Inside the ultimate architectural road trip with The Mercedes-Benz X-Class

19 December 2019

The Christchurch and Otago leg of HOME Tour was the ultimate road trip thanks to our official vehicle partner the Mercedes-Benz X-Class. Watch our video of the tour below and discover how you can book a test drive today

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After a terrific start in Wellington, HOME Tour headed south for a weekend – starting in Central Otago before moving up to Christchurch.

Pulled up to the impressive ‘Binoculars’ House by Assembly Architects.

In Central Otago and Christchurch, we made our way around in the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, our official vehicle partner for all four tours this year.

The X-Class finds a natural home on the gravel roads of Central Otago.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class is a comfortable cross between a utility vehicle and an SUV. There’s plenty of legroom in the cab and a very large tray behind.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class we drove was smooth and powerful, making the journey through high alpine roads in Queenstown and winding clifftop highways in Christchurch easy.

At Vaughn McQuarrie’s ‘Bivvy’ Hut the X-Class provided much-needed transport up a private road to the house.

As you’d expect, it took to the roads around Central Otago with aplomb – heading around the lake to Vaughn McQuarrie’s ‘Bivvy’ hut, where the vehicles provided much-needed taxi service up a private road to the house, and over the Crown Range to Cardrona.

Sitting elegantly outside ‘House Mpop’, the Sumner home of Kate and Dan Sullivan from Architects’ Creative

But we also loved it on the wide streets of Christchurch, and had a particularly enjoyable trip around the Summit Road from Sumner to Lyttelton, thanks to its sure-footed ‘4MATIC’ all-wheel drive, seven-speed transmission and dynamic handling.

Editor Simon Farrell-Green takes the wheel.

Inside the car, meanwhile, it’s whisper-quiet, with an intuitive interface and fabulous stereo – the perfect car for an architectural road trip.

For more information visit: Mercedes-benz.co.nz/x-class

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