Mercedes-Benz has set a sales target of 2,500 for its debut pick-up the X-class for its first full year on the market.

The brand admits this is a conservative estimate, however, as it has already taken almost 1,000 reservations online prior to the model arriving in showrooms in January 2018.

Mercedes is promoting the X-Class as the first “premium” pick-up truck on the market, a claim that some of its rivals may dispute – particularly VW with its well-upholstered Amarok.

The X-Class is available in three trim levels, Pure, Progressive and Power, but dealer product trainer Dave Price stresses the entry-level Pure is far from being a basic model.

Of the pre-orders he said: “Everyone wanted high-end [models].”

Nevertheless, Mercedes expects the majority of X-Class buyers to be existing pick-up operators – rather than customers moving out of SUVs – due to the fact that VAT is reclaimable on pick-ups, which are classed as light commercial vehicles.

As a result, double-cab lifestyle derivatives dominate sales and Mercedes, like VW with the Amarok, only offers the X-Class in double-cab guise, while side stepping the traditional single-cab workhorse sector, which has now become marginalised for even those brands that do still offer this bodystyle, such as Mitsubishi, Ford, Isuzu and Toyota.

The X-Class will cost from £27,310 (all prices exclude VAT) for the entry-level X220 d4Matic six-speed manual Pure.

The six-speed manual X220 d 4Matic in the mid-specification Progressive trim will cost £28,510 while the seven-speed automatic will be available from £30,510 for the X250 Progressive with the flagship auto X250 Power priced from £34,100.

This makes the Mercedes truck more expensive than the VW Amarok line-up, which is priced from £26,255 to £31,995. Ford’s flagship double-cab pick-up, the 3.2 Wildtrak auto meanwhile, has a price tag of £28,441.

All X-Class variants come with 4MATIC selectable all-wheel drive and low-range, drive selection mode, with double wishbone front suspension, and multi-link rear suspension and the 2.3-litre diesel engine that powers the range is offered with two outputs – 163hp in the X220 or 190hp in the X250.

Mercedes has inherited this drivetrain from the X-Class’s donor vehicle, the Nissan Navara, but will add its own 3.0-litre V6 258hp 350 engine in mid-2018.