Mercedes-Benz X220 vs MG Im5

What's the difference?

The X-Class Pure 4x2 is good, but that's its major problem, because three-pointed stars and their high price tags bring with them a justified expectation of being not just good - but great. If a second-generation X-Class needs to borrow some components again, we hope they're from the legendary G-Wagen next time. In fact,a platform share between X-Class and G-Wagen (like Ranger/Everest or Colorado/Trailblazer etc) would have much greater appeal.

The MG IM5 Performance is fast, comfortable, quiet and super refined. Putting some minor spec and active safety niggles to one side, it offers the features, tech and price to match it with its well-credentialled and already popular mid-size EV sedan competitors. Is there room for one more? We think there should be.

Benz has re-engineered the Navara's steel ladder-frame chassis for greater rigidity and topped it with a restyled body that's 85mm longer and 126mm wider with a new M-B interior. There are also new front suspension components and a new coil-spring multi-link live rear axle assembly with disc brakes, which result in track width increases of 82mm front and 75mm rear (compared to RX Navara 4x2).

These engineering changes, combined with revised springs, shocks, anti-sway bars and steering, result in sure-footed handling with sharp steering response, excellent ride quality and a feeling of solidity that are all X-Class strengths. However, they have also resulted in a hefty 236kg weight gain.

The X-Class Pure 4x2 rides on a 3150mm wheelbase with a 5340mm overall length, 1916mm width and 1839mm height. In comparison to Ford's Ranger, which is considered the 'bigfoot' of Aussie dual cabs, the X-Class is 70mm shorter in wheelbase and 22mm shorter overall, but 56mm wider, 24mm taller and lineball on turning circle at 12.8 metres. So, like the Ranger it's quite a large and imposing vehicle.

Critical rough road credentials include 222mm of ground clearance with 30 degree approach and 25 degree departure angles. Its wading depth of 600mm is better than Amarok (500mm) but considerably less than Ranger (800mm).

It's nice to see sizeable grab handles on the window pillars for front and rear passengers and the driving position is pretty good. However, the Pure's front seats lack sufficient lumbar support and the base cushion (at least the driver's) needs some rake adjustment, as it can feel like you're sliding off the front at times.

For such a sizable vehicle we're surprised by how cramped the rear seating is for taller adults in terms of length and height, with knees touching the front seat backrests and, thanks to the higher 'grandstand' style rear seating, heads touching the roof lining. The rearward location of the B pillar also makes for quite tight entry and exit for those long of limb and large of shoe.

Playing spot the straight line on the outside of the MG IM5 is like an automotive design version of Where’s Wally? There aren’t many, in the midst of an unrelentingly curvaceous exterior treatment.

At close to five metres long and two metres wide the IM5 is appreciably longer (+211mm), a little wider (+27mm) and a bit taller (+33mm) than a Tesla Model 3. Think BMW 5 Series in terms of overall size.

And the soft-form shape is functional; the swoopy liftback boasting an ultra-slick 0.24 drag coefficient.

That said, I’m not convinced by the ‘Periscopic’ cameras informing the driver assistance systems from the front guards. They scream tacked-on afterthought. But a touch-only initial opening function for the flush door handles is cool and makes life easier.

The curves continue inside with soft-padded surfaces around the dash and doors, but the straight edge obviously came out for the 10.5-inch central media screen and vast 26.3-inch upper display. There are next to no buttons; even exterior mirror adjustment is directed from the screen to a multi-function steering wheel control.

System software (powered by a Qualcomm ‘Snapdragon’ chip) is lightning fast with a two-finger up and down swipe shortcut function on the central screen for ventilation and other functions.

The interior is light and bright thanks to the enormous panoramic sunroof. It’s been fine in cooler winter conditions during this test but it could be interesting to revisit in the heat of an Aussie summer

There are two interior colour schemes available - the ‘Highland Grey’ of our test car or ‘Dover Beige’ for those brave enough to live life with the threat of scuff marks on your shiny new car’s glamorous but vulnerably light interior.

Deducting the 4x2 Pure's 2046kg kerb weight from its 3200kg GVM would normally equal a payload of 1154kg, but the official payload figure is 68kg under that at 1086kg, which is an extra safety margin should the payload (but not the GVM) be exceeded.

The Pure 4x2's braked towing capacity of up to 3200kg is less than the 4x4 models' 3500kg rating. Even so, its generous 6139kg GCM allows for a substantial 884kg payload while towing its heaviest trailer load, which is impressive.

