A new player is coming to the commercial van market in the United States. It is the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris (aka Vito in Europe). It will go on sale in October of 2015 and will come in two variants: cargo and passenger vans. There will be one wheelbase, one roof height, and rear-wheel-drive only when it launches in the US.
It has a surprise under the hood. You would think it’s a turbo-diesel engine, same as the bigger Sprinter van. No, it is actually a 2.0-liter gasoline turbo engine that is related to that used in the Mercedes C-class. It has been tuned for commercial duty and produces 208 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. It is backed by a 7-speed automatic transmission, but EPA rating is not available at the time of this writing.
The cargo version of the Metris starts at $28,950 (not including destination charge).
Check out this 2016 Metris dealer ordering guide for all the options and pricing details.
Check out the full interview with Bernie Glaser – President of Mercedes-Benz Van division, and get all the details.
