Mercedes-Benz Vito 119 Crew Cab 2018 review

The Crew Cab is based on the rear-wheel drive Vito MWB body with 3200mm wheelbase, 5140mm length and 1928mm width. MacPherson strut front and coil-spring semi-trailing arm rear suspension has disc brakes on all wheels and an impressively tight 11.8-metre turning circle.

Large sliding doors with fixed windows provide ample side access to the 60/40-split rear seats plus there’s a single lift-up tailgate for the cargo zone. For those wanting forklift access, optional twin-swing rear barn doors with a full 270-degrees opening are also available ($650). The cargo bay’s internal walls and sliding doors are fully lined and the wooden cargo floor is finished with a hard-wearing and easy-to-clean surface.

The forward cabin has a modern look and spacious feel with large doors that swing wide open for easy entry and exit, although a grab handle on the passenger-side window pillar would be helpful.

The forward cabin has a modern look and spacious feel. (image credit: Mark Oastler)

The optional leather steering wheel is as good as you’ll find in a prestige car and the dashboard design is clean and uncluttered, with lots of textured plastic surfaces and tasteful satin chrome highlights. There’s also plenty of room for the driver’s left foot without the need for a dedicated footrest.  

Rear seat passengers get fold-down armrests on the two outer seating positions but none in the centre. There’s plenty of leg and head room for tall passengers and the backrest angle is adjustable, but the base cushions feel a bit short and three adults can fight for shoulder room depending on their size.

Rear seat passengers get fold-down armrests on the two outer seating positions. (image credit: Mark Oastler)

The driver and front passenger seat base cushions also feel a tad short to maintain comfortable thigh support on longer journeys, although admittedly these tend to be short in vans to make multiple entry/exit as easy as possible on busy work days. 

Inboard fold-down armrests and adjustable lumbar support for the front seats are available, but only as yet another factory option (Comfort Seat Pack $718). A bit rich, given that these features are standard on some lower-priced rivals. The foot-operated parking brake with its harsh spring-loaded release is also overdue for an update to the latest button-operated electric type.

Our test vehicle was the Vito 119 Crew Cab with ‘119’ signifying that it offers the most powerful and torquey of two turbo-diesel engine options with a bountiful 140kW/440Nm. The only transmission available is a sweet-shifting seven-speed automatic. 

The Vito’s starting price of $53,336, which largely reflects its prestigious three-pointed star breeding, is considerably higher than rivals including the Renault Trafic Crew Lifestyle ($46,780), Hyundai iLoad Crew auto ($43,790) and Toyota HiAce Crew auto ($42,130). 

Such a big spend brings numerous standard features including single-zone climate control air-con, multi-function and height/reach-adjustable steering wheel, two-speaker audio system with 5.8-inch control screen and multiple connectivity (including Bluetooth audio streaming and phonebook support), reversing camera, heated (demisting) door mirrors, cruise control, full-size spare and more.

The Vito comes with a full-size spare tyre. (image credit: Mark Oastler)

Our sharp-looking test vehicle also featured several factory options including 'Obsidian Black' metallic paint ($1355), Driving Assistance Package (collision prevention assist, blind-spot assist, lane-keeping assist, rain sensor $1,455), Exclusive 119 Package (17-inch alloy wheels with 225/55R17 tyres, LED intelligent light system, leather steering wheel, rain sensor, colour-coding $4,818) and window tinting ($355). That brings the total spend to $61,319 which is line-ball with top-shelf dual cab utes like Ford’s XLT-based Ranger Wildtrak ($61,790) and Toyota’s SR5-based Hilux TRD ($61,540).

And you can spend even more on a multitude of other factory options, including a cabin bulkhead with fixed window that mounts directly behind the second row of seats to separate the cabin and noisy cargo bay ($1173). This is one factory option we would insist on, for reasons revealed in our review.

For a van, it’s surprisingly comfortable and enjoyable to drive, with well-tuned suspension that provides a nice mix of supple ride quality, responsive handling and load-carrying ability. Steering feel is excellent and the tight 11.8-metre turning circle is one of its best features. All-round vision is good with decent-sized mirrors and a reversing camera.

The refined 2.1 litre twin-turbo engine has shove-in-the-back throttle response and unrelenting urge across its 1400-2400rpm peak torque band, which is particularly useful in busy city and suburban driving. 

The auto’s seven well-spaced gears provide excellent engine efficiency and economy, particularly at highway speeds with only 1700rpm at 100km/h and 1900rpm at 110km/h. 

The stalk-activated cruise control is the best we’ve used, with a simple one-step engagement that also maintains the set speed on downhills.

We strapped 710kg into the cargo bay which with a driver was a combined payload of just over 800kg, or about 100kg less than the 895kg maximum rating. The coil-spring rear suspension compressed only 44mm under this load, with no bottoming-out over bumps or significant change in handling, steering or front brake effectiveness. 

There is 3.6 cubic metres of load volume in the back. (image credit: Mark Oastler)

We weren’t surprised to see it arrogantly dismiss our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km long set climb, easily maintaining 60km/h in fourth gear at 2000rpm with the right shoe barely touching the accelerator pedal all the way to the top with more than 800kg on board. Most impressive.

Our only major criticism, which is common to all commercial vans, is the jet engine-like roar from the rear tyres through exposed wheel arches. It’s noticeable at low speeds and becomes unacceptably intrusive and tiring at highway speeds, with conversations between front and rear occupants requiring considerably raised voices. We reckon the optional rear bulkhead is a must-have, not only to reduce these noise levels but also serve as a cargo barrier.

Mercedes offers a three year/100,000km warranty with 24/7 roadside assist. 

Service interval is 25,000km/12 months, whichever comes first. Capped price servicing for the first three years is $556 (25,000km/12 months), $1112 (50,000km/24 months) and $1112 (75,000km/36 months).