MB Viano 3.0 CDI Ambient
A courier in the world of business limousines, or, more simply, an elephant among china. In most cases, such a project would be practically doomed. There are not many car brands in the world that can come up with something like this. Two, maybe three. But one of them is definitely Mercedes-Benz.
Download PDF test: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz Viano 3.0 CDI Ambiente
For a van business project to be successful, at least two conditions must be met: a good foundation (read: van) and years of experience in the business limousine world. Mercedes-Benz has no problem with this, and to be honest, the idea of a luxury van is not nearly as flawed as it might seem at first glance.
Let's start. You will enter the Viana vertically, slightly tilting your upper body forward, and above all comfortably and without much tension. For business sedans like the E-Class, the story is different. The upper body is much more bent, the legs are bent, and the seating position is much less pleasant than it should be for such a sedan. This will be especially confirmed by ladies in tight skirts.
Let's keep feeling. Up front, on the two front seats, you won't notice major differences. Finally, both passengers – driver and co-driver – both have their own seat and enough space to sit comfortably. However, the difference in the rear gets bigger, especially if you opt for the Ambiente package. In this case, instead of two benches, you get four individual seats with all the necessary comfort, which can be moved in the longitudinal direction (rails), rotated and folded, the back can be adjusted as desired, each of them except for the pillow and built-in seat belts. hands ... they just do not want to carry with you.
Since they are a normal size, this means that they are quite heavy, and this is certainly not suitable for an elegant gentleman in patent leather shoes, a dress and a tie. But back to feelings. Since the Viano is designed as a single seater, this means six people in it shouldn't have space issues. If these words still bother you, you can still choose the extended one - like in the test case - or the especially long version. However, compared to the E-Class, Viano has another advantage, namely the power sliding door. You have to pay for this, as well as for the additional door on the left, but if you want to upgrade the Viana to the level of a business car, there is a surcharge for a few other things anyway.
Walnut trim accessories, leather seats, a multifunction steering wheel and automatic rear height adjustment are already included in the Ambiente package. There we do not find Thermotronica (automatic air conditioning) and Tempomatika (modernization of the ventilation system at the rear), the Command system (navigation device + TMC), heated two front seats, cruise control, a longitudinally movable folding table in the rear, roof pillars, black metallic paint and some other little things that the test car had. It is true, however, that most of these accessories also have to be paid for in the E-Class if you want to turn a regular limousine into a business class.
And why do we always compare the Viana with the E-Class? Because in both cases, very similar bases are hidden under the sheet metal. Both have all four wheels individually suspended and drive to the rear wheels, which is not the best solution for the Viano on slippery surfaces. In the nose of both times, you can hide a modern 3-liter six-cylinder engine. The only difference is that the Eji is rated at 0 CDI (280kW) and 140 CDI (320kW) and is available with a six-speed manual or seven-speed (165G-Tronic) automatic transmission, while the Viano is rated 7 CDI. ., squeezed 3.0 kW out of it and offered it with a classic five-speed automatic transmission. But because of this, driving a car is no less a “business”.
The engine does its job very well. Acceleration and top speed are exactly as expected. The gearbox isn't as tech-savvy as the Eji's, which means it reacts too harshly in emergency situations, but its character is polished for the most part. The Viano handles twisty roads well, rides nicely on motorways, reaches medium speeds easily and isn't too greedy on fuel consumption given its large front surface and rather heavy weight of over two tons.
Things that might worry you are the materials that some of the interior parts are made of and the noise is not up to class E level. But when you consider that between the prices of the E 280 CDI Classic sedan and the Viana 3.0 CDI, the trend is mostly the difference is a good 9.000 euros, then we can easily ignore these errors.
Text: Matevž Korošec, photo :? Aleš Pavletič
Mercedes-Benz Viano 3.0 CDI Ambiente
Basic data
| Sales: | AC Interchange doo |
|---|---|
| Base model price: | 44.058 € |
| Test model cost: | 58.224 € |
| Calculate the cost of auto insurance | |
| Power: | 150kW (204 KM) |
| Acceleration (0-100 km / h): | 9,7 with |
| Maximum speed: | 197 km / h |
| Mixed flow ECE: | 9,2l / 100km |
Technical information
| engine: | 6-cylinder - 4-stroke - in-line - direct injection turbodiesel - displacement 2.987 cm3 - maximum power 150 kW (204 hp) at 3.800 rpm - maximum torque 440 Nm at 1.600–2.400 rpm. |
|---|---|
| Energy transfer: | front wheel drive engine - 5-speed automatic transmission - tires 225/55 R 17 V (Continental ContiWinterContact M + S) |
| Capacity: | top speed 197 km / h - acceleration 0-100 km / h in 9,7 s - fuel consumption (ECE) 11,9 / 7,5 / 9,2 l / 100 km. |
| Transportation and suspension: | van - 5 doors, 7 seats - self-supporting body - front single suspension, leaf springs, triangular cross rails, stabilizer - rear single suspension, inclined rails, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, stabilizer - front disc brakes (forced cooling - rear) ride radius 11,8 m - fuel tank 75 l. |
| Mass: | empty vehicle 2.065 kg - permissible gross weight 2.770 kg. |
| Box: | The volume of the trunk is measured with a standard AM set of 5 Samsonite suitcases (total volume 278,5 liters): 5 places: 1 backpack (20 liters); 1 × aviation suitcase (36 l); 2 × suitcase (68,5 l); 1 × suitcase (85,5 l) 7 places: 1 × backpack (20 l) |
Our measurements
| T = 11 ° C / p = 1021 mbar / rel. Owner: 56% / Tires: Continental ContiWinterContact M + S / Meter reading: 25.506 km | |
| Acceleration 0-100km: | 10,9s |
|---|---|
| 402m from the city: | 17,5 years ( 129 km / h) |
| 1000m from the city: | 32,0 years ( 163 km / h) |
| Maximum speed: | 197km / h (V.) |
| Minimum consumption: | 8,7l / 100km |
| Maximum consumption: | 12,4l / 100km |
| test consumption: | 10,8 l / 100km |
| Braking distance at 100 km / h: | 42,9m |
| AM table: | 43m |
| Noise at 50 km / h in 3rd gear | 58dB |
| Noise at 50 km / h in 4rd gear | 52dB |
| Noise at 50 km / h in 5rd gear | 55dB |
| Noise at 90 km / h in 3rd gear | 64dB |
| Noise at 90 km / h in 4rd gear | 66dB |
| Noise at 90 km / h in 5rd gear | 60dB |
| Noise at 130 km / h in 4rd gear | 68dB |
| Noise at 130 km / h in 5rd gear | 64dB |
| Idling noise: | 42dB |
| Test errors: | unmistakable |
evaluation
If you think of the E-Class as a business car, then this Viano almost certainly won't convince you. Simply because it is believed that a business car can only be a limousine. But the truth is, Viano is superior to Edge in many areas. By this we mean not only ease of use, but also comfort at the entrance and, equally important, the space that passengers receive.
Driving pleasure:
We praise and reproach
entrance and exit
space and well-being
rich equipment
engine performance
rear-wheel drive (on slippery surfaces)
noise at high speeds
seat weight (load bearing)
materials anywhere in the interior
