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Enter Vito the lightest Merc
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by Colin Sowman 10 Mercedes-Benz has launched its sub-Sprinter TO van, called the Vito. The front-wheel-drive van comes in a single wheelbase and roof height but with a choice of three engines and two gearboxes.
With a payload of around one tonne and a GVW of 2.6 tonnes, the Spanish-built Vito will become the lightest Mercedes van ever in the UK (its predecessor, the MB-100, couldn't be converted to right-hand drive).
While its initial appearance is that of a scaled-down Sprinter, the Vito is all-new, with transverse engines, front-wheel drive and independent suspension all round.
The McPherson-strut front suspension and semi-trailingarm rear are indicative of its monocoque construction.
These features are necessary if Mercedes is to succeed in wooing customers from an emerging sector it has identified: buyers who use their vans for work and pleasure (Mercedes predicts 50% of German buyers will use the Vito solely for pleasure).
Such car-like specification comes from the fact that the Vito will share the same base platform as the company's people carrier (called Viano) which is clue to be launched next year.
The Vito range comprises a flat-floored walk-through panel van (with or without windows) and an eight-seater crew bus. There are no chassis-cab versions although a high-roof could be made "if there was sufficient demand".
Such requirements have produced a vehicle with a 3m wheelbase and compact exterior dimensions of 4.66m long by 1.89m high by 1.78m wide allowing the Vito (and Viano) to fit into domestic garages and use roll-over car washes.
With a load bed measuring 2,300x1,214mm (between wheel arches) and an interior height of 1,277mm, the Vito claims a load volume of 4.86m. Six tie-down points are mounted in the floor and there is the option of partial mesh and full bulkheads (either solid or glazed).
Access the loadspace is via a rear tailgate which lifts to 83' and a single (sliding) loading door on the nearside with the option of a second sliding door on the offside.
Dimensions of the sliding door(s) are 950mm wide by 1,280min high while the tailgate measures 1,263x1,225tnin. When laden the loadbed is 460min off the ground.
The Vito shares the 78hp (58kW) 2:3-litre IDI engine with the 308 Sprinter but will also get a turbocharged and chargecooled version of the same engine which produces 96hp (72kW). In addition there is a four-cylinder 127hp (95kW) twolitre petrol unit with three-way catalytic converter. Service intervals are set at 28,000 miles (45.000km) with oil changes at 9,300 miles (15,000km).
Right-hand-drive versions will not get to the UK before next August. Mercedes says pricing will be "orientated toward the most important competitors in the individual markets." In the UK this will probably be the Transit, which will be slightly cheaper. The UK will not get the turbo-diesel as the turbocharger impedes the necessary linkages to convert to righthand drive.
A four-speed ZF automatic transmission can be specified behind the two more powerful engines in place of the standard Getrag unit.
Overall gearing of the manual transmission is identical except when coupled to the turbo-diesel when fourth and fifth ratios are taller, giving an overdrive gearing of 0,6731 instead of 0.721:1. The differential ratio is 4.412:1 in all cases.
Braking is provided by discs all round, incorporating a drum arrangement at the rear for a park brake. In left-hand drive this is set using a foot pedal and released by tripping a lever in the dash. For the right-hand drive market a conventional design will be adopted.
The front axle is plated at 1,420kg and the rear at 1,330kg giving 150kg of load tolerance. Mercedes puts the kerb weight at 1,640kg (1,020kg on the front axle and 620kg on the rear) giving a payload allowance of 960kg. The gross combination weight is 4.1 tonnes.
Steering is power-assisted rack and pinion which Mercedes says provides a turn ing circle of 12.4m. The steering wheel itself turns 3.3 revolutions lock-to-lock and can be equipped with an air bag.
Mercedes' standard driver's seat is used (as in the Sprinter); the front and back of the squab are independently adjustable for height Fore-aft and rake adjustment is the same as the Sprinter. Single or twin passenger seats can be specified and all have lap and diagonal seat belts, There is also an air bag option for the passengers.
Also shared with the Sprinter is the main instrument binnacle housing the speedometer, fuel and temperature gauges, rev counter (on some versions) and a clock. Twin column-mounted stalks operate indicators with high/low beam (on the left) with the wiper/washer control on the other side.
Heater controls and ancillary switches are set in the centre of the dash which sweeps down the side of the steering wheel to house the gear lever. The Vito has a small cable-operated gear lever (similar to the Sevel) attached to a large-diameter ball contained in the dash itself. There is a normal change pattern without the dreaded dog-leg first gear of the old TL Ventilation comes through four adjustable dash-mounted vents with two more fixed vents ones in the centre. There is a three-speed fan and the options of recirculating air and a 7kW air conditioning unit.
Storage is provided by large door pockets and a horizontally split lidless glove compartment. There are coat hooks on either side and a tray for papers above the glove box. Central locking and an engine immobiliser are also options.
Driving impressions
CM had the chance to drive the van in both diesel versions, first the 108D then the 1101).
In the Vito driving seat the first impressions are very favourable: visibility of the road (both directly and through the large mirrors) is excellent and there is an unobscured view of the instruments.
When adjusting the seat the pedal offset becomes obvious. If you sit square in the seat your right foot falls naturally on the brake—only when you twist your legs to the right do you contact the accelerator. With right-hand drive this will probably be reversed.
Using the short lever to selecting first gear shows how compact the gate is—it's like changing gear on an MG or TVR. The maximum lever movement is about 150mm, making it very much a wrist action—a greater departure from the Sprinter is difficult to imagine. With such a short lever the selection of the gears is a little notchy (which a long lever would mask) and shift loads are respectable.
UK operators will not have to suffer the foot/hand operated park brake. A small pedal operated by the left foot applies the brake while it is released by the left hand pulling a lever. This trips the ratchet and the brake is instantly and fully released.
On the move the Vito is an impressive performer; quiet, smooth, well-mannered and manoeuvrable. Our half-laden van sat on the Spanish roads— good and poor alike—with the minimum of steering input. All but the very worst bumps were smoothed out and, while we didn't measure them, noise levels with the naturally aspirated engine are among the lowest you'll find. The steering is light and precise and the clutch won't make your leg ache in traffic jams. Only the ventilation failed to impress: even on the highest blower position, the output from the vents was not enough to ruffle the driver's hair.
Power delivery from the 78hp (58kW) naturally aspirated engine is smooth but not particularly impressive. Below 2,000rpm it feels ill-at-ease which, combined with the tall top gear, leads to a lot of fourthgear running on smaller roads. With a half-loaded van the smaller engine was unable to hold top gear on the steeper motorway inclines.
Switching to the 96hp (72KW) turbo-diesel brought an increase in the noise level. While it was not uncomfortable, the naturally aspirated installation is so quiet that any increase is ' noticeable.
The flip side is that the turbo diesel produces maximum torque at 1,600rpm (against 2,300) allowing it to drive its higher gearing much more comfortably. From 1,500rpm the engine will pull happily: you can select top gear at 64km/h (40mph) and leave it there.
With the turbocharged engine the van sailed up the motorway incline that beat the naturally aspirated version.