Mercedes-Benz Vito 110 CDI BlueEfficiency - a good employee?

When looking for the ideal employee, most often we need a person with experience, but at the same time creative and young. In addition, he has a positive attitude towards people and is ready to work. Sometimes it's hard even after hours. But a company is more than just people. It also includes buildings, devices, and vehicles. And I don't mean the boss's limousine or the brand new executive SUVs. We are talking about vehicles similar to the hero of our long-range test. Will the Mercedes-Benz Vito 110 CDI BlueEfficiency make a good employee?

Let's start with the appearance, because the car will have representative functions. The Vito deserves a small mention of the front apron, which has been rejuvenated during the latest facelift. It was a noticeable cosmetic item. The headlights and grille have changed the most, referring to other models with a star on the hood. If you look closely, it's easy to spot the resemblance to some passenger cars, which is a big plus for a car known for its practical applications. As for the rest of the body, it was hard for the stylists to go crazy here. And not because they had no ideas. I believe that there were plenty of them, but in this part of the body only one thing matters - practicality. And as you know, the box-shaped body will have the greatest capacity, but the back of the Vito is like this. The cargo space is cut out on the outside with openwork sheet metal embossing, which diversifies the monolith of large sheets of metal.

I was very surprised by the size of the rims on this car, which is hardly related to the ability to climb high curbs and tire size at a reasonable price, but makes the Vito a little more ... dynamic. Yes, this is my opinion. But, as I said, tires of this size (225/55/17) will not be cheap, and in the case of this type of car, driving economy is an extremely important selection criterion. Personally, I'd swallow the pain of tire costs for a better looking Vito on 17-inch rims. After all, a delivery truck doesn't have to be boring right away.

It's time to get behind the wheel. This activity is like jumping in, although I am not a modest person, I must admit that I sometimes used the step that was hidden between the door and the chair. It will be indispensable for lower drivers. As soon as I climbed onto the chair, it seemed to me that it was 2 meters above the ground. This is the effect of a transfer from a car, but the Vito is certainly looking at the road from a great height. But something was wrong for me. I started adjusting the seat, but it soon turned out there wasn't much that could be done. The partition between the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment effectively limits the possibility of moving the seat back. Seat height adjustment allows you to sit only high or ... very high. I lowered the seat as much as possible and with a height of more than 190 centimeters I had almost my head under the ceiling, and the edges of the roof limited the view when parking under a traffic light. There is no lack of space in the width, the driver's seat has an adjustment at the knee level, and the visibility of the front and side mirrors leaves much to be desired. Front seats for three people. The theory says so, because practice shows that only a person without legs or a child will sit in the middle. For the average passenger, there is simply no legroom because the center console takes them up. Of course, the neighbor on the right will take places in an emergency, but one can dream of a long route in such conditions.

The dashboard is clear and interestingly designed, but in this category, Mercedes also required me to get used to a few elements. The radio is placed very low, behind the gear lever, which, by the way, is in an ideal place right at hand. For the radio to work, you need to take your eyes off the road. The wind deflector and air conditioning controls are located very high, almost under the windshield. Initially, this arrangement did not suit me so much that I wanted to take the appropriate tools and swap the radio and air conditioner panel myself. But, as you know, time has a healing effect on many things, and in this case, each subsequent kilometer of communication with this car allowed me to get used to such a system. I even found that by keeping my hand on the gear lever I could press the buttons on the radio. However, the idea of ​​​​Mercedes designers turned out to be successful.

How about build quality? Mercedes accustomed us to excellent interior trim materials. But we must remember that this is not a passenger car and not an SUV. This is a working tool, so hard and resistant plastics were used, and at times the impression that the plastic leaves was overlooked. The build quality cannot be faulted. Plastics hold well even in the largest holes. There are plenty of lockers, but I definitely lacked decent cup holders. I can't imagine working in that machine for hours without sipping coffee. Of course, less caffeine addicts will run into the same problem with a bottle of water. For drinks, there is a handle in the ashtray (as my friends in the addiction trap say: “coffee loves cigarettes”), and the second after opening the glove compartment in front of the passenger. The first is too small, and the second is too small and does not hold to the side. Finally, I would like to note for you the upholstery called "Lima". Unfortunately, I did not find any connection between her appearance and name. Doesn't matter. With my sense of touch, I came to the conclusion that it may not be the most pleasant in contact with the body, but it gives the impression of being extremely resistant and firm. I have not tested stain resistance. Maybe some of you dare?

