ON TEST: MERCEDES-BENZ eVITO
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eVito makes strong case in the urban delivery sector The launch of the eVito gives Mercedes-Benz a genuine contender in the important urban delivery sector. Andrew Walker reports One of the latest electric vans to enter the fray is the Mercedes-Benz eVito, which made its way to Company Car and Van recently. The Vito range was facelifted in 2019 and the eVito includes all of those updates. The eVito offers 85 (70) kW of power, 300 Nm of torque, a 91-mile average range, combined with a six hour charging time. This is based on three-phase charging, which is lucky, because CC&V uses a 7kW Rolec home charger, so we could really find out if this charging time was true. To keep things simple, the front-wheel drive eVito has been aligned with the current Vito range and offers a standard specification that mirrors the PURE model in the range line-up. Specification includes a height and rake adjustable steering wheel, Hill Start Assist, electrically adjustable heated exterior mirrors, sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle, wood flooring and an adaptive brake light. In addition to the PURE specification, the eVito exclusively offers Mercedes PRO connect, which adds a heated drivers’ seat, TEMPMATIC air con, a four-metre charging cable, with a CanTrack vehicle tracker. Versatile The eVito is offered in two lengths, L2 or L3. Prices start from £39,895 ex VAT for the eVito Van PURE L2, increasing to £40,415 ex VAT for the eVito Van PURE L3. And currently, Home Fast Smart charge point and installation worth £549 is included with eVito purchases. As far as storage goes, the L2 model offers 6.0 m3 cargo volume, 2,277 kg kerb weight, 3,200 kg GVW, with a payload of 923 kg. The L3 offers 6.6 m3 cargo volume, 2,302 kg kerb weight, 3,200 kg GVW and a payload of 898kg. Add more kit and quality by going for the PROGRESSIVE option. For both specification levels, Mercedes PRO connect comes as standard and free for the first three years. Benefits for driver and fleet manager include Remote Access, Digital Drivers’ Log, Drive Style monitoring, real-time variable servicing monitoring, parking time monitor and geo-fence options. As an electric van, the eVito benefits from pre-conditioning of the heaters and highlights the vehicle charging options nearby. So far so good, but what’s the eVito like to live in? Well, from the outside it looks just like 48 | October 2021 | Company Car & Van
standard Vito. We were testing the entry level PURE L2 and you’d be hard-pressed to know it’s an electric van unless you get up close and read the discrete eVito and eLECTRIC badging. Even the fuel cap is in the same place on the left hand side of the van. Inside, all seems familiar. You get the 2019 updated Vito interior, which includes two USBs and a heated front driver seat, but not proper air con. It was 30 deg C the week I drove the eVito and although air con will drain the battery, I was forced to drive with the windows open just to keep vaguely cool. There’s a three seat configuration up front, as well as some top of the dash storage, a decent glove box and two handy deep door pockets, but not anywhere to fit a large bottle or drinks container. The ignition is on the left. Power steering is standard and the wheel is both rake and reach adjustable. The driver’s seat also offers a myriad of adjustment, so getting comfortable was not a problem. The hand brake is located on the floor as it is in Mercedes cars. You push a ‘fourth’ pedal with your left foot to engage the brake and then pull a dash mounted lever to release. I found it straightforward to use, although some may not like it as it doesn’t help you with hill starts. In the centre of the dash and higher up than in some vans are the Audio 15 infotainment system and heating controls. The infotainment screen is slightly awkward to reach for the driver, as is the USB inputs, which are on the left of the dash. For a left-hand driven Vito, this
location would make perfect sense. The front windows are electric and keeping the cabin quiet is a full width bulkhead. The quality is top-notch but it’s not as practical as some competitors. The rear load space is easily accessed as the L2 Vito we drove comes with left and right hand slide-opening side doors and twin rear doors that open 180 degrees. To be fair we used it only once, to transport a mountain bike into the Peak District and it was a simple enough task to fix the bike to the hooks located in the rear floorspace, to stop it moving around. On the road Of more interest ,I’m sure, is how the eVito drives and how far one can travel in it. For starters it’s easy to drive and very relaxing on the motorway. The gear lever offers Neutral, Reverse or Drive options and even with the battery weight underneath the floor, the eVito handles pretty well for it’s weight. As with most electric cars, the eVito offers several levels of regenerative braking, which can be adjusted using the paddles on either side of the steering wheel. This enables you in traffic or in town, to utilise D-, the strongest regenerative level, which is also the most noticeable. You can then decrease the strength of regeneration by pulling on the right hand paddle, moving through the options of D, then D+ and as we found for motorway driving the very useful D++. Continued on page 50 www.companycarandvan.co.uk
