It isn’t just pricey real estate. Ford introduced the F-450 Limited 4×4 at the Texas State Fair last Thursday, and its MSRP is $87,100, including shipping. With popular options, that goes to $94,445. Add sales tax and title fees, and the tab tops $100,000.
But thanks to the tax code, some 70% of that can be deducted in the first year. So the more folks make in taxable income, the bigger and more expensive trucks are likely to get. Which undoubtedly helps explains why GM just announced that Chevrolet is getting back into the medium truck business, including a pickup version of the upcoming Silverado 4500 to compete against the F-450 (GM got out of medium trucks during its bankruptcy in 2009).
Ford spokesman Mike Levine said; “We still haven’t found the ceiling for luxury trucks,”. So maybe an F-650 Limited is on the horizon?
The F-450 Limited’s interior is even more opulent than the King Ranch and Platinum versions. But it can haul too; its tow rating is up to 15 tons! The truck is powered by a 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V-8 mated to a six-speed automatic that drives all four wheels. Dual rear wheels are optional.
Oh, and those tax deductions. They’re more easily explained by this, courtesy of mileiq.com. Which helps explain this statement by Ford:
“Super Duty Limited is the most luxurious and advanced heavy-duty pickup truck ever created by Ford for accomplished buyers with appetites for the high life and hard-earned dollars to match,” Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager, said in a statement.
Only in USA!
Well, in Israel too (but you’ll need a truck driver’s licence if you want to drive them).
I would normally be speechless at this, but when we went to pick up our new(ish) Focus Mrs DougD and I walked around the Ford dealership lot.
She was aghast at the concept of an $80,000 pickup truck, I at least had heard of them so I wasn’t as shocked.
Can’t imagine having a $100k pickup, no matter what my personal financial situation. But then again I’m from a different country and have a very different family history than those who might?
I think a good subtitle to this article might be, “And the economic cycle has truly peaked when GM re-enters a market segment it once deserted”. (When/if Ram enters this segment we are headed into a depression…as Dodge seems to hit a market segment just as the economy crashes.)
My brother is in a relationship with a woman who felt she absolutely needed THE largest SUV for her and their son. He finally convinced her she could replace her Expedition with a smaller 4Runner.
Folks seem to have no trouble rationalizing bigger than necessary vehicles… especially when fuel remains “dirt cheap”.
Umm; Ram re-entered the medium market a few years back. But no pickup version…yet.
https://www.ramtrucks.com/ram-chassis-cab.html?sid=1037056&KWNM=2017+ram+chassis+cab&KWID=43700018071384652&TR=1&channel=paidsearch&gclid=CjwKCAjw3rfOBRBJEiwAam-GsIvZUfPHeyK1MuRySZCpHxTbkERFiMTTqHYkI8WhdpxTEwl1uyrptRoCmsgQAvD_BwE
Oops, you are correct about the medium duty Rams. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen one, though, except in brochure pictures.
The ram HDs have become hugely popular as wrecker’s here in the Northeast. I also saw a 5500 ram pulling a 40 foot 5th wheel the other day
Yeah I see quite a few Ram 4500 and 5500 earning their keep around here from building trades to roll back wreckers. You’ll also see a number of them wearing the Sterling Bullet name, the entire reason they came to exist in the first place. Daimler trucks tried to build a brand around the Ford L-series they acquired. So they developed the 4500 around the Dodge cab and power train and it was sold with both names. To round out the brand they also re-badged the Fuso Cab overs as the Sterling 360.
I am Not fan of pickup trucks but just 3 months ago I added a 2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT crewcab Premium black on black with 33K original miles to my current collection. Asking price was 47K I got it for 45K . The Escalade EXT is No longer being manufactured and it’s considered a future collectable!
It will be interesting to see if the Escalade EXT is indeed a “future collectible.”
I tend to simply buy what I like and enjoy, and if it appreciates in value, well, that’s nice, too. I have way too many memories of people making the same collectibility statement about 1976 Eldorado convertibles, 1978 Corvette Pace Cars, first generation Taurus SHOs, Buick Reattas, Cadillac Allatés, Plymouth Prowlers, 2002 – 2005 Thunderbirds, and on and on, and on some more.
I’ve only made money on one of my cars, but boy, I’ve had some fun rides over the years!
It’s a Suburban with a different dashboard and headlights!
