Mercedes-Benz V-Class Review 2024

If you have a big family to carry around a lot of the time or you’re a captain of industry too busy to waste travelling time, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is the MPV for you. In standard form, it comes with seven seats, so you can pack in the kids and granny in plenty of comfort.

The higher spec models come with seven seats or you can opt for fewer seats again to create more space to lounge around in, while longer body versions have eight seats as standard. There’s a plethora of options to make the cabin more opulent, as well as three body lengths to help accommodate people and luggage to huge degree.

There’s only one engine option in the Mercedes V-Class, but the 2.0-litre turbo diesel is available in higher and lower power outputs. The less potent version is ideal for most needs, while the higher powered version is a bit of a closet hot hatch thanks to its turn of speed. Both come with a slick nine-speed auto as standard.

Let’s be blunt here: which Mercedes-Benz V-Class model you choose will have a lot to do with the depth of your pockets. Prices start high for the standard length Sport model and go up considerably from there. We’d take the Sport version as it has eight seats as standard, giving the maximum seating and luggage versatility.

For body length, the Extra Long model is the one to have as it offers up more space for luggage and for the seats to arranged for the most legroom. However, if you spend more time driving in town and need to park in compact space, the standard wheelbase model will make more sense.

For the drivetrain, the V 220 d is all you really need and has the slick nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard. While it would be enjoyable to have the extra pace of the V 300 d, its £4000 premium for the extra power is hard to justify for most drivers.

Volkswagen’s Caravelle is the natural rival for the Mercedes-Benz V-Class as not only does it have the seating to match the Merc, it has the badge appeal. Like the Mercedes V-Class, the Volkswagen is expensive to buy, but offsets this with strong residual values and a very comfortable cabin.

The Citroen SpaceTourer and Peugeot Traveller are more affordable alternatives to the Mercedes and both drive very well. The Toyota Proace Verso is another one to consider, though it does not quite hide its van origins as well as the Mercedes in the way it drives.

Ford’s Tourneo Custom is the other big player in this equally big van-based MPV sector. It’s good to drive and more affordable than the Mercedes, but it doesn’t have the same classy feel.

Mercedes has taken the quality of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class very seriously, as you would hope with an MPV that has asking prices akin to its luxury saloon models. As a result, all of the materials and the way they are put together are much the same as you would find in an Mercedes-Benz S-Class limo and there are barely any traces of the V-Class’ van roots.

This impression of high quality is underlined by the design of the main instruments, dash and centre console. The dials in the dash binnacle are simple and easy to read, while the usual multi-function column stalk found in most Mercedes is easy to use with very little familiarity. On the right side of the steering column is the gear lever, which helps declutter the centre area of the dash.

The infotainment screen sits proud of the dash in the modern style and is easy to view and use. There is a mouse-style controller for this in the centre of the raised console with shortcut buttons and, again, it’s one of the simplest to use out of any car we’ve tried.

Mercedes now provides its MBUX 7-inch infotainment screen in every Mercedes-Benz V-Class model. It’s a very simple system to get to grips with and can be operated using the touchscreen or voice commands with the ‘Hey Mercedes’ inputs. Functions that can be used in this way include the hands-free phone, music and satellite navigation destinations.

Another clever feature with the infotainment is you can simply say to it that you feel a bit cold and it will automatically increase the temperature of the climate control. It also learns your handwriting when you use the screen so the system becomes more personalised to you.

In a similar fashion, the MBUX also recognises regular routes on the sat-nav, which radio stations you prefer and popular music choices. As a result, it predicts what you want and makes suggestions based on this. It also lets you know when the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is due a service and how long it is until this is needed.

This is the Mercedes-Benz V-Class’ area of expertise and much of it is thanks to the generous size of this MPV regardless of whether you choose the standard, long or extra long models. 

The standard model is 4895mm long, 2249mm wide and 1907mm tall, the long model is 5140mm long and the extra long model is 5370mm long. 

If you choose the standard body, you get seven seats arranged in a 2-2-3 format which allows for plenty of legroom for all in the car.

The Long and Extra-Long models have eight seats as standard, set out in a 2-3-3 pattern, again with loads of space for passengers to spread out. Even with a full complement of adults, the V-Class offers up more than enough room for everyone to sit without feeling squished up next to their neighbour.

It’s possible to remove any or all of the rear seats of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class and also to reposition them to configure the back part of the cabin to suit your own needs. This is a great option, but it comes with the caveat that its rear chairs are heavy to move or remove, so make sure you have some help on hand when doing this.

Getting in and out of the V-Class passenger compartment is simplicity itself through the electrically sliding side doors. They leave a big gap for you to walk through and into the car, while gaining entry to the third row is easy too thanks to the outer middle chairs tipping forward more than enough to create a generous corridor to walk past.

Head round to the boot and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class has the ability to cope with passengers’ luggage even when all of the seats are in use. In this way, the standard model offers up 610-litres of load capacity, which is more than most large estate cars. Opt for the Extra-Long model and that number goes up to 1410-litres. Or, you could remove the seats and have anything from 4200-litres all the way up to 5010-litres of cargo carrying ability.

