© Copyright 2024 - All Rights Reserved - SK Car Lounge Pvt. Ltd.
Designed & Developed by www.aivah.com
Designed & Developed by www.aivah.com
Mercedes-Benz India has always had its eye on the luxury end of the minivan market, which is still an empty and elusive niche. It’s a segment that Mercedes has had a crack at twice before, but with little success. In 1999, it launched the SsangYong-built MB100 and MB140 minivans, imported from Korea. Though the MB vans were pretty…
Mercedes-Benz India has always had its eye on the luxury end of the minivan market, which is still an empty and elusive niche. It’s a segment that Mercedes has had a crack at twice before, but with little success. In 1999, it launched the SsangYong-built MB100 and MB140 minivans, imported from Korea. Though the MB vans were pretty tough and durable they didn’t offer the luxury and quality worthy of the three-pointed star and, as a result, they quietly died in 2001.
In 2011, Mercedes launched the R-class but once again this MPV failed to pull in customers due to its unconventional design (for a Merc).Also, the lack of a diesel engine at launch (unthinkable for an MPV buyer at the time) ensured that it was pretty much dead on arrival.
Nearly a decade on, the India growth story continues but at an even faster pace. Businesses are growing, people are on the move and the need to travel in style and comfort has never been greater.
This state of affairs is an opportune time for Mercedes-Benz to bring the V-class into showrooms but will it be third-time lucky? Can Mercedes make its latest minivan stick in a segment that has eluded the company all these years? These are questions Mercedes doesn’t quite yet have the answers to and is hence testing the waters by importing the V-class directly from Spain (where it is made) in small numbers.
And if the demand is good, the company will consider locally assembling the Mercedes V Class at its Chakan plant. However, the trouble with completely built-up (CBU) imports is that they attract punitive duties and that can knock prices into the stratosphere.
It’s built to a high standard, and yes, there’s no other MPV or minivan that offers anywhere near the same level of refinement comfort and luxury. But then no other MPV costs anything near the Mercedes V Class either. As a conventional six-seater MPV, it’s hard to justify the price, especially when for the same money you could get three top-end Innova Crystas and some change.
No doubt it’s overpriced for what you get, but you’re paying a premium for what you don’t get in any other MPV. If anything, it’s only the sheer space and the unique seating configurations the Mercedes V Class offers that can somewhat justify its price.
A 163hp engine pulling a 3,100kg vehicle may seem inadequate on paper but, surprisingly, the 2.1-litre diesel is quite up to the job even with all six seats occupied. Sure, you’re not going to be pinned back into your seats when you stamp on the throttle pedal, but the V 220d is fairly brisk and can crack the 100kph barrier from rest in under a claimed 11sec.
What’s more impressive is the linear way in which it builds power and that is crucial for a car that needs to be driven smoothly and seamlessly, especially if there’s a heated board meeting happening in the back. The last thing passengers want is a sudden burst of acceleration which will send their files and papers flying across the cabin.
Overtaking, especially on the highway isn’t as effortless though and you do need to override the smooth-shifting 7-speed automatic gearbox with quick tugs of the paddles for more urgency. This is not an engine that likes to be revved either, and, unlike the smoother OM654 2.0-litre seen on the latest Mercs, it has a gruff note beyond 4,000rpm.
That’s not to say refinement is an issue. In fact, driven sedately, the Mercedes V Class is fairly hushed with little wind and road noise. The ride too is very plush by MPV standards and apart from a little bit of low-speed lumpiness this Merc, in true Merc fashion, simply smothers bad roads. There’s a wee bit of pitching and some up and down movement when the road is really bad but, overall, the V-class, which has adaptive dampers, is really well composed and does a great job of not disturbing that ongoing meeting.