Road Test
MERCEDES-BENZ VITO
Mercedes-Benz Vito 119 L2 Premium Crew Van Night Edition diesel
Price (ex VAT)
Price range (ex VAT)
Gross payload Load length
£41,940
£40,385-£45,580 781kg
1664mm
Load width (min/max) 1270mm/1709mm Load bay height Load volume Loading height
1252mm 3.6m3
558mm
Rear door aperture 1391mm x 1261mm Side door aperture 822mm x 1252mm Gross vehicle weight
3,000kg
Braked trailer towing weight 2,000kg Engine size/power
Torque Gearbox
1950cc, 190hp@ 3800-4200rpm
Fuel economy Fuel tank CO2
Warranty
440Nm @ 1350-2600rpm 9sp auto 35.8mpg 70 litres 206g/km
3yrs/unlimited mileage
Service intervals 2yrs/24,000 miles Insurance group Price as tested
43E £41,940 I
f you are self-employed or run a small business then every penny counts. So if you can acquire a vehicle that can double as a workhorse and transport for yourself and four or five family members, then that is what you will try to do. The same sort of vehicle might well appeal to fleet operators who need to transport a gang of workers in comfort and safety along with their tools. Gone are the days – hopefully – when workers could be bundled into the back of a panel van and expected to travel squatting on sandbags, with no seats or seatbelts and zero attention paid to safety.
Hence the rise of the crew or kombi van; a van with front and rear seats that can accommodate half a dozen people or more, and a cargo area at the back usually separated from the cabin by a bulkhead. Most light commercial manufacturers have one or more in their arsenal, of different sizes and offering varying degrees of passenger and cargo space.
A high level of specification is especially important for individuals
26 WhatVan? May 2024
who want to use a crew van as their personal as well as their work transport. That is something that has been clearly recognised by Mercedes- Benz with its introduction of the six- seater (three in the front, three in the back) rear-wheel-drive Vito 119 L2 Premium Night Edition.
Based on the short-wheelbase (3,200mm) model, and powered by a beefy 2.0-litre diesel – a pleasant change from the multiple drawbacks of battery-electric traction – it boasts plenty of extra goodies with driver and passenger comfort and safety in mind. Mercedes also offers crew vans on the longer (3,430mm) L3 wheelbase, in Pro or Select trim, and with the 163hp version of the 2.0-litre engine.
Load bay Entry to the cargo area is by means of a glazed hatch-type rear door. A light at the bottom of the door illuminates when you open it as a safety precaution if you are loading or unloading the vehicle at night. A lot depends on the use to which the vehicle is being put, but on balance we would prefer to see a bulkhead
Picture Key
1. Alloy wheels are included in the deal.
2. Black metallic paint forms part of the package.
3. Bumpers are colour-coded. 4. Roof rails are standard.
2 4
3 1
fitted. Its absence in this case means that rear seat passengers could be vulnerable to being walloped if whatever is being carried in the load bay shoots forwards under heavy braking.
On a more positive note, the load area is well-protected against minor scratches and scrapes by a combination of carpeting and plastic mouldings. The back seats are removable which means it can be expanded if you need to shift anything bulky and there is no shortage of cargo tie-down points.
Access to the rear seats is by means of sliding doors on each side of the vehicle with tinted windows and the occupants will find there is no shortage of space.
www.whatvan.co.uk
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