• ECONOMY
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The Stylemaster kit might have been designed for looks, but it is clear from the 814's appearance that some improvement in aerodynamics must have been made. Elan reports an improvement in day-today operations, and our results seem to bear this out.
We recorded an overall fuel consumption of 16.531it/100km (17.10mpg), a figure only bettered in our comparison charts by the Renault Midliner S120, which had the advantage of a dropside body. The Mercedes is within 1.8% of the Renault, which must be a credit to the body kit.
Compared with the other vehicles in our chart the improvements are more marked, ranging from 5.7% to 19.8%. Using Elan's estimated annual average of 64,000km, that represents up to 2,100 litres of diesel a year. Spread over a fleet that represents a significant saving.
The extra bodywork does not inhibit access to service items. Flaps in the cab cowl allow the tilt mechanism to be reached but the additional weight of the cab fairing does make tilting a bit of a heave for one person; a hydraulic tilt would be useful.
Mercedes has 60 service points in the UK and offers contract maintenance, so servicing should not present too many problems.