Mercedes-Benz is about to launch the luxury van space in the U.S. Overlanding and camper vans, especially built on the 4×4 and AWD Mercedes-Benz Sprinter platforms, are nothing new. But it’s tough to call even the best-equipped Sprinter luxurious unless you’re comparing it to a tent. The new Mercedes-Benz VLE looks to fill that gap with an electric van.
Van & Style Don’t Quite Work Together
This van won’t win many points for exterior style. It’s clearly meant to be a van through and through, with the very square shape that demands. Benz has tried to make it more stylish with the large nose first spotted on the GLC, but it doesn’t quite work on this shape. Similarly, the side glass and trim look like a sticker of a GLC Coupe’s greenhouse attached to the side of a van.
At least the shape is practical, starting with seating for up to eight passengers. Or six if you get one of the new comfort seat types that include massage and even folding tables in the rear rows.
Flexible & Comfortable Seating
If you get the manual rear seats instead of the fancy ones, you get even more flexibility. The seats can be removed in any position, and they can roll and fold to reconfigure the cargo space. Even in the garage, you can wheel them around. Pick the power seats, and you can use the infotainment screen or the app to move the seats to cargo, “executive,” and balanced modes.
409 Electric Van Horses
This is an electric van. It’s built on the latest Mercedes-Benz 800V electrical architecture, and it comes with a 115-kWh battery pack. Benz says that it should deliver 435 miles on the WLTP test cycle used in Europe, which should translate to 350-400 miles on the EPA test. Benz says it can add 220 miles of range in about 15 minutes of charging.
Mercedes-Benz will launch the VLE with two motor options to start. The VLE 300 will have 272 horsepower and a single motor. The VLE 400 4Matic will have 409 horsepower and all-wheel drive from its two motors.
The list of comfort features reads like an EQS SUV, not a van. On top of the seating options, the vans will offer air suspension that can go up or down 1.5 inches for clearance or ease of entry. It also uses Google Maps data to keep the height low on the move for more range. Rear axle steering will let it turn inside 38 feet, which Benz calls as tight as a CLA.
VLE’s safety suite includes 10 cameras, five radar sensors, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and a water-cooled computer. It has assistance for parking, steering, and braking, and will offer the MB Drive Assist Pro highway assistance system.
Screen Space for Everyone Inside
Inside, the VLE-Class will have three big screens. A 10.25-inch digital dash comes standard, with a 14-inch center display and an optional 14-inch screen for the front passenger. The passenger one lets the rider stream video or watch movies on the road, while all screens use the latest MBUX infotainment interface.
Rear seat passengers can get a massive 31.3-inch screen that folds into the headliner. With a voice command, it’ll come down out of the roof and reposition the back seats for optimal viewing. The screen has 8K resolution and can run split-screen for multiple video feeds. It has a camera for vanlife video calls, and a Burmester audio system with up to 22 speakers and Dolby Atmos.
Mercedes-Benz VLE Arrives Later This Year
Mercedes-Benz is pitching this new van at airport shuttle operators, executive transport like Uber Black, and at people who have active outdoor lifestyles but want their van comfy. That last one, especially, has us wondering how big the VLE is, but Benz isn’t saying yet.
How much, how big, and when? Those are the crucial questions, but they’re also the ones we don’t have answers to yet. Mercedes-Benz says that’s coming, and that we’ll get all the details before the VLE goes on sale later this year.
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