Test Drive Mercedes Benz VaNeo W414 2002 - 2006 Minivan

Fun for

Mercedes remains a Mercedes even when he has a front-wheel drive, sliding doors, inside the ficuses, dogs, and call him VaNeo.
Sitting on the driver's seat and running the engine, I completely accidentally discovered that I forgot to close both rear doors - they have Vaneo sliding, and in the mirrors this oversight is practically not visible. It was too lazy to get out, and I entered as the driver of the minibus of the Gazelle's minibus: I clicked on gas and immediately on the brake - the doors shut down the door. Funny, - perhaps, it is this word that you can designate the feeling that I left the Mercedes-Benz VaNeo.
Show car. This minivan is easily confused in front with A-Klasse, except for Vaneo glass. If you look at the side, then similarities are observed only before the front rack, then - almost a bus: Vaneo is 20 cm above and almost half a meter is longer than Stretch on the A-class base. Places on the sides even enough to apply images of ficus, dogs and other means of outdoor activities. Any patterns, in our opinion, a car spoil, but here the case is special - the show-car you got to explain to us to Russians, why do they need such a car. But more on that later.
To sit on the front seats is very convenient - and the door is wide, and you do not need to bow. It is even more convenient to sit - with an increase in 186 cm I even had to move the chair, which, by the way, the adjustments turned out to be more than in A-Klasse. And how much space above your head! One but. The windshield in Vaneo is simply huge, but dusty - tiny. And if they lick everything well from the driver's side, then with the passenger - hardly two thirds in height. Steering wheel, instruments, mechanical gear knob - everything has passed in inheritance from the smallest Mercedes.
A visit to the second row left as a pleasant impression: comfortable, spacious, flawlessly in terms of the quality of materials and their articulation. Let us only a few comments. Open the sliding door outside is not too convenient - the handle requires intricate key exercises. And further. Rear clearly lacks fresh air. Side glasss are not lowered - although I do not remember that someone could do them in the sliding doors opening. In the ceiling there is a hatch, but this is, sorry, the price option is $ 1050. A little bit of opening can be the highest windows - for this, there are two buttons on the central tunnel, but before pressing them, another $ 220 should be paid. True, there are still slots of the interior ventilation system, cut directly in the rear lights.
The back door is huge, and to open it, you need to go back. I probably preferred asymmetric swing doors, which are offered as an option for $ 520.
You pack. The main trump card VaNeo, according to the place of marketers of the company, in its hyper-universality. The buyer is invited to choose from three execution lines: Trend, Ambiente or Family - depending on whether the owner will want to turn the car to a representative minivan with a leather interior and overlaps under a tree or stop at the family with transforming from adults to children's seats, additional intra-alone Mirror so that the driver can graze behind the child ??, and a night light that does not interfere with sleep. Plus Mercedes offers five additional packages of the configuration on Vaneo. Bike - with fasteners for bicycles, SNOW and SURF - for skiers and surfers, respectively, Dog, which will help reliably fix the dog on the trip, and Carry - with a large box for seedlings. All this is the purest PR water. After all, besides Dog, it was possible to come up with a Hot-Dog package - with a microwave for heating sausages, and besides Snow, to develop a Snow-ball - with a fridge, in order to play in the heat you could play snowballs.
Be that as it may, the Mercedes assure that there are 768 options for saturation and transformation VaNeo. Of course, we did not count, but you can really a lot here. Put two additional children's seats in the trunk for $ 460 per piece. Or save $ 760, having bought the joy of wholesaler - VaNeo with all over two armchairs ahead and a cargo compartment with a volume of almost three and a half cubic meter with absolutely smooth floor. From the trunk can leave the platform facilitating the load and wallet of the owner by $ 490. Plus a bunch of additional gloves, boxes, grids and tables ...
Rent me, Vanya, on the tractor. On our car stood the strongest motor of the four stipulated on VaNeo - gasoline 1.9 with a capacity of 125 hp On low revs it can be confused with a-class 1,4 - the minivan is not in a hurry at all. But if you turn up to 3 thousand rpm., Then on Vaneo, you can even cheerfully jump out of a number in a row. The transmissions are switched simply amazing - however, other from Mercedes we did not wait. Vaneo turns passes without noticeable rolls, but such a sports suspension is not too comfortable makes himself felt on the bumps - punches her pretty.
The comments will allow you to make this. The thickness and slope of the front left rack flashes overview when turning. We still almost failed a parkingonic. In traffic, he perfectly felt the neighbors on the vehicle, he kept in full, and under a plastic tide on the torpedo, red eyes were lit. But in Parking, he did not see the border, and from the confusion there was practically the absence of the Vaneo of the Front Swamp - in the stone we pounded the tire, and not a bumper. And further. No respect for the road: rubbed and cut, as if we were not going on Mercedes, but on a delivering van of domestic production.
So that it was. In the last unreasonable waiting, our main mistake was probably wounded. After all, what for Russian man Mercedes? This is a prestigious sedan, preferably dark color, with impeccable driving comfort, one of which is a respectful space that is left on the road different undercurrents. And we sometimes have to forget that Mercedes is also a truck tractor with a 571-strong engine, and the Travego super-modern bus, which, as the hotel, is given four stars. And once cars with a three-beam star can be transported and crushed stone, and fifty tourists, then something addressed to fake and dog breeding should be provided in the model range.
 
Text Dmitry Gronsky, photo Alexey Ilyin
Model / Modification Mercedes-Benz VaNeo
Firm Manufacturer / Country Daimlerchrysler / Germany
BODY
Type Minivan.
Number of doors / seats 5/5 (7 - option)
ENGINE
Type gasoline with multipoint electronic injection
Location in front, transversely
Working volume (cube. Cm) 1898
Number / Cylinder Location 4 / Angle
Power, kW (hp) with rpm. / Min. 92 (125) at 5500
Moment (nm at rpm) 180 at 4000
TRANSMISSION
Drive front
Gearbox mechanical, 5-speed
SUSPENSION
Front / rear independent, such as MacPherson / semi-dependent, on longitudinal levers
STEERING
Type of gear-rail with electric power
Min. The diameter of the reversal (M) 11.8
Torkemose
Front / rear disc ventilated / disk
ABS 4-channel, ESP
Sizes / Volume / Weight
Length / Width / Height (mm) 4190/1740/1830
Wheel base (mm) 2900
Mass Curb (kg) 1300
Tires 195/55 R15
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed (km / h) 181
Acceleration up to 100 km / h (sec.) 10.8
Economy
Middle fuel consumption (city / highway, l / 100 km) 6.7 / 10.7
Price in Moscow from $ 26.5 thousand

 

A source: "Autopilot"