The load tub is 1581mm long, 1560mm wide and 475mm deep, with 1215mm between the wheel arches ensuring it can carry an 1160mm-square standard Aussie pallet. As mentioned earlier, our test vehicle was equipped with the optional $490 rear window guard frame, which should not only be standard but also have tradie-friendly pivoting load retainers or 'book-ends' on each side for carrying long lengths of timber, PVC pipe, etc.

The test vehicle's adjustable load-securing rail system mounted near the top of the tub (as seen on Navara) works well for securing loads of matching height or more, but there also needs to be four tie-down points in each corner at floor level to secure lower loads as well. The absence of load retainers and floor level tie-down points are glaring omissions for such a work-focused vehicle.

With tradies in mind there's also a lack of cabin storage, limited to bottle holders and storage pockets in each front door, an overhead sunglasses holder and small glove box. The multimedia system's sizeable rotary controller and touch-pad occupy a big chunk of potential storage space in the centre console, which only offers a tiny front storage slot, single cup holder and small rear lidded box (and there's no box if you opt for the 1-DIN audio ports as fitted to our test vehicle).

Rear seat passengers get a bottle holder and smaller storage pocket in each door and the bench seat base pivots upwards to a vertical position if you want some extra internal cargo space. But there are no flexible storage pockets on the front seat backrests and no cupholders. This needs a re-think because you quickly run out of places to store things.

There’s plenty of breathing room up front and in terms of storage one of the first things worth calling out are the long but relatively narrow door bins. No good for anything above unusually slender bottles, even if they’re lying down.

No conventional glove box in the dash, but there is a large lidded box (cooled and heated) between the seats that doubles as a centre armrest. It’s supplemented by a big stowage area underneath the flying buttress style centre console.  

There are two cupholders in the centre console as well as a wireless device charging pad in front of them with a vaguely phone-shaped oddments bin alongside it.  

Move to the rear and the IM5’s 75mm wheelbase advantage over the Tesla Model 3 is clear. Heaps of knee and headroom for me at 183cm sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my position. 

But… the seat sits low which pushes your knees up into the air to the point where my thighs are not contacting the seat cushion. Even though the rear seat reclines to a certain degree it’s a problem compounded by a chronic lack of room for your toes under the front seat. Awkward.

There are map pockets in the front seatbacks, modest bins in the doors and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders. Adjustable ventilation in the rear of the front centre console always makes life in the rear seat more pleasant.

The car also houses ‘Strong Magnets’ at various points around the cabin and boot, with a configurable adapter able to lock a phone or tablet into place for the entertainment of, in our case, back seaters. 

Speaking of devices for entertainment, there are two USB-C sockets and a 12-volt outlet in the front and another USB-C and 12V in the back, so charging isn’t an issue. 

The IM5 is a liftback so the boot aperture is generous and a capacity of 457 litres with the rear seats up is decent for a car of this size, although that’s less than the Tesla Model 3 (594L) which has an additional well under the floor. 

Still, enough room for the largest (124L) and smallest (36L) suitcases from the CarsGuide three-piece luggage set with some room to spare.

The power tailgate can be operated hands-free via the key or an always welcome under bumper kick function.

Volume expands to 1290 litres with the rear seats folded and there’s a modest 18-litre ‘frunk’ under the bonnet.

The bad news is a repair-inflator kit rather than a physical spare wheel, but the better news is the IM5 Performance can tow a 1500kg braked trailer (750kg unbraked).

The IM range also features the ‘MG iSmart’ app allowing remote control of various functions including charging, checking vehicle location and route planning. 

At $80,990, drive-away, the IM5 Performance sits at the top of a three-grade line-up that starts with a 75kWh RWD Premium model at $60,990, followed by a mid-spec 100kWh RWD Platinum for $69,990, both drive-away.

Its most prominent competitor is arguably the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD ($80,900), with others including the BYD Seal Performance AWD ($68,798), Hyundai Ioniq 6 AWD Epiq ($86,500) and Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor Performance ($80,380).

Worth noting, too, the IM6 range - essentially the same car with a taller SUV body - has the same model walk-up and identical pricing.

Once you’ve crossed the $80K threshold it’s fair to expect a decent basket of standard fruit and aside from the dynamic and safety features we’ll get to shortly, the IM5 Performance comes to the party.