The Escalade EXT is an Avalanche with body colored cladding in addition to what you mentioned. It is the GM equivalent of the Lincoln Blackwood… the utility of a pickup with the luxury of a premium SUV, with all the drawbacks emphasized instead.
The Escalade EXT and the Avalanche at least had that novel midgate feature, which added some versatility.
Can’t imagine having the kind of income that would justify this purchase.
Sounds like a return of the “Hummer exemption” which drove the sales of the H2 back in the day because so many buyers could claim it as a work vehicle.
I remember that. It was something Dubya signed that was supposed to stimulate small business. What it stimulated was sales of big, gas-guzzling SUVs.
And sheer agony of maxing out the credit cards, sacrificing the living essentials (i.e. cable television, pizza delivery once a week, etc.), and demolishing the personal budget to pay for the skyrocketing fuel price in 2008 while the economy slowed down and job market shrunk greatly.
The Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again. Much like the luxury tax on boats – who wouldn’t be against the rich paying a little extra for their yachts, right? – that actually devastated the American boatbuilding industry years ago.
This is the kind of thing that makes me (with my undergraduate studies in economics) just grind my teeth. This vehicle exists for one big reason: for people to game the tax code. Someone gets a great idea to create a deduction to encourage a small business guy to buy another dump truck or delivery van. But then the other guy who drives a lot but needs nothing like that gets a call from his CPA telling him to forget about that luxury sedan and buy himself a HD SUV because it will cost less.
I suppose I should be happy that a U.S. company is building and selling a vehicle that people will happily buy for six figures. I guess every country’s vehicle mix is a product of that country’s tax and regulatory environment. And this is ours.
And the Federal Tax Code is 10,000 pages long, and chock full of other deductions that are either completely ridiculous or well-intentioned but ridiculously exploited.
I should be shocked by this $100,000 pickup, but sadly, I’m not.
I concur; I should be shocked, too, about a $100,000 price tag for a pick-up but I suppose since REALLY BIG CARS haven’t been produced since the 1970s now we have The Era Of The Really Big Truck. Since some folks will gladly fork out 6 figures for a medium-sized car in 2017 I reckon why not produce a big ol’ truck that goes for six figures -and- can haul more stuff!
I had an ag exemption in Texas but I was really too stupid/lazy to take full advantage of it. I was just glad I didn’t have any expenses on the 60 acres I leased out.
I don’t think this specific vehicle only exists to game the tax code. You can get into a 6,000 lb vehicle in a much more manageable footprint to accomplish that, as witnessed by the Hummer H2. There were already F-250 and F-350s with high-zoot trim levels. I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t some half-ton, crew cab, 6 1/2′ bed models that can exceed 6,000 lbs. I can totally see going with one of those over a luxury sedan – long-wheelbase half-ton pickups can be VERY comfortable!
The 450-level medium duty pickups are primarily used for towing very large RVs and horse trailers. The people who can afford such large trailers already were spending $60k+ for the medium duty pickups (absolute base price on a diesel, 4×4 F-450 XL is ~$54k)- adding the gingerbread makes sense if you’re traveling long distances with these trailers. Who wants to have and spend that kind of money and then be in a noisy truck with cheap trim? If I was playing in this market, I’d want to be coddled while I tow my RV 600 miles.
I’m not saying those folks don’t find ways to use the tax code to their advantage with these things, but I don’t think that’s the primary reason they buy them. No one is forgoing an S-class and rolling in an F-450 for the tax advantages alone.
I don’t think this specific vehicle only exists to game the tax code.
I’m not saying or suggesting it is. But the code certainly makes it more attractive. And undoubtedly is stimulating this part of the market, to one degree or another.
No one is forgoing an S-class and rolling in an F-450 for the tax advantages alone.
Don’t be so sure of that. Maybe not so much where you live, but in other parts of the country big expensive pickups have become the luxury/show-off vehicle of choice. And these are typically self-employed/contractors/professionals who can take the deductions.
Exactly. I don’t begrudge a contractor for owning and using one, as it may actually haul work related items or crew to a jobsite, but when your local CPA has one, and oddly also has a large boat, it seems a might fishy to claim it for business use.
Pun intended?
Your CPA can’t claim that as a legitimate business use as a CPA, however he/she COULD claim it if he/she also has a side business consisting of several rentals and purports to do much of the maintenance themselves on nights and weekends and there are a lot of nights weekends. Or is rehabbing an old house over the course of a year and then doing it again with more houses. Paul for example would very easily qualify. If the ProMaster has a 6000#GVWR and ended up as mainly a work vehicle instead of being outfitted as a camper he should be able to take the deduction this year. Just another case of someone driving a huge vehicle where once upon a time a little Scion Xb sufficed…(YES, I am kidding!)
