Mercedes Benz V-Class

Introduction:

German Automaker Mercedes Benz , after being labelled as the caliph of luxury sedans proffering unmatched performance, came out rugged with a distinct Minivan to gormandize the family excursion vehicle enthusiasts. Minivans are not considered cool in Malaysia, thus squaring off the family haulers vans Mercedes has come up with a SUV-mimicking crossovers with a perfect amalgamtion of power, perfromance and comfort to haul around your big sized family, the Mercedes Benz V-Class. The all new V Class is a replacement to compay's earlier Viano MPV. The Mercedes-Benz V-Class is a vast people carrier that offers masses of space mixed with high-end saloon car luxury. The German automaker has also spruced up its not so Minivan adding up to eight seats depending on configuration, and a much more premium interior that borrows lots of tech and design elements from elsewhere in the range.

Engine, Mileage and Variants:

The Mercedes Benz V-Class comes in three three trim levels namely V200 CDI, V220 CDI and V250 Bluetec. The 2.1 Litre 4 cylinder inline diesel engine delivers a maximum power ranging from 136 hp at 3800 rpm to 190 hp at 3800 with maximum torque ranging from 330 Nm at 1200 to 2400 rpm to 440 Nm at 1400 to 2400 rpm. V250 BlueTEC being the most powerful among the three can accelerate to a 100 Km/h on the speedometer in a record time of 9.1 sec with a top speed of 201 Km/h in combination with 7G-TRONIC PLUS transmission, this guarantees powerful fun at the wheel. Owing to the Mercedes-Benz's latest fuel efficient technologies , the V220 CDI perfroms on an excellent fuel economy of 6.1/100 Km.

Exterior:

Mercedes benz V Class enjoys the design crafted by the meticulous workers at the MB factory. The long hauler Minivan looks nothing like a van owing to its dynamic edges and elegant appearance. The front of the V Class represents the symbolic mercedes twin-blade grille with a three pointed star joining the aesthetically crafted daylight running lamps. All models of the V-Class get 18-inch five twin-spoke alloy wheels and AGILITY CONTROL suspension. The van features completely tinted glass at the back with anodised roof rails giving the V Class a very upmarket look. The V Class is big and that is clearly evident from its dimensions measuring out to be 5140mm×1928mm×1880mm (LXWXH) along with the wheelbase of 3200 mm.

Interior:

Move inside the palace of on wheels you can sense a home away from home. The high-quality interior of the new V-Class brings a new favourite place to your life. Enjoy the exclusive cockpit and a choice of first-class materials inside the all new V-Class. The hand finished interiors with ambiance lighting augments the comfort and aura of this Family excursion vehicle. The cockpit is clearly and functionally laid out ergonomically with high seat and all around visibility. The V Class is loaded with plethora of luxury features ranging from interior ambient lighting, cruise control with speed-limiter, powered/heated/memory front seats, power steering wheel adjustment, multifunction steering wheel, illuminated exits, automatic front climate-control, semi-auto rear air-conditioning, roof rails and tinted rear windows. Apart from which the minivan features a 16-speaker Burmester surround sound system with an 8.5-inch COMAND infotainment system as the latest C-Class, comprising Bluetooth connectivity with music streaming and SMS/email read/write function, LINGUATRONIC voice control, touchpad controller, 3D navigation mapping, WLAN hotspot, DVD/CD/USM interface and 10GB of music and video storage.

Safety, braking and miscellaneous:

Mercedes Benz is widely acclaimed across the globe for its safe and secure cars. The V class is no less of a bastion when it comes to safety. The minivan is loaded with six airbags including twin front and thorax/pelvis sidebags and full-length side curtain airbags, (but no rear side airbags), plus ESP stability control, ASR traction control, ABS anti-skid brakes, ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection, Cross-wind Assist, LED headlights, indicators, foglights and daytime running lights, PRE-SAFE collision preparation, Hill Start Assist, adaptive flashing LED brake lights, automatic wipers, auto-dimming mirrors and tyre pressure monitoring providing cutting-edge active safety technology.

Verdict:

The all new Mercedes-Benz V Class is a comfortable and easy to drive big car with beautiful interior and flexible seating. However the Minivan is having a quite overpriced tag with lower pragmatism from an executive transport.