The V-Class has, over the years, cemented itself as the top tier level when it comes to luxury MPV(“multi-purpose vehicle”) and the Mercedes-Benz V300d Special EDITION has been offered as the cherry on top in that segment. The V-Class arguably has very few contenders in the market and that gap seems to grow yearly. The V300d Special EDITION is a top of the range offering from Mercedes-Benz that has exclusively been made available for the South African market in limited, considering the popularity of the vehicle – so let’s break down what makes this one special from the line-up in this review.
Firstly, we need to address the elephant in the room – the Mercedes-Benz V-Class has been marketed as a luxury family MPV. The car essentially grew from the Vito and became the last born, model-C sibling that went to St Stithians. Be as it may that this sibling is all about luxury, they are not scared to “square up” over the weekend and slip into their rugby uniform to take on Jeppe. What does this mean? In our simple terms, it means that though the car has been marketed as “all luxury”, it does not shy away from being a practical car that can manage its fare own – like what we threw at it.
The looks have been improved in that the black trimming on the outside really makes you want to use this car for what it was meant for without the fear of scratches. The AMG style 19-inch wheels have been blacked out, which gives it a much more sophisticated look. The middle seats offer a support tray in the place of the middle seat and the seats can be rotated in a limo-style layout, but that is an entirely manual process. The middle passengers get the joy of having cup heaters/coolers available, a mini fridge has been fitted between the driver and front-passenger, there is a double-glass sunroof(that does not open fully, sighting the roof-rails) and a rocking Burmester sound system are some of the packages fitted on the Special EDITION.
The Double Century is an endurance cycle race that takes place in Swellendam that pits cycling teams together through a tough 200km’s of racing. The race also challenges the teams support team in their role to make sure that their respective teams make it to the finish line in one piece, so that means pairing with a reliable car that can handle both the team dynamics and versatility of hauling goods from one support zone to the next. Now that we have given context, let’s throw the V-Class into the mix.
We needed an MPV that will help support in terms of transporting teammates from the Cape Town airport to Swellendam, and the V300d Special EDITION handled that very well. The V-Class can take up to 7 passengers and the bonus on the Special EDITION, in the form of a special designed roof box that was developed in a wind tunnel, meant that we can utilize the boot space for 2 medium-size bike bags and the luggage moving to the roof. The AMG-branded roof box is not just for show, but it has a practical use. When empty, one can hardly hear the drag that after-market roof boxes create whilst driving on the open road and there is not significant impact to the drive of the vehicle. The roof-box can take up to 72L of luggage, which frees up space from the rest of the vehicle – a win in our books.
The drive was better than expected, for an MPV that is. It was comfortable drive from the city to Swellendam, an even better drive when taking on the Malgas gravel roads but a huge eye opener on race day when we had to slip the car into Sport mode to tackle our support duties. The car genuinely performed in its own element in that you would not feel that it is 2m high(minus the roof-box) and it handled like a Mercedes-Benz should; like a dream. The economy was also surprising as we averaged 8.2L/100KM and estimated that it would cost around R1800 to fill the 70L diesel tank.
Lastly, the one thing that anyone would ask – is it worth the R2,3Million asking price? That’s debatable. It’s no secret that the V-Class desperately needs a ‘fresh’ upgrade in the interior much like other Mercedes-Benz models that has since gone under the knife in the production line, but it’s not to say that it’s not practical. We would’ve requested that there be USB ports in the other seats, but it seems like the front of the car is the one place where there are the most benefits.
All V-Class vehicles come with a standard 5 year/100 000KM manufacture warranty, with the addition that customers can purchase a PremiumDrive plan as an option. And with all of that, the V300d Special EDITION stands out as being the most expensive people carrier in South Africa.
| Model | Price Tag(From) |
| V220 d | R 1 308 403 |
| V250 d | R 1 397 793 |
| V300 d | R 1 785 396 |
| V300 d Special EDITION | R 2 286 303 |