Your local CPA may just be very successful at what he/she does/did!
I had forgotten about it when I bought it, but I will be taking it as it’s exactly how I’m using it. This year, anyway.
It’s almost as if I had planned the delay of my conversion for tax reasons. Almost. 🙂
Be careful and consult a tax professional before sec 179’ing, or even standard depreciation and expense deduction that Promaster, you could find yourself owing depreciation recapture taxes when you convert it from 100% business use.
If I remember correctly your original intent was to use it partially for pleasure and partially for business and the camper part was to be “convertable”. Explain it to your CPA and if nothing else you may be able to use a large percentage of the deduction based on a percentage usage. I’d guess that you’d use it more for work than for camp (greater than 50%). But I’m not a tax pro nor do I play one on TV.
What the tax code is doing is making the vehicle price higher. i.e if the effective price to someone is $75k (or whatever it may be), then you can either charge $75k for the good if there is no tax credit or charge $100k and make sure the buyer is aware than the government will refund the extra $25k. If there was no tax credit I believe some of the pricing would come down.
I somewhat suspect EV incentives would/will work the same way.
This is not a tax credit is accelerated depreciation. That just means that you get a huge deduction year 1 and comparatively tiny or no deductions in the next 4 years. A useful trick if you’ve got a particularly profitable year that bumps you into a higher tax bracket and you know you aren’t likely to repeat that any time soon, or if you think tax rates will be more favorable in future years.
Either way you can’t deduct more than you’ve earned in that year after you’ve factored in any and all other deductions.
You are correct, I meant deduction and wrote credit…my point still remains. Enough people are able to take advantage of it that I believe the manufacturers raise their prices due to it.
For these I just don’t see it affecting the price that much. For a high end SUV or 3/4ton 4×4 then yes the truck and SUV sec 179 definitely at least supports the demand for the top $$ versions. The F450 doesn’t make a good daily driver, it rides like the MD truck that it is and parking it is a bitch.
“Don’t be so sure of that. Maybe not so much where you live, but in other parts of the country big expensive pickups have become the luxury/show-off vehicle of choice. And these are typically self-employed/contractors/professionals who can take the deductions.”
Again, those guys are rolling in top-of-the-line 1/2 ton through 1 ton pickups. There’s plenty of them here in Orange County, CA, believe me!
those guys are rolling in top-of-the-line 1/2 ton through 1 ton pickups.
That’s because these F-450 aren’t yet on the market. Let’s check back in a year or so. 🙂
Around here, bigger seems to be better, hence my anticipation of seeing F-450s on the streets.
There are lots of F450 pickups on the street around here, OK maybe not lots but you do see them from time to time and it is not like the King Ranch version was cheap, nor uncommon. In fact King Ranch was the only trim available when the F450 pickup version was launched. So I don’t think that this will sell more F-450 Pickups, it will just sell more expensive F450 pickups.
The guy I know who bought 2 for his company bought them simply because they were the biggest and baddest pickup you could buy and his company was making more than enough to pay for them, even if one 150 or 250 and one 350 in much cheaper trim would have had more than the capability needed. But whats the point of creating a multi-million dollar company if you can’t throw away a bit of it to show off.
There’s always one-upsmanship though. I suspect there aren’t enough 30,000-mile-a-year-pulling-a-5th-wheel guys to make a compelling business case for Ford to build this, but between them and the people who always have to have the top-of-the-line anything there definitely is one.
That being said, I would’ve advised Ford to wait until midcycle, or at least another year or two, until that crowd upgraded to the new generation King Ranch or Platinum before one-upping them.
Paul; there’s been an F-450 pickup (crewcab only, but all trim levels) for some years now. The news is this new “Limited” trim.
Once you’ve built an F450 for people who have big hauling needs, but don’t need a class 8 truck, it’s trivial to build a high zoot hauler like this.
I live near a horse race track and work in a town that also has an equestrian veterinary school. There are lots of people in F350’s with cash to burn.
And knowing Ford, at mid cycle, they’ll have some even more exclusive trim level to get the price of these up to an un-rounded $100k.
I always thought the gigantic pickups with chrome bumpers and side trim replaced the gigantic passenger cars with chrome bumpers and side trim. How about an option of a ’76 Coupe deVille body on a new Chevy or GMC pickup chassis at normal car ride heights. At least wouldn’t need a step ladder to get in.
