchpad. Similar to a smartphone, all telematics functions can be controlled with the touchpad.

Mercedes-Benz thus introduces the most modern control and display concept in the segment of mid-size pickups. At the same time, the characteristics and functionalities typical in the pick-up segment have been retained, such as the handbrake in the centre console.