Highlights include a double-glazed panoramic roof, power-adjustable (12-way driver, six-way passenger) heated and ventilated front seats (also heated in the rear), dual-zone climate control, 20-speaker audio (with digital radio), 256 colour ambient lighting, a power tailgate (with hands-free function) and 20-inch alloy rims.

There’s also adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED headlights, keyless entry and start, wireless device charging (50W), a 10.5-inch central control screen and a sweeping 26.3-inch upper screen; the right side for instrumentation and car data, the (touch-sensitive) left side for multimedia and other onboard functions.

There’s more and it’s clear this car at least matches or betters its direct competitors for included equipment.

The X-Class shares the Navara's engines and transmissions, but Nissan's superb YS23DDTT 2.3 diesel with sequential twin turbocharging and 140kW/450Nm is reserved only for the X250d variants.

The entry-level X220d Pure 4x2 and 4x4 models (like the entry-level Navara RX) make do with the less powerful but still excellent single turbo version with variable vane technology, producing 120kW at 3750rpm and 403Nm of torque between 1500-2500rpm.

The RWD Pure's six-speed manual gearbox (backed by hill start assist) has a pretty low (4.685:1) first gear which is handy for getting big loads underway from standing starts, while the over-driven top gear allows economic engine rpm at highway speeds. There's no rear diff lock like the Ranger Hi-Rider.

The MG IM5 Performance is powered by an electric motor on each axle - the rear (372kW/500Nm) more powerful than the front (200kW/300Nm), for overall outputs of 572kW (that’s close to 770hp) and 802Nm of pulling power.

The official term for that amount of grunt is… a lot. And we’ll get to what it means on the road in the Driving section shortly.

Mercedes Benz's official combined figure is 7.6L/100km and the instrument display was showing that figure at the end of our test, which covered more than 660km on different roads (sealed and unsealed) and with a variety of loads, including our usual GVM run.

By comparison, our figures calculated from trip meter and fuel bowser readings came in at 9.0L/100km. Any dual-cab ute, particularly one this size, which can deliver genuine single-digit fuel economy in 'real world' driving gets a big tick from us. Based on our figures, you could expect a realistic driving range of 850km-plus from its 80-litre tank, which is fuel efficiency with a capital E.

The MG IM5 Performance features an 800-volt electrical architecture which means the 100kWh NCM battery can accept a DC peak charge of close to 400kW.

Only snag is the highest you’ll currently find in Australia is 350kW. But even at that rate you’ll still be looking at a 30-80 per cent charge in just over 15 minutes. Maximum AC charge rate is 11kW.

Claimed range is 575km (WLTP) which is less than the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD at 629km.

Over a week of city, suburban and some freeway running we saw average energy use of 20.6kWh/100km which is on the high side for an EV of this size but maybe not for one with this kind of performance potential. 

It might be based on a Nissan Navara, but it doesn't drive like one. Even at 4x2 entry level, the X Class's excellent un-laden ride quality, sure-footed 'wide track' handling and steering feel/response are benchmark for the class, which is the minimum you'd expect from this brand.  Cabin noise is also low.

The single-turbo Nissan engine is a strong point. Despite the X-Class having a higher kerb weight, the Navara engine does not feel sluggish, with ample low and mid-range punch making it a spirited enough performer under light loads with more than enough torque for heavy load-hauling. The six-speed manual gearbox shifts sweetly and its ratios are well matched, keeping the engine in its maximum torque band on the highway with 2000rpm at 100km/h and 2300rpm at 110km/h.

To test the 3200kg GVM rating we forklifted 920kg into the load tub, which with a 100kg driver was  only about 60kg under its 1086kg payload ceiling. The rear coil springs compressed a full 80mm and the nose rose 21mm, resulting in the rather ungainly tail-down-nose-up 'praying mantis' stance similar to the coil-sprung Navara from which it is derived.

A look under the tail revealed the top of the rubber bump-stop cones just kissing the underside of the chassis rails. Once underway, though, there was none of the Navara's riding-on-rubber feeling, as the Merc's thicker rising-rate rear coils maintained a modicum of springing. However, the sloping tail felt less stable, with some noticeable suspension squirm in a straight line and wagging through some corners, particularly on unsealed roads.

