A Minivan That Gets More Attention Than a Ferrari?
Anna on Roads is generally a channel that reviews and test drives the likes of the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG coupe or the Lexus LS 500H AWD. However, for this video, she is driving something a little different that deviates somewhat from the norm. And no, it’s not a Ferrari. It’s a Mercedes minivan.
It is a minivan designed for carrying passengers. It is arguably the most comfortable people mover on the road today. The Mercedes-Benz V-Class minivan. It pretty much puts every minivan we have in the US to shame. Even the Mercedes minivan cousin, the Metris. Don’t get me wrong––our minivans over here are amazing. However, they aren’t and never will be the 2020 Mercedes-Benz V-Class.
Anna on Roads test drive: Mercedes-Benz minivan
Anna opens the video by saying she asked the Mercedes dealer to load her something fast and practical. And when she saw what they decided to give her, it wasn’t the luxurious S-Class she had expected. Her self-proclaimed first reaction to the Mercedes-Benz V-Class the dealer offered was, “really, Mercedes?” But where is the fun in the S-Class, when you’ve already tried it out.
Already we can see from our passenger seat view that this Mercedes minivan is in a league of its own. Even Anna comments that maybe sometime bigger is better. “Well done, Mercedes.”
According to the video, the V-Class has been around since 2014 and sold over 200,000 units worldwide. That many people can’t be wrong, right? Anna explains that any worry about driving the large vehicle evaporated when the dealer told her that “it drives like a normal Mercedes.”
More attention than a Ferrari
One of Anna’s initial worries, according to the video was how she might feel in the Mercedes-Benz V-Class minivan. “Will I be elegant? Will I be glamorous?” These are questions that many have asked about the identity of driving a minivan.
It’s one of the reasons many steer clear of them. They get such a bad reputation for stripping drivers of their elegance and glamour. Not so for the Mercedes-Benz V-Class Minivan.
In her video, Anna remarks with surprise “I am getting quite a lot of attention here…I think I am getting more than I am in a Ferrari, to be honest. Quite incredible.” We agree. It is incredible, Ann. And such a minivan could only come produced by an iconic luxury carmaker such as Mercedes-Benz.
Is the Mercedes minivan sold in America?
There is, in fact, a cousin of this glamorous Mercedes-Benz V-Class minivan sold here in the US. However, it is just not quite on the same level of glamour. Known in the states as the Metris, the Mercedes minivan is deluxe and comes with a Weekender package comparable to the Marco-Polo Mercedes camper van that’s marketed abroad.
The passenger version is very nice, according to MotorTrend. It lacks the 2-liter 4-cylinder 239 horsepower diesel engine paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. However, we still get a nice turbo-charged 208 horsepower 4-cylinder and a 7-speed automatic transmission, according to Car and Driver. Still, both vans handle well for their size and offer various levels of comfort and safety––qualities we’ve come to expect from Mercedes-Benz products. In the US, a Mercedes minivan Metris Passenger starts competitively at $36,775.