It's time to take a closer look at the Mercedes Vito's cargo area. For the test, we got the version of the van with the shortest wheelbase. This doesn't mean that you can't put anything in here. Mercedes carries 5,2 m³ of packages - quite a lot. Of course, two euro pallets will fit here, but it was not possible to check. I made another test for it. Under the house for a long time there were building stamps that I wanted to get rid of. So maybe it's a good time? Ideal. Wooden stamps were from 2 to 2,5 meters long. 20 pieces barely covered the floor, and the only drawback was the inability to close the door. The shortest wheelbase version easily accommodates 2,4m loads. The door was secured with slings and the cargo was easily transported.

Vito turned out to be quite roomy and practical. In addition to space being used to the limit, in this model you will find plenty of hooks and rails (along with the cargo space wood trim available in the Cargo package for PLN 1686) to help secure and secure loads. The floor is covered with a practical plastic pad that is hard to scratch and easy to clean. In a word, this part of Mercedes is its very strong point. The cherry on the cake is the door. There are extra-wide sliding doors on both sides, and the rear fenders open 270 degrees for easy access to the loading dock. Vito is a serious competitor in terms of transport. Especially if you add to this a solid load capacity of 800 kilograms. Even with two decent individuals in the cabin, we can take about 600 kilograms of cargo. The stamps I was carrying made no impression on Vito. One can only complain about the spare wheel, placed inside the cargo compartment, taking up little space.

There was one more test left for the Mercedes - driving. A car used for work should cope well with this task and provide at least a little comfort so as not to get tired on long trips. Driving comfort is influenced by the above-mentioned high position behind the wheel (above the roofs of some cars you can see what is happening ahead) and good visibility. What's with the suspension? It's quite comfortable, although perhaps "soft and bouncy" is a better term. For this type of car, it picks up road unevenness well. Of course, he is not the king of corners, which is influenced by the height of the body, but Vito does not use mirrors when cornering. If we trust that, despite the body lean, the 225mm wide tires will keep us on the road, we won't be disappointed. Of course, everything is within reason, and we need it a little more than driving a car. Remember. Optional bi-xenon cornering headlights also enhance driving comfort and safety at night. They require an additional PLN 3146 but are worth the price because they do their job very well.

What's under the hood? Unfortunately, nothing that would cause emotions, but this is not about that. However, we found an engine to test that is one of the most frequently chosen, so I think it's a reasonable configuration. The driver has 95 horsepower coming from the 2,2-litre engine and 250 Nm available in the 1200-2400 rpm range. Vito with this engine is not fast. The whole day accelerates to hundreds, but a relaxed bike has its advantages. Firstly, low power from high power promises longer operation, and the second advantage is the “good bottom”, thanks to which the Vito is picked up from the lowest revs and does not need to be turned under the red field. The six-speed gearbox works quite nicely, which can not be said about the clutch, which works very hard. Rigid grip makes itself felt after a few kilometers. This is a good way to make a calf. It is a pity that it will only work on the left.

The test vehicle was equipped with the BlueEFFICIENCY package with start/stop system and tires with reduced rolling resistance. The engine shutdown system works as a last resort and does not allow you to turn off at every small stop - this is how it should work if you really need it. In this version, Vito consumes an average of about 8 liters of diesel fuel for every hundred. On the highway it can drop to 7, but in the city sometimes you need up to 3 liters more. After all, taking into account the dimensions, weight of the car and rather average aerodynamics, it is impossible to complain.

As for the size of this machine - it is not small, but I was fascinated by its maneuverability. With a length of 4,8 meters and a width approaching 200 centimeters, the Vito boasts a turning radius of 11,5 meters, which, combined with the optional Parktronic echolocation package, makes driving stress-free even on crowded streets. Parktronic indicators are located at three points on the dashboard - on the sides and in the middle, which gives us accurate information about where the obstacle is.

So does Vito have the makings of a good worker? Firstly, it is practical, and secondly, it looks good, especially on large wheels and in an attractive Jasper color. The Mercedes van is a smart choice if you need a decent car for transporting goods, and you will quickly forget about some of the shortcomings. However, you will appreciate what has been improved in this car: chassis, maneuverability and loading capacity. Vito has the makings of a good worker who definitely won't ask for a vacation. To become a Vito owner in the verified version, you need to prepare PLN 73 (net). After adding all the add-ons, the net price will reach 800 thousand PLN (gross 111 thousand PLN).