LRF,
Instapundit.com has a link today to Road and Track where RT suggested GM build a super opulent Cadillac sedan on the Escalade chassis. The idea is wealthy folks want BIG BRASH vehicles that stand out, so why not a 21st century Fleetwood on a stretched 4X4 frame? Dunno if it would work, but why not dream?
Thats not a bad price oversized US pickups have cost in that region here for quite a while but I’d question the towing capacity without air brakes and a decent engine brake it could never get that tow rating here, you need a proper six or eight wheel chassis and powertrain here to start towing real weights and this is still only a pickup not a tractor unit or proper truck.
I believe all of the Big 3’s diesel pickups offer engine brakes at this point.
Full air brakes are a requirement for heavy trailer work here, and a proper tractor unit is a more usefull vehicle.
A tractor is far less useful.
The tractor can tow a 5th wheel
The pickup can tow a 5th wheel
The pickup can tow a conventional
The pickup can carry almost 3 tons in the bed
The pickup can carry 6 people in luxury.
Hmmm. Agreed, but six people with that supersized console in the front ?
Yeah I forgot the new Super Duty uses the little F150 cab so no more 4 across in the back in comfort. But seriously I was forgetting about the fact that all of the upper trims come with a fixed console between the seats and not a convertible one like in my low trim truck. Of you can do like my brother in law used to do, throw a pillow on the console and a rope around the kid as a “seat belt”.
“Little” F-150 cab? It’s the same width (79-ish”) that full-size pickups have been since the early ’60s. And 4 across has never been comfortable for adult passengers, even with a one-piece bench seat.
The current Super Duty/F150 cab is narrower than the old Super Duty cab on the interior.
2016 down Super Duty Shoulder Room F/R 68″ Hip Room 67.4″/67.3″
2017 up Super Duty Shoulder Room F/R 66.7″/66.8″ or 66.9″ Hip Room 62.5″/64.7″
While I was being a little sarcastic about the 4 across I’d say in an old Super Duty it would be more comfortable than 3 across in most CUVs or midsize or smaller cars.
That was my first concern upon seeing the tow rating. 30,000 lbs. (plus weight of towing vehicle) is enough to require a commercial license. Haven’t read the guidelines in ten years to double check the equipment requirements. I suppose there’s a chance that while the vehicle can actually moved a 30,000lb trailer, it might not be legal to do so on the road.
And of course, without a spec sheet in hand, we’ve no idea what equipment the truck has to come with in order to meet that tow limit. It’s entirely possible that certain systems come with it.
My understanding, probably flawed, is that you could operate a vehicle that is 30,000 lbs gross without a special license as long as it was for recreational/personal purposes. As soon as you connect that towing to a business/profession you must get an upgraded license.
I had a link that said 26001 and up, period. I didn’t look into it a great deal. But even if it’s 30,000, the article says that that’s the tow rating. Add a 3-4 ton tow vehicle, and you are over the limit.
Say, George, what kind of brakes do these kind of big trucks come with? I recall another thread where you were quite concerned about braking systems so I thought you might know what sort of braking system would be installed on one of these rather large trucks. (I’ll guess in advance these trucks won’t come with single-cylinder, hydraulic drum brakes). 😀
Carter, these have 15.39″ discs in the front and 15.75″ discs in the rear. They are hydraulic with ABS standard, of course.
No idea what these come with. A proper truck for these loads would have air operated drum brakes. Which are hardly the same as the crappy binders you were extolling the virtues of in that earlier thread.
You’re both kind of correct. A CDL is required for any vehicle whose GVWR is over 26,000 lbs. But 32,500 lbs. is the F-450’s tow rating, not its GVWR. The GVWR of the F-450 pickup is 14,000 lbs., and if properly loaded, it’s able to pull the full 32.5K tow rating while not exceeding that 14K GVWR. Notice also that this technically makes the F-450 pickup a Class 3 truck, while the F-450 chassis cab is a true Class 4 truck at 16,000 lbs.
With a conventional (Class D in MN) license, one can drive anything short of a Class 7 truck (26,000+), as long as it’s not hauling hazmat. Farmers are exempt from the weight restriction, within limits. If we had a Class 8 semi truck with air brakes, I could get in tomorrow and drive it anywhere within 150 miles of the farm, as long as it’s on farm business.
