The What Van? Road Test: Mercedes-Benz eVito (2022)

Date: Thursday, October 20, 2022

Detail Engine

Powertrain

A 66kWh lithium-ion battery powers a front-mounted asynchronous electric motor delivering peak power of 85kW and a steady output of 70kW, with 300Nm of torque on tap.

The battery charging point is under a flap on the van’s nearside front wing.

Driving

Before you pull away from the kerb in an eVito you need to decide which level of performance you need; E for Efficiency, E+ for even greater economy or C for Comfort.

The last designation offers what one might describe as mainstream on-highway performance while the other two are designed to maximise range. You make your selection using the Dynamic button on the dashboard.

We settled on E most of the time, occasionally opting for C. The E setting limits the van’s performance but not to the extent that it seriously restricts progress, at least when you are lightly-laden and on reasonably flat terrain.

E+ imposes strict limits however and slows you down noticeably, especially if you have some weight on board.

Your next task is to determine the level of regeneration you require; in other words, the extent to which kinetic energy will be pumped into the battery when you release the accelerator pedal and allow the van to coast. The steep hills we needed to tackle in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean prompted us to choose the maximum available using paddles on either side of the steering column.

An automatic recuperation system is present which chooses the best level for you if you cannot decide yourself.

Another way of maintaining eVito’s range is to have its maximum speed governed to 50mph. Happily our test van did not have this option throttling it, and was instead restricted to 75mph; the standard arrangement.

We were driving eVito in blazing hot summer weather, and as a consequence had the highly-effective air-conditioning running full blast on several occasions. The minute we switched it on the projected range shown on the dashboard display fell from 154 to 137 miles as a result of the power it draws.

We were nevertheless able to accomplish a lightly-laden 97-mile round trip from just south of Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire to Bromfield in Shropshire, and get back to home base with 54 miles to spare.

The battery Vito rides well and handles well, although the steering could stand to be tightened up a little to deliver better feedback as you swing through bends. There is of course no engine noise, but this results in tyre and wind noise becoming much more noticeable; so the cab interior is not as quiet as one might expect.

The absence of an engine is matched by the absence of a conventional gearbox.

All you need to do is use a stalk on the steering wheel to select Reverse, Neutral or Drive. A button on the end of the stalk gives you a P for Park setting.

As well as giving you your projected range, the aforementioned dashboard display tells you how much charge is left in the battery and how much power you are using. You tend to try to drive with the tell-tale needle on the dial kept in either the Economy or the Charge sector; hopefully without taking your eyes too far off the road.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, despite the fact that Mercedes takes not one whit of notice; we cannot for the life of us understand why the Three Pointed Star continues to equip Vito with such a peculiar parking brake. You press a small pedal next to the clutch pedal to set it, then pull a lever at the bottom of the dashboard to release it to the accompaniment of a loud bang.

Mercedes should really consider installing an electric parking brake instead. Either that, or fit a conventional handbrake lever.

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