One word of caution when using the V-Class’ boot, though. Due to the length of the tailgate, you need a fair amount of clear space behind the car to open the boot safely. Still, you can access the boot through the opening rear screen and, with the full hatch open, the opening is huge.

Mercedes replaced the previous 2.1-litre turbodiesel engine in the Mercedes-Benz V-Class at the beginning of 2019 with the much smoother and more refined 2.0-litre unit as found in the company’s saloon range. This motor is a big step on in every respect and comes in 163- and 239PS forms, giving buyers the choice between very acceptable pace and something really quite surprising.

With the 163PS unit, the Mercedes V-Class feels perfectly able to deal with town, country and motorway work without ever feeling strained. There’s ample lowdown shove and it works up to higher speeds with an assured sense of purpose. It’s only if you really floor the accelerator pedal that this engine takes on a slightly dowdy nature, but you’re unlikely to drive the V-Class in this manner.

Choose the 239PS version of the 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine and the Mercedes V-Class becomes an unexpectedly quick machine. It will cover off 0-62mph in as little as 7.8 seconds, which is nigh on hot hatch pace and will give most executive and luxury saloons a good run for their money. It’s every bit as smooth as the lower power unit, so the only real downside to picking this engine is the additional cost, though some might reckon it's money well spent in the Extra-Long model when fully laden with people and luggage.

Both engines come with a nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox as standard, and this is the only transmission choice. It’s a very slick transmission that slips from one gear to the next with no noticeable hesitation.

It may be an MPV but the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is also a car with luxury travel in mind, so it’s a good thing that its engines are both very hushed in everyday driving conditions. Press them to give maximum acceleration and there’s a tell-tale hint of diesel gruffness to their sound, but it’s far from a deal-breaker.

In town and on the motorway, both engine options in the Mercedes V-Class are refined and easy to live with. There are no vibrations from the engine felt inside the cabin or through the driver’s controls. Also, the steering and pedals work with well-judged weight and heft to their actions.

At higher speeds, the V-Class is impressively quiet as wind and road noise are both kept to a minimum inside the car. This is doubly impressive given the size of the V-Class cabin and its van origins given that some rivals with a similar basis can suffer from reverberations that can make conversation between those in the front and rear seats difficult.

The Mercedes V-Class also has dials and buttons that all work with a panache that’s not found in any other MPV, which is a fair expectation given the Mercedes’ prices.

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class comes with twin front, side and curtain airbags, but it must be remembered that these are for the front two occupants only. However, the V-Class still scores an impressive 93 per cent mark for adult occupant safety and 87 per cent for child safety, contributing to a five-star rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2015.

As well as ESP traction and stability control, the V-Class comes with Active Brake Assist as standard on all UK-supplied cars. This detects a possible hazard ahead and applies the brakes for an emergency stop if it senses the driver has not reacted. All but the Exclusive trim also come with Active Parking Assist to help slot the Mercedes into a parking bay. The Exclusive makes up for this with the Parking Package plus Blind Spot Assist, Distance Pilot Distronic, Lane Keeping Assist and Pre-Safe. All of that helps the Exclusive avoid coming into contact with other vehicles.

Every Mercedes V-Class has Attention Assist to warn the driver of possible fatigue and you also get Hill Start Assist to stop the car from rolling backwards on inclines. A tyre pressure monitor is included and Mercedes also fits Sidewind Assist to help with stability at higher speeds in crosswinds.

Mercedes-Benz generally performs well for reliability, ranking 13th out of 30 manufacturers in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index with an overall satisfaction score of 87.9%.

Given its size, price and opulent specification, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is not ever going to be a cheap car to get cover for. The V 220 d Sport in standard length sits in group 38, which is similar to a Mercedes E300d estate.

If you’d rather head upmarket with the V-Class on your driveway, the V300d Exclusive Extra-Long falls into group 43 for insurance. This puts it on a par with a number of luxury saloons and adds to the high running costs of this model.

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class had its carbon dioxide emissions reassessed in April 2020 for UK Vehicle Excise Duty. This saw a V220d’s CO2 figure rise from 158g/km to 197g/km under WLTP testing. As a consequence, the cost of road tax also leapt up and was not helped by the V-Class costing over the £40,000 threshold. So, a V220d Sport will set you back £1815 for first-year VED.

For the five years following this first payment, the V-Class will be charged £474 per year for road tax.

The range kicks off with the Mercedes-Benz V-Class Sport that comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lights and Agility Control suspension. There’s a reverse parking camera with the Active Parking Assist, powered tailgate, rear privacy glass and, for the Long model, a panoramic glass sunroof. 

Electric sliding side rear doors are standard, while inside there are heated front seats, Nappa leather upholstery for its seven seats, climate control, and the MBUX multimedia infotainment system with Hey Mercedes voice recognition. Long and Extra-Long models have eight seats.

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class AMG Line model adds bigger 19-inch wheels and a sporty body kit, metallic paint and a ‘diamond’ grille. AMG sports seats are fitted in the front, along with carbon fibre-effect dash trim inserts.

Opt for the top level Mercedes-Benz V-Class Exclusive and you benefit from the Driving Assistance pack with its 360-degree camera. Front occupants enjoy seats with a massage function, and there’s also a fridge in the centre console and Burmester surround sound stereo.