In some states the weight limit isn’t tied to the usage of the rig. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UBGRpuIMEI
I’m actually not familiar enough with these tax deductions (I got a guy for that stuff) for vehicles of this size besides stating the obvious, that YEAH, it’s a little ridiculous.
As for the truck itself, I see nothing from that interior picture that shows anything nicer than a $50,000 F-150. Trucks are utilitarian vehicles, and should be utilitarian as a whole. A few creature comforts are fine, but I don’t see many people cross-shopping S-Classes with the Ford F-Series.
The upcoming BMW X7 should qualify for it, I don’t believe the X5 does. It’ll be a major driver of sales.
People around here cross shop high end Germans and high end pickups all the time. It’s more common than you think. Often they end up with both. The savvy ones with lots of income end up with the truck for themselves and not an S-Class sedan but a GLS550 or Yukon XL Denali for the wife who is named as a company officer and is mainly used for runs to Costco runs. Deduct both.
I saw the prototype BMW X7 running around in Munich a several times. They’re not as large as Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class to my surprise. Just X5 with stretched wheelbase, me thinks.
Well, maybe if I eventually move into real estate down the line (which I almost did three years ago), I’ll go for the X7 and be able to write most of it off as a business expense.
Wait until they put a $50,000 Continental hood ornament on it.
Shocked? No. Disappointed in this country’s leadership? Very.
I read a similar article earlier this year and was left with the impression that this tax deduction would be phased out in a couple of years. Can anyone confirm or disprove this?
This tax deduction isn’t going anywhere, vehicles are a cost of doing business.
The scenario that Paul posted above does not apply to this since it is a pickup. So you can use the sec 179 for the entire price in the first year.
In the scenario that Paul posted that 50% first year depreciation acceleration is going away but you’ll still be able to deduct it all just not as much in the first year.
I just don’t get it. I don’t think I ever will.
Didn’t some of the 2004-08 International XT series pickups sell for well above 100K?
Yes
The truckbesity epidemic worsens….
My sister lives in Kentucky ( horse country). I can understand why some of them might buy something like this. It would be nice to bring the horses and be comfortable.
Even if I had the money to buy one I’m not sure I would. Mostly because I would use a truck for its main purpose. Hauling stuff that won’t fit in a car. My Nissan Frontier is enough for that.
Christ, we’re dumb.
Who is ‘we’? I don’t get it? Do you mean FoMoCo is dumb for building a truck they can (try to) sell for 6 figures? Or do you think potential buyers would be foolish for plunking down that kind of $dough$ for a truck in general?
If people want to buy it and if they can afford it, build it and let them. It’s no different than a Mercedes S-Class and a Camry. At the end of the day the Camry really does do almost everything anyone could really “need” a four-door sedan to do. Anything beyond that is mostly a want for those who buy cars fancier or faster or more stylish or more Keep-Up-With-The-Joneses or whatever. Same as this. And if the government (elected by some percentage generally close to half but very well above none and never guaranteed to be re-elected) wants to encourage that then I can’t blame folks for taking advantage of it. I certainly don’t try to leave any free money on the table come tax time. I don’t HAVE to take a deduction for my dependents but I will since it’s offered etc.
Ford will sell every one they churn out. What’s more, their actual incremental cost over a less opulently equipped model is virtually nil. If these are offered in 2018 you will see very few still leftover on lots in 2019 and zero leftover on lots in 2020. They’ll just offer a discount and move the metal, still at a profit over that lesser equipped one. And really, that’s their job.
Jim: Agreed. The flipside is the tax credits for hybrids and electric vehicles. I may buy one just because I like the idea of fueling up at home, but if the gov’t is willing to defer some taxes for me, woo hoo!
You and me both. I think the sweet spot will be in about a year or so when the model 3 is more available and the new Leaf as well and the Bolt is more established. But I think the real play then will be for used ones that have over or around 100 miles of range such as later Gen 1 Leafs and recent e-Golfs and Focus Energi. I see these becoming perfectly useful pariahs on the lots since the brand new stuff will have moved on significantly The savings should vastly outweigh the ev-credit for a new one. This really only works though when the daily commute is not much over 60 miles in any weather and a different car is available for longer trips as needed, I.e. a minimum two-car household.
“We” is humans in general, and Americans in particular, for reasons that have nothing to do with the price of the truck.