Even so, its Nissan engine made light work of our 2.0km 13 per cent gradient set climb, proving its excellent load-lugging ability by climbing it so easily in third gear that we made a second successful ascent in fourth. Engine braking in second gear on the way down, though, could not restrain such a big payload on its own, requiring regular prods of the brake pedal to maintain the 60km/h limit.

First things first, the IM5 Performance is supercar fast. This 2.3-tonne five-seater blazes from 0-100km/h 3.2 seconds and with its dual motors combining to produce 572kW/802Nm, eye-widening performance always resides underneath your right foot.

But it’s not all about straight line speed. Ride comfort is excellent. Underpinned by an all-new platform, the IM5’s suspension is by double wishbones at the front and multi-links at the rear. But the key to its bump and rut smoothing ability is air suspension and ‘continuous control’ active damping.

Fold in double-glazing on the full-length glass roof and side windows, as well as active noise cancellation and you have a serene interior environment at any speed. Also worth noting the front seats are great; as grippy as they are comfortable.

Not only that, despite its relative heft, this mid-sizer steers well, too. Not the last word in road feel but it points accurately and the standard rear steering helps with prompt (but never jerky) cornering turn-in. Flick to ‘Sport’ mode and the IM5 is up for some enthusiastic running.

The rear wheels can turn up to 12 degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts at slow speed, which makes for a usefully tight 10-metre turning circle. But above that, at lesser angles, it adds extra stability and decisiveness in the way the car steers through even tight, twisty sections.

Rubber is top-shelf Pirelli P Zeros on 20-inch alloys (245/40 fr - 275/35 rr) and it grips hard, especially in the wet weather over much of the test period. Braking is solid, as it needs to be, with ventilated discs all around and four-piston callipers at the front. 

No adjustable regen braking but you can feel the ‘Cooperative Regenerative Brake System’ (CRBS) doing its thing when you lift off the accelerator. 

The physical rear view is modest thanks to the slope of the back window reducing its functional area for the driver to that of a 1950s VW Beetle. Even the interior rear-view mirror is tiny and folds up into a recess in the headliner if you’d prefer life without it.

But that’s where a rear camera view popping up on the upper screen display (accessed via the right-hand steering wheel click control) comes in handy. Side camera views are also available as is a 360-degree overhead view, which makes parking straightforward.

If you need more parking help there are various self-parking modes including a nifty ‘Curbside’ function that will realign the car hands-free if you’re parallel parked too far out from the kerb.

In a similar vein, a ‘Rainy Night’ mode projects left and right rear views onto the main screen using AI to enhance clarity and highlight pedestrians and cars.

Overall the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) are relatively unobtrusive but we found ourselves switching off the incessant overspeed chime that sounds for 10 seconds if you creep over the indicated speed limit, even when the system has misfired on the correct speed. For example, 40km/h school zones on a Sunday.

The over-zealous driver distraction warning also occasionally issued a visual and audible slap on the wrist when I was looking straight ahead. Tellingly, there’s a specific quick screen for turning both these functions off, but it kinda defeats the purpose of having them in the first place.

We also found the adaptive cruise control to be hesitant in multi-lane environments, reducing speed occasionally because the system seemingly believed a car was set to merge, when it wasn’t.

No independent ANCAP safety assessment at this point but there’s a full suite of active safety tech onboard including AEB, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert & braking, forward collision warning, lane-change assist, tyre pressure monitoring and heaps more. And we touch on how it all operates in the Driving section above.

There are no less than nine HD cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and three millimetre-wave radars on duty.

If a crash is unavoidable there are seven airbags including full-length side curtains and a front centre bag. Multi-collision brake also minimises the chances of subsequent impacts after an initial crash. There are also three top tether points and three ISOFIX child seats anchors across the second row.

All right on the pace for this part of the market and the IM5’s competitive set.

Warranty cover is three years/unlimited km with 24/7 roadside assist.

Service intervals are 12 months/20,000km, whichever occurs first. Under M-B's 'Service Care Promise' the first three scheduled services will cost between $585 and $930.

The MG IM5 Performance is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, which is a plus, but the catch is it’s conditional on authorised dealer servicing. Go elsewhere and the term drops to a more common five years/unlimited km. The drive battery is covered for eight years/160,000km, which is the norm in the Aussie market

Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km with charges averaging $586 per workshop visit for the first five years, which is on the high side for an EV, even at this price point, the average bumped up by a more than $1400 doozy at year four.

MG IM models are sold (with service available) through all of MG’s 100-plus dealerships across the country, so no concerns there.