Mercedes-Benz V Class

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class might be a functional vehicle, to begin with, however, Mercedes Benz has left no stone unturned to give the occupants proper luxury treatment which it is famously known for. While the base and Avantgarde variants feel quite basic in terms of equipment levels, it is the Exclusive variant that takes the overall experience one notch higher.

The Mercedes Benz V-Class has a very functional-looking driver’s cockpit with a twin-pod analogue cluster with a rectangular MID in between and a Y-themed three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel. The layered finish for the whole dashboard, with the central layer executed in faux wood and aluminium inlays, makes it look very premium. This dashboard gets turbine-like four rounded AC vents and a sleek panel for multi-zone automatic climate control on it. The free-mounted rectangular touchscreen infotainment system in the middle takes the most amount of attraction. The lower part of the centre console, which is pulled out a bit, houses the touchpad for the infotainment system and various buttons which are the transmission modes for driving the vehicle. 

The best part of the Mercedes Benz V-Class is its focus on comfort and space. The rear seat occupants get features like reclining function, back massage function with three intensity levels, and climatisation with three intensity levels in their seats.

The Mercedes Benz V-Class has a traditional van-like appearance, which might not be loved by those who prefer modern lines over functional ones. This stance of the V-Class does manage to give it a good amount of space but makes it look boxy from the outside.

The front profile of the Mercedes Benz V-Class is the best angle to look at it. The people mover gets a wide front grille, which has two horizontal slats with a big rounded three-pointed star logo in the middle. The grille is flanked with sweptback and angularly placed LED headlamps, which looks inspired by those of the previous generation S-Class sedan. 

The side profile of the Mercedes Benz V-Class has a typical van-like appearance with a stretched body line, which makes the van look long. There is a sharp crease that flows from the front fender to the edge of the tail lamp. The five-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels might not look too fashionable, but they do get the job done for an MPV here. The V-Class gets roof rails and chrome shoulder lines for the large side window panels. It is the only Mercedes Benz vehicle, which gets sliding doors for the rear passengers.

At the back, the Mercedes Benz V-Class looks too boxy and upright like a traditional van, with a huge windscreen and vertical tail lamps on the outer edges of the rear. The V-Class looks simple here, with form taking over the function.

The Mercedes Benz V-Class is the only MPV in the world to feature an air suspension system. Called AIRMATIC air suspension, it allows the vehicle to maintain a constant ground clearance in all types of load conditions inside the cabin. Each wheel of the MPV comes with frequency-selective damping control. The occupants of the MPV are provided with a DYNAMIC SELECT switch in the centre console, through which they can select between different suspension setups like comfort, manual, and sport.

The Mercedes Benz V-Class gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine as the only powertrain choice. Coupled to a 9-speed automatic gearbox which is present in a majority of the Mercedes Benz offerings, the engine here makes 163 bhp of maximum power and 380 Nm of maximum torque. These figures might sound a bit low by Mercedes Benz’s standards, but they do get the job done, with the engine putting up impressive levels of refinement and torque in the lower rpm band.

Apart from the essentials like airbags all around, ABS with EBD and active brake assist, the Mercedes Benz V-Class also gets Highbeam Assist Plus, driving assistance package (combination of blind spot assist, lane keep assist, and preventive occupant protection system pre-safe), lane tracking package (combination of blind spot assist and lane keep assist), active parking assist with a 360-degree camera and traffic sign assist.

The Mercedes Benz V-Class carves a niche for itself in the lineup of Mercedes Benz, by being the only super practical multi-seater MPV that shows no compromise on the front of luxury. The boxy looks might not be to everyone’s taste, but it is this design that imparts a huge amount of practicality and space for the cabin.