Mercedes works its luxury magic again with the V-class
Such things are, by and large, a ruse by car companies to persuade people that functional, no-frills motoring can be an enjoyable and useful experience; more often than not it isn’t. It’s usually deeply unpleasant.
I don’t say this in any snobby way nor would I even suggest that such vehicles are beneath our lofty standards, but would simply maintain that most of these things were designed as vans and should have been left as vans. Turning them into family vehicles does not suddenly make them better either from a driving point of view or from that of the comfort of the passengers.
There are, of course, exceptions to every rule and our brief test this week of the Mercedes V-Class (better known as the Vito van) is a case in point. Here we have a van upon which the Stuttgart outfit has waved a magic wand, transforming it in the process into something of a luxury minibus.
However, unless you own a taxi company or, have a clatter of kids or a helluva lot of US relatives, the usefulness of the V-Class to a majority of drivers is going to be fairly limited.
Van-like it might be but open any of the five doors and you will find a hive of Mercedes-inspired luxury awaiting. Leather abounds all round and there are wood trimmings too which neatly gloss-over the lesser, nastier van plastics adorning parts of the doors.
Complementing the two gloriously comfortable front seats are two further rear-facing seats and a forward-facing three-seat bench, which give the V-Class a sophisticated air and allow the rear passengers to chat face-to-face with each other. Pop-up tables add to the sitting room vibe going on here.
You can also move these seats around to suit varying needs, but do be advised that these things are quite weighty and you’ll almost certainly need assistance to do so.
Power comes via a 2.1-litre turbodiesel which is well up to the task of hauling this large amount of metal around the place. There is 163 bhp on tap, along with 340 Nm of torque and this translates into a top speed of 195 kph, a very decent 0-100km/h time of 10.8 seconds, a return of 6.3 l/100km (45 mpg), and emission levels of 165 g/km for a yearly tax bill of €750.
On the road it is, well, van-like, but that’s not all bad news as the V-Class will comfortably take on long motorway journeys with ease and eat miles hungrily. On lesser roads there is a lot less comfort, but the whole experience is nonetheless very bearable indeed.
In urban settings, the 360-degree parking pack gives you the confidence to take this thing pretty much anywhere and makes parking such a big vehicle pretty handy.
It won’t take a genius to see that the V-Class is going to be popular with the tourist industry — that it is already seeing service with many hotels as a courtesy bus to collect and deposit guests from airports or rail and bus depots, proves the point.
Other uses would include for businesses which promote the likes of golf holidays. Pick up a Yankee fourball from Shannon and this thing will swallow all their gear and see them comfortably touring the best courses we have to offer.
Of course, if you have the aforementioned clatter of kids, then its’ practicality is unquestioned.
One of the better versions of the genre, then, and one which will undoubtedly provide many years of comfortable service.
