Work van was made to tackle city streets
Odd sight in North America, but Mercedes is hoping to grow its segment presence
Unless you’re waiting for a parcel, or you’re stuck behind one on the street, you’d probably never give work vans a second thought.
But it’s a hard-fought market for the manufacturers who sell them, and for 2016, Mercedes-Benz has opened up a new segment with the Metris.
It’s a mid-size van, slotting between larger vans like the Mercedes Sprinter or the Ford Transit, and compact trucklets such as Ford’s smaller Transit Connect.
You won’t see too many of these in private hands, but the company is counting on tradespeople cosying up to its in-between size or hotels seeing them as the perfect fit for shuttles.
The Metris is already a familiar sight overseas where it’s known as the Vito. It uses a 2.0-L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that cranks out 208 horsepower and can be optioned with a start/stop function that shuts off the engine at idle for better fuel economy. It’s hooked to a seven-speed automatic transmission, which allowed Mercedes to add a necessary feature for North America: the space used for the stick shift in European vans is filled with a large cupholder.
There’s a diesel available in overseas models but we won’t be getting that, at least not in the foreseeable future. Premium fuel is recommended for the Metris’ turbocharged engine, although it can run on regular grade with a slight drop in power.
Pricing starts at $37,900 for the passenger version; a $4,000 cheaper cargo version is available. Each comes in a single trim line with available options, and the passenger van can hold seven or eight people, depending on the second-row chairs that you choose.
Both versions are rear-wheel drive, with no current plans for an allwheel model.
The Metris works well through narrow alleys in downtown Toronto. A very tight turning radius and a maximum height of 191 centimetres allows it into underground parking garages where some of the full-size vans can’t fit.
The passenger van has a smoother ride than the cargo version, and mine had an optional luxury package that adds dampers to make it even more supple and comfortable for occupants. The steering is light when making lower-speed manoeuvres, tightening up at highway speeds for more confidence.
But I definitely don’t like the mirrors. They’re too small and oddly distortive, often leaving me unsure of exactly what was alongside. You’ll want the blind spot monitoring system, which comes bundled in a $1,660 package that also adds such items as lane-keeping assist, frontcollision warning and rain-sensing wipers.
A good work van adapts to the customer, and while the Metris only comes in one wheelbase and one roof height, buyers can swap out the two rear doors for a liftgate, or equip the cargo van with a factory-installed cargo partition that wraps under the seat bases so longer cargo can be slipped underneath.
The cargo van can be ordered with one or two sliding doors, while the passenger van can be optioned with two power-assist slider doors instead of the open-it-yourself variety. The cargo van’s two rear doors fold back against the sides like the Sprinter’s, which is handy when backing up to a loading dock.
But you can’t open the sliding doors when the rear ones are flipped back, and if there are forgetful drivers on the fleet who will try it anyway, it can be ordered with the passenger van’s 180-degree rear doors.
The Metris is a very well-done vehicle and it opens up a new category of mid-size van. I think it’s going to be a runaway hit as a shuttle for boutique hotels, but it could be a tougher sell to the trades.
Europeans are used to seeing the three-pointed star on everything from buses to garbage trucks but over here, it’s primarily associated with luxury cars.
That could leave homeowners wondering just how much that repair is going to cost when the plumber shows up driving a Benz. Freelance writer Jil McIntosh is a frequent contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. More of her work can be found online at thestar.com/autos. To reach her, email wheels@thestar.ca and put her name in the subject line.