The luxury van wars are upon us and Mercedes-Benz is jumping out the gate ahead of Lexus delivering on its six-wheel concept.
On Tuesday, in Stuttgart, Germany, the Mercedes-Benz VLE debuted as an electric luxury van with seating for up to 8 passengers, acres of screens, ambient lighting, and even the ability to get seats with pillows. The VLE might just be a new trend setter making getting picked up in an S-Class look like peasant stuff.
The shiny bits. Mercedes-Benz has taken a minivan and made it look … chic from some angles and awkward from others. It’s certainly no Chrysler Pacifica, which is probably the point. From the chrome shield-like grille to the chrome lipstick at the bottom of the bumper to the old-school upright Mercedes-Benz hood ornament, the new VLE will literally have you seeing stars. I mean it, there are LED stars in the headlights that act as daytime running lights. The green house is that of an oversized S-Class, and I’m willing to bet that’s not a coincidence. The rear is tidy, simply ends, and has a strip of LED lights that surround the entire tailgate similar to that of the Rivian delivery van or the Hyundai Ioniq 9 rear end, which I mean as a compliment. Both look futuristic. The rear end takes a page out of some classic SUV’s book with a party trick in the form of the rear glass having the ability to flip up independent from the tailgate. My favorite bit? The available AMG-branded monoblock wheels. Have to say, it’s the only way these things should come from the factory. Unfortunately, the U.S. will only get the long-wheelbase model, which can be distinguished from its smaller sibling by the extra black filler panel behind the B-pillar.
Inside the VLE is taking the S-Class’s screen-filled future to the next stage. The power sliding doors on both sides of the van, with fully retractable windows, reveal a leather-lined interior that looks as if it could double as a night club when the sun goes down thanks to all the ambient lighting that I’m sure will be distracting at night. Looks neat in photos though. The dashboard is a wall of screens set under one single piece of glass. There’s a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster set next to a 14-inch touchscreen infotainment system and then there’s another 14-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. This is all before addressing the star of the show: a 31.3-inch 8K screen hidden in the headliner that drops down behind the front seats for those in the rear to enjoy. It’s controlled by iPhone-like devices that pop out of the front seat backs where they live and charge. Buttons are sparse, but there’s a volume knob, real stalks, and roller knobs on the steering wheel. A large portion of the roof is glass to let the light shine in, but an electrochroamatic shade will block the rays for those who aren’t interested in a sun tan.
And the VLE will have plenty of people in the rear because it can seat up to 8 passengers with a reconfigurable interior. Three seat options will be available ranging from manually-operated seats in the rear all the way to power-operated rear seats that are plush and include pillows, wireless smartphone charging, lumbar support and massage functions along with calf support. The manually-operated seats have wheels and can be removed and left in a garage. The power-operated seats can be repositioned via an app.
Firm U.S. specifications will come sometime next year as the VLE won’t arrive on our shores until the end of 2027. But it sounds like this EV will be offered in single- and dual-motor configurations. Single-motor models will be front-wheel drive with 272 horsepower with a leisurely 0-60 mph sprint of almost 9.5 seconds. The dual-motor 4Matic model will have 409 hp and drop the 0-60 mph sprint to about 6.5 seconds. Both models are powered by a 119-kWh battery pack, of which 115-kWh is usable. Mercedes is claiming over 700 km of range per charge on the more generous European WLTP cycle. In the U.S. that could realistically translate to about 375 miles of range. The entire system runs on the same 800-volt electrical architecture that debuted in the new CLA-Class, which will enable the VLE to add up to about 220 miles of range in just 15 minutes on a fast charger. The VLE will ride on air suspension and feature rear-wheel steering to reduce the van’s turning radius to 35.75 feet, which Mercedes said is comparable to the much smaller CLA.
Pricing hasn’t been discussed yet, but one thing is for sure based on the limited time spent with the new VLE so far in a closed room: school runs or a drive into the office will simply never be the same.
Get ready for the luxury van wars.
Mercedes-Benz provided The Drive with travel, accommodations, schnitzel, and access to the vehicle for the purpose of writing this news.