Genuinely considered one of my favourite issues about touring to Europe is attending to experience in Mercedes-Benz V-Class vans. The V-Class is the passenger model of the Metris industrial van we get within the U.S., and they’re severely luxurious. Some variations have a rear-facing second row of seats that makes conversing with your folks straightforward whereas others have fancy captain’s chairs, and the V-Class has all the posh options you’d anticipate from a Benz. They’re approach higher to experience in than one thing like an Escalade or a typical luxurious sedan, particularly when you’re with a gaggle of individuals. Fortunately, the U.S. will lastly get the V-Class with the absolutely electrical next-generation mannequin, which Mercedes is now teasing for the primary time.
The following V-Class will use Mercedes’ new VAN.EA platform, a modular electrical structure that may underpin each new Mercedes van, each industrial and passenger fashions. The V-Class would be the first one to debut in 2026, although its Metris (or Vito in Europe) sibling will seemingly be revealed alongside it or comply with quickly after. Because the VAN.EA platform is “versatile and scalable,” it’ll be used for the smaller Citan and T-Class and the massive and massively standard Sprinter fashions, too. Each front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive shall be provided.
Mercedes launched a handful of pictures of a camouflaged V-Class prototype, and it appears to be like like, properly, a van, albeit a sleeker and brisker one. The window glazing appears to be like extra flush than the present V-Class, and it has different options like an built-in spoiler, pop-out door handles and clean underbody to eke out essentially the most vary. We will see that the V-Class can have an enormous grille like the lately facelifted V-Class and EQV, and hopefully it’ll be provided with Mercedes’ standing star hood decoration like these fashions too.
The VAN.EA platform will “permit for a transparent distinction between privately positioned vans within the luxurious section and industrial vans throughout the premium section,” in response to Mercedes, with the previous class together with “VIP shuttles to luxurious and spacious limousines tailor-made for patrons with the best calls for.” Not solely will there nonetheless be an expensive V-Class mannequin that’s completely suited to be a high-end taxi, resort shuttle or household automobile, however Mercedes will lastly be making a Maybach mannequin from the manufacturing unit.
Aftermarket fake Maybach conversions for Metrises and V-Lessons have turning into more and more standard in recent times, particularly within the U.S., and Mercedes is seeking to money in on that demand. Hell, Kim Kardashian owns one! Earlier this 12 months on the eSprinter drive occasion I chatted with an exec from Benz’s vans division who stated the aim isn’t to take advantage of luxurious van attainable, however essentially the most luxurious automobile, interval. The van form will permit designers and engineers to actually maximize the quantity of lounge area, much more so than what you get in a Maybach S-Class or GLS. Such ultra-luxury vans have grow to be mega standard in China, the place some even have partitions with big TV screens and lodging that rival one of the best personal jets.
Earlier this summer time Mercedes took a specifically constructed prototype from Stuttgart to the North Cape to check the VAN.EA’s battery, chassis and powertrain. Present street testing is specializing in “the interplay of all parts throughout the automobile,” and subsequent up shall be winter testing in Sweden. Mercedes hasn’t stated precisely when the V-Class will debut, solely that it will likely be popping out in 2026, so a reveal may occur sooner or later subsequent 12 months.
