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28th October 2004
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clocked up 18,000 miles and it's had one service It's time for an end-of term report on our latest long-term test van, the Mercedes-Benz Vito 109 CD1.

Mercedes-Benz is associated with topquality engineering, and during our time with the Mercedes-Benz Vito 109 CDI it's attracted a lot of interest in car parks,service stations and our favourite greasy spoons.The inevitable opening gambit is "What's she like then?"To which we invariably offer the time honoured reply: "All right, but she eats too much garlic." After ducking the wife's well practised left hook conversation swiftly moves on to the van.

While Vauxhall and Renault went for major modernisation with the Vivaro/Trafic the German approach has been more about evolution than revolution. Maybe that's why we were initially disappointed by the Vita But until the E-Class is turned into a van the Vito remains Merc's entry-level CV, and boy, did it grow on us.

There are three lengths —compact,long and extra-long—with a high roof now available on the long version.The engine is a second-generation CDI with outputs of 88hp,109hp and 150hp.We picked the lowest engine rating,a six-speed gearbox and the long/standard-roof body.

Standard kit includes a driver's airbag. power steering,remote locking , electric windows, CDradio, adjustable steering, and ESP (electronic stability programme) which includes ABS. Payload is 903kg with 5.2m of load space. its paces we notched up 35.3mpg fully laden with 903kg of gravel as payload on a 2,770kg GVW (CM 19 February). In September we scored 37mpg, a whisker away from passing the 37.1mpg set by the VolkswagenTransporter.The original figure was good, so we're pleased with an improvement of nearly 5%.

On the road

Driving out on the open road was less demanding than a Hugh Grant chick-flick. Handling is accurate, responsive and smooth. On the motorway the Vito effortlessly goes with the flow and, on the A-roads and tight tracks around the Lake District it hugs the road like it's on rails. It will turn on a sixpence which, helped by its wide mirrors,make reversing into tight spaces a doddle.

Around town the first four gears are just right for the traffic light grand prix; the top two handle everything else. In fact the gearbox is first rate, as is the driveline. Smooth suspension offers a top-notch drive over all terrains.The decision to move away from the 'moving brick' philosophy to a more aerodynamic and stylish panel van may have been made for Teutonically logical reasons, but it looks good too.

Cab comfort

For reasons best kept secret we specced a threeseater with no bulkhead. So it would be unfair to carp on about noise from the rear axle echoing up into the load space, or having to heat the entire front half of the van to keep the cab warm: a bulkhead would sort that out. Passenger comfort is bound to suffer in a three-seater, particularly with the inevitable lack of leg space in the middle, but again,that's what we asked for.

The Vito is lower than the Transporter or Vivaroarafic, but it's longer from bumper to bulkhead.This gives the Vito driver more legroom but it also gives the cab a lower ceiling which contributes to a blind spot made worse by a chunky windscreen pillar. It blocks the view of incoming traffic at approximately 25' to the right on bends, roundabouts and someT-junctions. The lack of blind-spot or convex-section mirrors cause more blind spots on the near and offside. Most of our journeys have been on the long side; we think a driver stopping and starting on urban deliveries would be more affected by the blind spots than by the lack of space.

The driver's seat can be moved from back and low to forward and high: we'd recommend the optional fully adjustable seat.

These are all relatively minor points but after 10 months they are the only criticisms we can musterand they're outweighed by the positives The interior has strong ergonomics, plenty of leg room for the chauffeur,and room around the pedals.The parking brake, next to the clutch pedal and controlled by the left foot, is shamelessly stolen from the car design manual and is much better that the traditional version. •

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