Mercedes Vito 116 Cdi Fuel Consumption

[Berniece Leonhardt]

Youhave to feel for the Mercedes Vito. Here it is, working away to earn itself buyers in the face of strong competition in the medium van sector, while at the same time it's slightly overshadowed by a larger Mercedes stablemate.

Whichever engine you go for, the suspension is on the firm side for a medium van that's related to the Mercedes V-Class people mover. It stops short of being uncomfortable though, and the firmness makes it feel sportier than some rivals.

The new centre console gets the option of wireless charging for smartphones and keyless start as well as a heated steering wheel. Other changes include new air vents and a new generation of capacitive hands-off recognition steering wheels that will help lead the way for a degree of autonomous driving.

Sadly, the lack of a high-roof option limits practicality compared with rivals. For example, the largest VW Transporter can move 9.3m3 but still carry 1061kg, so anyone considering a Vito should carefully consider the type and weight of loads they are going to carry.

Parts can be expensive too, but running costs are some of the most reasonable around. The 116 CDI model is the most economical option, with official fuel consumption of 49.6mpg, while the 111 CDI we recommend returns a still highly commendable 45.6mpg.

Generous standard equipment also helps compensate for the high prices, with a multifunction steering wheel, cruise control, Crosswind Assist, Hill Start Assist, a speed limiter and 10in colour display for the infotainment system and 5.5in digital instrument cluster all included.

Other big safety improvements also include auto lights and wipers, intelligent speed assist, brake assist with cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, active lane assist, speed limit detection and a reversing camera.

Barrow is well regarded in the industry beyond his testing and reviewing abilities, regularly interviewing van and truck operators, manufacturers and dealers to provide readers with everything from technical insights to interviews with high-level industry executives.

The Vito has also proved a star in the fuel economy stakes during its stay. The official fuel economy figure is 47.1 miles per gallon and during our test period our final figure added up to a very pleasing 46.9 mpg.

I was quite surprised recently when a warning flashed up on the Vito's dash telling me I needed to fill up the AdBlue tank. There were only 3,900 miles on the clock and most of our test vans will do well in excess of 7,000 miles before needing a top-up.

This problem apart, our Vito is still giving sterling service, although I must rather shame-facedly admit that it is in a pretty filthy state at present, what with buzzing 400 miles between my home in Essex and my holiday abode in Devon. Together with carrying out my duties for Fleet News and helping out my ever-increasing family on numerous occasions (nine grandchildren at the last count!), I just haven't found the time to clean it.

It's now month four of our six-month sojourn with the Vito Sport and, as with most of our long-termers, there are a couple of gripes we have found along the way, although they are small compared with our general admiration of this classy performer.

First, I am not keen on the Becker sat-nav units that Mercedes-Benz puts in its vans. The unit in the Vito isn't the touchscreen variety, so to adjust it you have to twiddle around with a button and scroll across a keyboard to find the letters and numbers you want, which can be a right pain.

I also noticed that while our van has a high-res reversing camera (an added option at 465 and a must-have safety item in our book), it does not have reversing sensors as well. Personally, I would rather have the bleepers than the camera as I am perfectly capable of manoeuvring with the use of mirrors, although others may well disagree with me.

A reader seeing these complaints without perusing my previous test articles may well get the impression that our Vito is lacking in some areas, but I hasten to point out that in no way do these gripes lessen my admiration of the super stylish vehicle.

Our cargo area is very sensibly ply-lined throughout, which is a 270 option but will pay for itself and more if you intend to use the van in a dirty environment. At selling time, you simply strip out the plywood to reveal a pristine interior. That little trick could see your van worth far more than an extra 270 compared to one with a scratched scuffed interior.

The Vito has a non-slip floor too. This may sound rather so-whattish but it saves diminutive loads from slipping about in the back under way. Several times in the past, on test vans with bare floors, I have placed shopping bags carefully away in the back of my van, only to find them scattered the length and breadth of the cargo area when I got home, eggs smashed and milk sloshing about everywhere.

Whereas the Trafic is very much in the old 'sit up and beg' style of a commercial vehicle, the Vito sits far lower on the ground and is much more car-like to drive. That's a good thing for anyone who's new to using commercial vehicles on a day-to-day basis, but, personally, I quite like the old upright position. It's certainly better for the back on long journeys.

The other difference is that our Vito only has two seats. They are mighty comfortable and feature lots of side support as you'd expect in a vehicle that bears the Sport moniker. However, as I don't actually own a car, it does mean that if we need to transport another passenger, my wife's 19-year-old Volkswagen Lupo is going to have to be called into play.

On the plus side, though, it means there is plenty of storage space between the two seats. You'd be surprised how cramped a van's front area can become when you add things like work rucksacks, handbags, bags of sandwiches etc.

For starters, the silver metallic paint and snazzy chrome side steps come as standard, along with seven-spoke alloy wheels, colour-coded bumpers, polished steel front grille, tailgate and foglamp trims and sport badging on the rear. You won't find any of that on 'cooking' versions.

Inside, we get as standard air-con, special sporty seats with extra side padding, electrically-adjustable heated mirrors, sport-branded floor mats and enough safety devices for us to say that if your drivers crash this van, they don't deserve to be working for you.

Many fleet operators will baulk at the price of the auto box but it could be a price worth paying. It means much less wear and tear on the gears, less strain on a driver who makes multiple drops during the day and it will also appeal more to second buyers when the van is sold.

More and more commercial vehicles are coming with auto boxes nowadays and we can see why, because they are so stress-free to drive. We predict that sometime in future, the UK will eventually follow the USA and ditch manual boxes altogether.

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