By: Jesse Adams
Johannesburg - Mercedes-Benz has launched an all-new version of its working-class van, the Vito, in South Africa with a cornucopia of engines and body styles to suit a huge range of professional requirements.
The new Vito gets a similar face to the recently-introduced V-Class, but where that vehicle is positioned as an upmarket people mover with a far more zhoozh interior, the Vito is a budget friendlier workhorse fully focussed on hauling goods, or people, or both. Here you get hard-wearing cloth instead of leather, black plastic instead of glossy wood veneers, and a flat-faced dashboard with only the basics instead of the sexy, curved version as used in the much more expensive V-Class.
Mercedes has done well, however, to equip the Vito with necessities for the daily grind and besides air-conditioning and power windows, the new van comes standard with stability control (the previous version didn’t), Crosswind Assist (to keep it tracking straight in strong gusts), increased carrying capacity, and a new two-year/40 000km service interval.
THREE BODY STYLES
There are three body styles to choose from, starting with a base Panel Van which gets a two-seat front passenger compartment and a huge cargo bay separated by a steel bulkhead. Loading can happen through the rear barn-style doors or via sliding doors on either side, and Mercedes says up to four standard pallets can fit inside its 6.3 cubic metre hold.
A new Mixto model gets two rows of seating for five passengers along with a generous boot measuring 3.1 cubic metres. The Mixto (think crewcab) offers a nice compromise between Panel Vans and Tourer Models, with oodles of space for people and cargo.
The Vito Tourer makes for a spacious shuttle-type vehicle with three seating rows for either eight or nine passengers (depending on front seat configuration). The simpler Tourer Pro comes with vinyl flooring, fixed bench seats, a less fancy sound system and 16” steel wheels with covers.
A more luxurious Tourer Select gets carpets, a better stereo, 17” alloys, parking sensors and adjustable seating. The top 119 Tourer Select also comes with a 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox, where all other models get six-speed manuals.
FOUR DIESEL FLAVOURS
Engine options, all four-cylinder turbodiesels, begin with a bottom spec 111 CDI – a 1.6-litre unit with 84kW and 260Nm. A bigger 2.1-litre capacity engine comes in three power specs starting with a 114 CDI with 100kW/330Nm, moves up to a 116 CDI with 120kW/360Nm, and ends with a range-topping 119 CDI with 140kW and 440Nm.
It’s very unusual for a single platform to come with a choice of rear- or front-wheel drivetrains, but for the new Vito, Mercedes is offering both. Lowest 111 CDI variants are front-wheel driven, while all others are rear-wheel drive. Without a rear differential and propshaft you might expect the front-wheel-drive models to have a lower floor and therefore taller loading capacities, but the cargo bay dimensions are actually identical. But strangely, these models – with the weakest engines – are rated for heavier loads. Total payload is 1 039kg versus 979kg in the front- and rear-driven Panel Vans respectively.
PRICES
111 CDI Panel Van - R372 780
114 CDI Panel Van - R409 830
116 CDI Panel Van - R443 460
111 CDI Mixto - R443 460
116 CDI Mixto - R556 320
111 CDI Tourer Pro - R516 272
114 CDI Tourer Pro - R540 314
116 CDI Tourer Pro - R572 348
116 CDI Tourer Select - R676 088
119 CDI Tourer Select - R744 386
All derivatives come standard with five-year/120 000km service plans.