Tax advantages aside, it is a beautiful BIG truck. I was quite impressed by the F250 King Ranch version, ( which would be a “girl truck” compared to this beast). I love that saddle leather. For the right person these could be quite useful, for others it’s just wretched excess. A truck should be able to handle around 90% of your hauling needs, if not, it’s too small for you. I have a long bed, access cab F150 and I would not be satisfied by a Ranger or smaller SUV. Still there are times when my V6 powered truck isn’t quite up to the task. I bought the cheapest version that would suit my uses. Would I like that crew cab F250 King Ranch? Oh yeah!
These don’t surprise me. For giggles, I built an imaginary F-450 Platinum and it hit $85k. The $750 incentive is kind of a bummer.
Trade the van in. Bam! Another $750 with the new tires. ? You’re almost halfway there…
I don’t make enough to buy a new F150, much less deduct an F450. Even if I did, I don’t need one of these absurd monsters!
And gas prices have spiked since hurricane Harvey. Are we in for a long-term rise like post-Katrina, and a quick plummet in resale values on huge trucks and SUVs?
Happy Motoring, Mark
Seems people have learned nothing from 2008. Many of these trucks will likely be bought on credit….
I’d say the vast majority of these trucks, like all new vehicles will be bought on credit.
True, but there is a huge difference between being 20 or 30k in debt vs 100k, especially if it is on something so frivolous.
Excuse my lack of ability to even comprehend the degree of excess represented by a truck like this.
Not a put down on anyone who does, but I just don’t get it.Not even with a lottery win or massive tax deduction or depreciation schedule, can I wrap my heads around a vehicle like this.
The Depression Era DNA bits that have been passed down by my forebears run deep I guess.
Maybe it’s not so crazy when you consider there are folks who willingly pay $100,000 for a new car. So then comes the idea if people will pay that kind of $dough$ for a car why wouldn’t other people with money to spend pay 6 figures for something bigger? A NEW TRUCK with lots of amenities and comforts on the inside like cars have. You can’t buy a great big new car any more, but there are lots of large trucks on the dealer’s lot waiting to be bought.
May it sell as well as the Lincoln Blackwood.
That’s actually why the Platinum trim exists: you can’t sell a Lincoln pickup, but starting in 2009, you can rebadge it as a Ford with a similar interior to maintain blue-collar credibility. The Limited trim can be thought of as an in-house successor to the Harley-Davidson trim.
Don’t some versions of the Suburban triplets sell for +-$90K? I know those are SUVs but they are still 90% of a plebeian Silverado. This F-450 is larger, more capable in every dimension except seating, and will impress just as much as an Escalade, even here in tony Los Angeles.
As for the vehicle class cross-shopping arguments, there are people who indeed cross shop (or even buy) both these types of trucks and luxury flagship sedans. I remember years there was an article about a man with the then-highest mileage Lexus, a rancher in Texas with 500,000 miles on his 1990 LS400. His work vehicles were undoubtedly American trucks though.
This is completely anecdotal, but every F-450 pickup I’ve ever seen was hitched up to a three-axle horse trailer or camper, perhaps permanently. Even in flyover country, where a 3/4 or 1-ton truck is considered an acceptable daily driver, a Class 4 truck is excessive for all but those who truly require its capabilities. Its ride is too stiff and the entrance price too steep for even the most dedicated poseurs. The percentage of F-450 Limiteds out of all Limiteds will most likely follow the same percentages of lower trims out of all Super Dutys: something like 3-4%.
As for the “need” of this: There’s really no “need.” But there’s also no “need” to eat anything in life besides potatoes, or to have any car more luxurious than a Trabant, or to have any more clothes than what you’re currently wearing. And yet, here we are, discussing “needs” on the Internet. If your lifestyle includes towing a large boat or camper or racing expensive horses, you require something with as many creature comforts as your luxury car at least to keep up appearances.
On a semi-related note: When the Limited trim was first introduced in 2008, it was truly a limited-production trim–the console stated “#XXXX of 5000” along with the VIN, much like the Harley-Davidson trim it eventually replaced. I can’t find any indication that later Limited MYs were limited-production anymore.
Mercedes Benz NZ are selling a far smaller 4WD truck powered with a 3L turbo diesel V6/5 stage auto with a trim level most Americans would find appalling especially for a luxury brand at a MSRP of $US93,500 at the current exchange rate.
For the money you get exposed steel body coloured sills, door top and pillars.
No carpet but rubber mats over painted steel and vinyl seats.
It does make 5 door variants sold here seem excellent value for money.