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In addition to the expensive Car minibuses the car manufacturers always offer a cheaper commercial vehicle variant. at Mercedes this is also easily suitable as a sovereign family car.
So-called MPVs are the perfect cars for the large family: spacious, comfortable and comfortably furnished. But also extremely expensive. Instead, clever buyers choose the commercial vehicle variants of the minibuses and upgrade them a little. This works particularly well with the Mercedes Vito Tourer, the shirt-sleeved brother of the V-Class.
You can tell the difference
Of course: the Vito cannot keep up with the business class character of a fully equipped V-Class. It starts with the dashboard, which with its washable plastic charm and sober design differs significantly from the splendid landscape of chrome, wood and leather that spreads out in front of the V-Class driver. On the floor there is plastic instead of carpet, the seats are not covered with leather, but fabric and infotainment or electric doors are not a matter of course in the rear.
Despite the downgrade, the Vito still offers a higher level than the competition. All seats are firmly upholstered, operation is simple and ergonomic and all moving parts are assembled with remarkable precision. The best example are the sliding doors. Where you have to struggle with a lot of force and gentle shaking when closing many other van models, the Mercedes portals slide into the lock almost by themselves. The same applies to the tailgate, which closes smoothly, smoothly and quietly.
Almost identical on the outside
In terms of its acoustics, the Vito cannot be distinguished from a V-Class. And the visual differences are also limited if you make a few crosses on the option list, for example with metallic paint, chic rims and painted bumpers. The only sure differentiating feature besides the model name at the rear are the exterior mirrors. On the Vito, they are not kept in the same color as the body. In addition, they do not house any turn signal elements. Instead, they can be found on the fenders.
The fact that the Vito is essentially a commercial vehicle that shuttles hotel guests to the airport or drives workers to the construction site cannot be entirely concealed on the road. But camouflage pretty well. Because thanks to the optional air suspension (1.536 euros), it lies full and extremely quiet on the asphalt. He even passes bad roads without excessive rattling and wobbling. The comfortable suspension is also reflected in an acceptable level of noise: At the speed of the motorway, the Vito is far from being as quiet as it is in the brand's sedans, but the bus can keep up with one or the other station wagon from other makes, despite its considerable resonance space.
Expensive as usual at Mercedes
If you then choose the right engine, you can finally raise the commercial vehicle to the level of a passenger car. A 2,0-liter diesel with 174 kW / 237 hp was installed in the test car, which is numbered quite prosaically with "124 CDI" on the nameplate at the rear. The position of the compression-ignition engine in the German transporter hierarchy only becomes clear when the designation is transferred to the V-Class terminology. The same engine trades there as the “V 300d” - and is more reminiscent of prestigious and powerful six-cylinder models. The driving performance at least fits in with it: In just under eight seconds, the panel van storms to 100 km / h, a maximum of 220 km / h can be achieved. That is easily enough for the left lane and enables a pleasantly brisk travel speed on the motorway.
As mentioned: Without excessive acoustic stress. And even consumption is within acceptable limits with an average of 7,5 liters.
As well as the Mercedes performs compared to the vans of more bourgeois brands - it has one major disadvantage. Around 60.000 euros gross are due for the variant tested. Even if a comparable V-Class would easily be 10.000 euros more expensive: the family Vito is not a bargain. If you want to save, you can cancel the optics, the air suspension and choose a smaller engine. The cheapest variant of the Vito Tourer then comes to around 42.000 euros gross. In that case, however, you can also take a look at the bourgeois competition - because a bare minibus is much cheaper there. However, if you want to save that Mercedes feeling in a people carrier, you can drive a class better with a well-equipped Vito Tourer.
Technical data
Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer Pro Edition 124 CDI long:
Light commercial vehicle with seven seats, length: 5,10 meters, width: 1,93 meters (2,24 meters with exterior mirrors), height: 1,91 meters, wheelbase: 3,20 meters, gross vehicle weight: 3,1 tons, Trunk volume: up to 4.785 liters.
2,0-liter four-cylinder diesel with 147 kW / 237 PS, max.torque: 500 Nm at 1.600 - 2.400 rpm, rear-wheel drive, nine-speed automatic, 0 - 100 km / h in: 9,4 s, Vmax: 220 km / h, standard consumption: 6,4 l / 100 km, CO2 emissions: 168 g / km, efficiency class: B, emissions standard: Euro 6d, test consumption: 7,5 l / 100 km; Price from: 47.088 euros. Test car Price: Euro 59.987.
In brief
Why: lots of space, decent driving comfort, good driving performance
Why not: high price
What else: VW T6.1 Caravelle, Opel Vivaro Kombi, Peugeot Traveler, Renault Trafic Combi