Mercedes-Benz V-Class MPV launched in India

Mercedes-Benz India has launched their premium V-Class MPV today in India. It has been priced at Rs. 68.40 lakhs (ex-showroom) for the base Expression variant while the top Exclusive variant has been priced at Rs. 81.90 lakhs (ex-showroom). There are only two variants being offered and the it is the only premium luxury MPV on sale in India right now. It was first revealed in December that Mercedes-Benz is planning to bring the V-Class MPV here and some time later, the company confirmed the date of launch.

The Expression variant is the extra long wheelbase variant with with a total length of 5370 mm and wheelbase of 3430 mm. The Exclusive variant, which is more expensive, measures 5140 mm in length and has a wheelbase of 3200 mm. Both 6 and 7 seat versions of the MPV are available in India.

The second-row seats on the MPV can also be rotated towards the door which is quite convenient. Also, the seats can also be rotated to 180-degrees and the passengers can sit facing each other. The main difference among the two variants is in the wheelbase and length of the vehicle.

Talking about the design of the vehicle, Mercedes has done a decent job to make the V-Class look smart. The exteriors get sweptback LED headlamps, wide grille with Mercedes logo upfront along with a modern designed bumper and LED tail lights give it a decent appearance.

The interiors are quite plush and borrow bits from the likes of the S-Class among other Mercedes vehicles. Nappa Leather and wood are used extensively on the car and the interior design is very refreshing to say the least. It also comes loaded with safety tech such as attention assist, crosswind assist, headlight assist, tyre pressure monitoring systems, active parking assist, 360-degree cameras and six-airbags as standard.

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class is powered by a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine from the OM654 engine family that powers the current C-Class and the E-Class. The common rail injection diesel engine which features a single turbocharger produces 158 Bhp of power along with 350 Nm of torque. The engine is paired to a 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox. The MPV gets does the 0-100 km/h run in just 10.9 seconds, which is pretty decent considering the heft of the vehicle.

As of now, there is no competition of any sort for the Mercedes-Benz V-Class. The closest most expensive proper MPV on sale is the Toyota Innova Crysta, which is nowhere close to the V-Class when it comes to the luxury and features on offer as well as in terms of price. However, speculations are rife that Toyota is also planning to bring its premium Alphard MPV to India. Nothing is confirmed on the same as of now tough. Also, even if Toyota will bring the Alphard to India, it is not be happening anytime soon. Therefore, if you want a vehicle with oodles of space and unmatched comfort but don’t like the idea of buying a SUV, the V-Class is the perfect car for you.