ON TEST: MERCEDES-BENZ eVITO
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Quality counts – and the eVito has it where it matters most
Andrew Walker The latest electric van to enter the commercial sector fray is the Mercedes-Benz eVito, which made its way to Company Car & Van’s HQ recently. The entire Vito range was facelifted in 2019 and the new eVito includes all of those updates with the vital addition of that electric powertrain. The electric eVito, offers customers 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. 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 driver’s seat, TEMPMATIC air conditioning, a four-metre charging cable, with a CanTrack vehicle tracker. 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. However, to knock the edge off these numbers a little the eVito is eligible for the Office For Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) Grant. This means that customers can benefit from a 20% reduction on the vehicle purchase price, up to a maximum of £8,000. 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 898 kg. 48 | October 2020 | Company Car & Van
If you want a bit more on your van, then you can always opt for the eVito PROGRESSIVE. This adds colour coded bumpers, full wheel covers, front fog lights, Headlight Assist, a 75mph speed limiter, Audio 15, lumbar support and electrically foldable mirrors. The eVito PROGRESSIVE van L2 costs from £41,600 ex VAT and £42,120 ex VAT for the L3 variant. For both specification levels, Mercedes PRO connect, which we first experienced in the new Sprinter, comes as standard and is 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 also 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 drive and what’s it’s real range? Well, from the outside it looks just like a 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 discreet eVito and eLECTRIC badging. Even the ‘fuel’
“From the outside it looks just like a standard Vito. We were testing the entry level PURE L2 and you’d be hard-pressed to know it’s an electric van ... even the ‘fuel’ cap is in the same place on the left hand side of the van...”
cap is in the same place on the left hand side of the van. Inside, this continues and all seems familiar. You get the 2019 updated Vito interior, which includes two USBs and a heated front driver seat, but not proper air conditioning, which is a known battery drainer. It was 30 deg C the week I drive the eVito and 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 nowhere to fit a large bottle or drinks container, which is a bit strange nowadays. 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 adjustments, so getting comfortable was not a problem. The handbrake 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. Elsewhere, the front windows are electric and keeping the cabin quiet is a full width bulkhead. Overall, as perhaps you’d expect from a Mercedes-Benz, the quality is top-notch, althought I’d reckon it not to be quite as practical a cab as some of its competitors. Continued on page 50 www.companycarandvan.co.uk
