Mercedes-Benz V Class - Corporate Camper

Mercedes-Benz thinks the uber rich Indian now wants a van. Maybe it is on to something

- Aadil Naik

Vans are boring. They are, by definition, utilitarian and usually ugly. Of course, they carry a bucketload of people and every once in a while a beautiful one comes along (remember the VW Type 2 Camper Van?), but for the most part they are distasteful. They got rebranded and squished a bit into what is today known as an MPV, but yeah, I don’t like them.

Obviously, I drew the short straw to review this.

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class has been around for a while, and the German automaker finally brought it down to India. Weirdly though, a week after its Indian introduction, an updated V-Class was launched abroad with a new engine and gearbox. Anyway, back to what we have here. And we have to start with the size, because I parked it next to the long term Hyundai Santro I have, and um, I think it would comfortably fit inside. At almost 5.2m long, it stretches to around the same distance as an S-Class, and in this ‘Exclusive’ trim it isn’t even the longest version. The ‘Expression’ trim at 5370mm is almost as long as a Rolls-Royce Ghost. It is tall and extremely wide. Visually, it is quite orthogonal then and bland. Because it is so large, the 17-inch wheels look miniscule. And because it is a van, there really isn’t anything you can do to make it look interesting. But kudos to Mercedes for trying nonetheless with the hood and the lights. The headlights have a swept-back design that is prevalent on the rest of its cars, and that gives it a very modern look. The grille is…nice. And the tail-lights do a lovely job of using a rectangular design to its advantage. That being said, the front face is the most memorable angle of this car. Besides the physical size of course, which is what will eventually get it noticed the most.