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he task was to transport a small group of friends to the North Eastern corner of Victoria with bicycles, for a week-long exploration of the area’s fabulous rail trails. The question was what sort of vehicle to do it in? We needed plenty of seating and also room for some bikes. An offer of a newly updated Mercedes-Benz Valente seemed the perfect choice and it certainly proved to be the correct vehicle for the job. The Valente and its van sibling, the Vito were updated in early 2021 delivering a number of spec upgrades and pricing changes giving the two small Benz vans some weaponry to take on upgraded
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models from rivals including Volkswagen, Toyota and a bunch of others. The Valente and Vito have been around in current shape since about 2014 so a facelift was due and welcome, although it was a very good product to start with and was certainly not lagging the opposition in terms of looks or performance. The most important update for the Valente is the inclusion of a 7.0 inch Benz Infotainment display, as well as improved safety spec and some cosmetic improvements, not forgetting rationalisation of the model range. It is a funny thing, but it is amazing what that famous three pointed star on the front of a vehicle does to people and how
they have a different mindset, to even van based vehicles like the Valente. It was the same when we tested the X class Benz ute, even though that was basically a Nissan Navara people take a second glance and swoon over the tri-star. In this case when our friends saw that they were travelling in a Mercedes they thought it was very flash even though it is based on a workhorse can in the form of the Vito. And we have to say it is very flash. The interior treatment of the Valente is really nicely done with classy all black trim including leatherette seats throughout, plush carpet, a very neat and well-designed dash and a very relaxed and comfortable ambience.
