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The X factor
Page 52
Page 53
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Mercedes-Benz has tweaked its Vito Sport, added some trick toys, spiced up its engine and given it a Brabus bodykit, among other mods, but is there a market for this van? We find out.
Words: Colin Barnett
If the 150hp Sport version of the Vito (CM 21 February) isn't enough for you, Mercedes-Benz has the answer. Enter the Vito 120 Sport-X. The headline features include a 201hp 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine mated to a five-speed fully automatic transmission, Brabus alloy wheels, bodykit and leather seats. Add most of the goodies from the regular Vito options list and you're getting close to the Sport-X.
But is there a demand for a medium van with more than 200hp and a modest sprinkling of tiling? It's a question we asked and so, apparently, did Daimler UK's market planners. They tentatively ordered an initial batch of 25 vehicles, and were probably as surprised as us when these sold like proverbial PS3s — within hours. Mercedes went on to sell 127 in the latter months of 2007, and another 96 have found homes in the first five months of 2008. Niche figures, admittedly, but still worth doing.
The Sport-X comes as a 2,770kg GVW van or as a 2,940kg Dualiner, which is the one driven here, and there's also a choice of compact or long body versions. Standard paint is a hard-to-miss Magma Red, with metallic silver and black as options. There's also plenty of colour-coded and chrome bits to ensure it stands out from the herd, while special Sport-X badges on the doors succeed in underlining that point.
The target markets are fairly clearly defined. comprising of image-conscious operators looking for a van to make a statement, and small operators who want a multi-purpose vehicle to act as a weekday goods hauler and a weekend leisure accessory. To highlight the second function, Mercedes set up an exercise to demonstrate its versatility in a typical scenario.
We drove the five-seater Dualiner down to Bristol's M-B truck dealership. Commercial Motors (South West), where we were handed a shiny new Suzuki enduro bike. With an easy bit of interior rearrangement, moving the left-hand second row seat to the right-hand, third row position, the bike was wheeled aboard and all the doors were closed. This left room for five occupants in comfy leather chairs and a fair bit of kit — even in our Compact version. The array of seat-mounting points and tie-down rings allow a flexible but safe interior configuration. Thus prepared, we set off to the Wheeldon Farm off-road bike centre in Devon for a practical test. The next 24 hours are worth a story all to themselves, but suffice to say we survived a beginner's course in motocross and trail riding, even managing a difficult river crossing known locally as 'Captain Calamity's Crossing'. On the return journey, with new-found muscle groups having been cruelly used and abused, the very comfortable seat and — in particular — smooth-shifting automatic transmission were greatly appreciated.
Packed with driver aids
Needless to say, running at the full gross weight of 2,940kg sees a power-to-weight ratio of nearly 70hp/ tonne. Even in Devon, there's little terrain to trouble the V6 — the only limiting factor being your conscience. The auto gearbox didn't impair the performance one bit. Indeed, such is the raw grunt provided by 440Nm of torque that it would probably be unpleasantly tiresome to drive with manual gears. While we didn't have the opportunity to obtain accurate fuel figures, previous experience and the trip computer suggest that mid-30s should be easily achievable once the novelty wears off.
Similar to all Vitos, the Sport-X comes with a full complement of electronic chassis aids as standard, including the ASR traction control and ESP stability control. These features make such a vehicle possible. Without them, we doubt if Stuttgart's product liability lawyers would let the van out of the factory.
As it is, these little gizmos intervene unobtrusively to modulate the driver's enthusiasm. The only real negative dynamic quality was that on some surfaces, notably the concrete A30 past Exeter airport, road noise from the 245/45 R18 Continental tyres was enough to defeat the otherwise impressive audio capabilities of the COMAND colour radio/CD/sat-nay system.
We'll be the first to readily acknowledge the fact that the Vito Sport-X is not for everyone.
To be honest, though, the four-cylinder Vito 115CDI provides almost as much real-world performance as the V6 120CDI, and those who do need the extra performance can have it in a plain vanilla van or Dualiner. But for a couple of hundred buyers a year, the Sport-X's existence will be appreciated. le