The new V-Class luxury minibus range dropped the Viano name that distanced it from the more commercial Vito versions when the all new model was launched last year, and it's a huge step forward from the older bus.
The styling is less boxy, especially at the front end, and the lights and trim are all car-like. Mercedes-Benz prefers to refer to the V-Class as a large car rather than a minibus or van, and once ensconced behind the steering wheel it's easy to see why.
Plush leather, classy aluminium and realistic faux walnut give it a very upmarket look and feel, while the passenger section's matching trim looks like it was lifted from an executive jet.
In the test car the second row of two seats was reversed to face the three rear ones, and there's a centre console that houses two flaps that can be lifted and flipped horizontally like those on aircraft to provide a neat table between the two rows of passengers. The seats offer enormous adjustment via long rails running most of the length of the bus, allowing juggling of the space allocated to passengers or luggage to suit different circumstances. It all gives a real business-class feel to the passenger compartment and you're more likely to see Dom Perignon bottles and 24-karat gold Almas caviar tins than Coke cans and fast-food cartons hurtling out of this bus's windows at the traffic lights.
The dash looks as if it comes straight from the C-Class with its steering wheel, instrument and switchgear locations. There's also the familiar COMAND infotainment system with its somewhat clumsy touch control pad over the rotary dial. Although you're located in a pretty superior position high above the surrounding traffic, the Germans have given the V-Class a pretty luxury car-like feel.
The range-topping V250 Avantgarde version as sent to us comes with a lively 140kW/440Nm version of the 2,143cc four-cylinder turbodiesel engine used across the range, although the lesser models offer considerably less power and torque.
That's good enough for a 0-100 km/h time (claimed) of around nine seconds and a top speed of 206km/h, which is pretty lively for a bus and would have been considered brisk for a sports sedan a couple of decades ago.
It's mated to a seven-speed 7G-TRONIC auto gearbox with shift paddles on the steering wheel and the combination works well.
The Merc is lively and comfortable and tracks well for what it is, although the 19" rims shod with stylish and sporty but vulnerable 245/45-R19 rubber add some noise and harshness to the ride. And while we're on noise - the air-conditioning unit seemed inordinately noisy for a vehicle of this calibre, but that may have been unique to this bus.
Fuel consumption is good - the factory optimistically claims just 6.0 litres/100km, but I averaged 10 litres/100km, without going to any trouble to conserve diesel.
Being the flagship model, the V250 Avantgarde comes standard with an impressive range of features. These include just about all the electronic safety gubbins you've ever heard of plus a few like Lane-Keep Assist, Collision Prevention Assist, Blind Spot Assist and a 360 degree camera view.
The V250 Avantgarde is the most luxurious vehicle in its class. At R984,186 it's expensive, but then, so are its rivals, and it's also significantly livelier than the rest. And compared to the Almas caviar mentioned earlier it's dirt cheap. The caviar will set you back around R352,000 for a kilogram, versus the R450/kg price of the V250 Avantgarde!
