The moose test has been around now for almost 50 years, but it only really gained international recognition for importance when the Mercedes-Benz A-Class failed emphatically in 1997.
The test sees cars swerve heavily at certain speeds; simulating a driver having to react to a sudden obstacle — like a misplaced moose, for example. The A-Class rolled while attempting the test at 60km/h with European publication Teknikens Värld. The outlet then attempted the test with an ancient Trabant, which managed it perfectly.
It triggered a massive international crisis for the brand (nicknamed the 'flip over crisis'), which forced global concerns for the platform's safety. Mercedes wound up recalling 17,000 A-Classes for an ESP upgrade, before announcing future models would come with ESP as standard.
The German marque's relationship with the humble moose test is dysfunctional at best. And now their X-Class ute has taken it on via Spanish publication km77.com, which can be seen above.
Utes are generally among the lowest scoring in the test thanks to their high centre of gravity and unique weight distribution. Just last year the Toyota Hilux came under scrutiny for its own moose-test failure.
In the case of the X-Class, things go much better. In each of the publications tests (a swerve at 70km/h and a slalom at approximately 60km/h), the big Merc looks stable and composed — cocking neither of its rear wheels and cornering without screeching understeer.
Click here for the first local drive of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class.