South Africans generally love their vans. But there is one in particular they arguably love just a little more than the others.
The fondness for the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is easy to grasp. The German manufacturer is after all the only premium brand to play in this space. That in itself is rather baffling, as the premium carmakers go to great lengths in denying rivals a bigger slice of cake that is sometimes far smaller than the van segment.
While the VW Caravelle, Toyota Quantum VX and top-spec Hyundai Staria Executive can challenge lower end V-Class derivatives pound for pound in some areas, they have no answer for the hitting power of the heavyweight Mercedes-Benz V300d.
Mercedes-Benz V300d in a league of its ownProducing 174kW of power and 500Nm of torque, the V300d four-cylinder turbodiesel engine offers the most powerful production powertrain on offer in the world of vans. Not only is it 28kW/50Nm more than its closest rival the Caravelle, but also 50kg lighter at 2 145kg than the VW bus . Counting slightly in the Caravelles favour is the fact that it is all-wheel drive compared to the rear-wheel drive V-Class.
Not content with the V300d already being in a league of its own, Mercedes-Benz Vans South Africa last year upped the ante with the introduction of the Special Edition . A South Africa-exclusive limited-edition variant of the Mercedes-Benz V300d the manufacturer calls the most exclusive ever released. It is most likely the last version of the current model that will make way for its already-launched replacement locally in the next 12 months.
