The V-Class offers Mercedes quality to the super-MPV segment. Jonathan Crouch looks at the revised V220d variant.

Ten Second Review

One thing Mercedes' big V-Class isn't short of is space. As a People Carrier in the truest sense, it's only real competition comes from other large, van-based MPVs - or public transport. This is the usefully revised version of the brand's 'W447'-series model and it features a torquey 2.0-litre diesel engine with 163hp in this volume V220d variant. If you want to take up to eight people and their luggage in a vehicle that makes a very high quality statement, then this Mercedes is still a difficult option to ignore.

Background

There aren't many alternatives open to you if a really sizeable People Carrier is needed that can take seven or eight people plus all their luggage. And if that MPV must make a really sizeable statement of quality, the options reduce to just one: this Mercedes V-Class. Here, we've got a revised version of the successful 'W447'-series model. This V-Class was lightly improved in early 2024 with a slightly smarter look and more significant changes to the cabin, which gains new digital screens. The engineering's much the same though and most customers choose this car's 'OM 654'-series 2.0-litre diesel engine in the base V220d form we're looking at here, where it works with the usual 9G-TRONIC PLUS 9-speed auto gearbox. But are these minor changes enough to allow this V-Class to at last fully justify its premium pricing? Time to find out.

Driving Experience

Of all the super-large MPVs on the market, this is the one that disguises its van-based underpinnings the best. The powerplant on offer is the brand's 'OM 654'-series 2.0-litre diesel engine, available in two states of tune for V-Class buyers. Here, we're looking at the 163hp V220d variant that most will probably choose, but there's also an alternative 239hp V300d derivative that might appeal if you'll regularly be carrying heavy loads. Both powerplants now use a smooth 9G-TRONIC PLUS 9-speed auto gearbox. Mercedes has tried hard to optimise the ride and handling package that its biggest People Carrier can offer. Hence the standard 'Agility Select' system that allows you to tweak throttle response, gearchange timings and feedback from the 'Direct Steer' speed-sensitive steering to suit the way you want your V-Class to respond. Plus there's 'Agility Control' adaptive suspension, a set-up able to tweak the damping to suit road conditions. Ultimately, all these efforts aren't really enough to make the dynamic experience on offer here in any way rewarding, but the overall compromise is decently impressive by the moderate standards of the super-sized MPV class.

Design and Build

This, apparently, is the 'the Mercedes amongst MPVs'. It certainly looks quite a bit grander than anything else on offer in this segment. Especially in this revised form where there's a revised grille and bumper arrangement. As with other Mercedes cars, the front end treatment now differs according to whether you've paid the extra for plusher 'AMG Line' trim or not. Space, Mercedes tells V-Class customers, is the true definition of luxury and on that basis, this MPV must be very luxurious indeed, given its enormous square dimensions, based on huge 'Long' or 'Extra Long' body shapes. Up front, you're treated to an agreeably high and commanding driving position. Look around and you'll be pleased to note that there's nothing particularly LCV-like about the opulently finished cabin, enhanced on this revised model by a fresh dual-screen set-up with two 12.3-inch displays, plus a mouse pad as part of a redesigned centre console. Standard electric sliding doors aid entry to the rear. The way that the back of this car is specified depends of course on the seating configuration you've chosen and how you choose to position the provided chairs within it using the provided floor rails. With a 7-seat model configuration, you get two middle seats separated by a fold-out table, along with three individual seats at the very back. We tested a 8-seat cabin that gives you two rows of three-abreast rear seating.

Market and Model

There's no doubt that this is the premium choice when it comes to the market's largest segment of People Carrying MPV, with V-Class V220d pricing sitting in the £75,000 bracket - which is a quite a bit more than Mercedes was asking when we tested the original version of this 'W447'-series model back in 2015. Think in terms of an increase of around £20,000, which seems to be a bit more than inflationary. Because you can't have top 'Exclusive' trim with the V220d (you have to have the more powerful V300d powerplant for that), there's now just one trim level available ('Premium') but you can pay around £4,000 extra to have a sportier-looking 'AMG Line' package added (why?). There are now just two body shapes available. There's the 'Long' model, which is 5,140mm in length and seats up to eight; or (for around £1,000 more) the 'Extra Long' version that's 5,370mm long and also seats up to eight. Go large, we'd say. A seven-seat cabin configuration's also available, but the six-seater format's limited to the 'Exclusive' trim (so again, you've to specify the V300d engine).

Cost of Ownership

For a vehicle of this V-Class's considerable size and weight, the fuel and CO2 returns on offer from the 'OM654'-series 2.0-litre four cylinder diesel engine aren't at all bad. In this base V220d, expect a WLTP-rated combined cycle fuel return of 47mpg (meaning a decent range from the 70-litre fuel tank), together with 192-193g/km of CO2. For the alternative V300d variant, the respective figures are virtually the same - 47.8mpg and 189g/km. As you'd expect, this Euro 6d-TEMP 'OM654'-series unit meets the stringent 'RDE' ('Real Driving Emissions') standard. A lot of work's been put into this engine to achieve these kinds of returns. For a start, it's 17% lighter than the old 2.1-litre unit, plus the cylinder spacing's shorter and internal friction has been reduced by 25%. Technophobes may also want to know that there's a new stepped recessed combustion process, dynamic multi-way exhaust gas recirculation and a close-coupled exhaust gas after-treatment system.

Summary

This V-Class may occupy something of a forgotten backwater in the Mercedes product range but it's still a model that makes a lot of sense, especially in this V220d guise. In fact, assuming that you can't face budget-brand transport and don't want something that's very obviously a minibus, we'd argue that there aren't too many options to V-Class motoring if you need to transport up to eight people in the kind of style to which they'd doubtless quickly like to become accustomed. What it all boils down to is that if you want a car, buy a car. If though, you need a People Carrier, buy one that can really do the business. The V-Class is part of a small but very select breed of models answering that calling.