The little Mercedes Metris occupies a special place in the heart of many Roadshow editors. We had one in our long-term fleet for a year, which we inexplicably/affectionately call Wu-Tang Van, and was a faithful companion for a year of video production work.
The Metris hasn’t replaced much since we said goodbye to Wu-Tang Van, however, I think it’s vital that we review our veteran veterans from time to time, just to make sure we don’t look back. them with pink lenses. After a few days of transporting things and buying food in Los Angeles, I discovered all the reasons why we enjoyed our long-term metris as a working vehicle. But I also know his technological weaknesses.
The Metris is compact like vans, but it’s not small. It is available with wheelbases of 126 and 13 and five inches, the longest of which is the one I have here. From stern to stern, this Metris measures 211.4 inches, approximately five inches longer than an S-Class sedan. It’s a little wider than an S-Class and dazzlingly larger, no matter how small it is compared to anything like a Sprinter, the Metris is a little small.
But at the same time, the Metris is easy to maneuver. Its turning radius is approximately 2 feet smaller than that of a Class S, so you can drive it smoothly through the city’s narrow streets and it’s easy to park in crowded lots. The upper seat position gives you a surprising view of the short hood, and the low seat belt means lateral visibility is also sufficient. Be sure to order your Metris with rear windows for a more productive experience.
You can buy the Metris with side windows and some rows of seats, however, this is the Cargo Van specification, so there is nothing in the front chairs. It is a blank canvas for the used bees: mount shelves or garage compartments, place items on other parts of the body. Like the last page of a standardized test, this area is intentionally left empty so you can customize Metris.
There are 199 cubic feet of area in the longer wheelbase Metris, and with a payload capacity of 2,370 pounds, there’s not much this truck can’t carry. Even the shortest Metris is sturdy: 183 cubic feet and 2,425 pounds of payload. The two vans can even tow 5,000 pounds. The Ford Transit Connect is the closest competitor to the Metris, however, even the short-battle Mercedes outperforms the long-battle TC in all of the above areas. The Mercedes is more expensive, yes, but you get what you’re worth.
Loading the Metris is easy thanks to the low terrain and 270-degree revolving rear doors. You can get the Metris with a huge tailgate, if you prefer, but I think maximum advertising buyers will appreciate the versatility of double doors. However, you have to take into account two things: you can’t open the right door at all if you have the side sliding door open. You also don’t get a sliding door on the driver’s side, so be sure to load it if you need shipping hold in either way.
Whatever the setup, Mercedes gives the Metris a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 engine, which generates 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. That’s a lot of strength, much more than Ford gives on the Transit Connect, I upload it, and the Metris is strangely animated in the city, especially empty. The van uses rear propulsion, and I admit it’s pretty simple to get out of a corner if you accelerate, not that I do such a thing.
Generally speaking, the Metris drivesArray … like a van. The guide is light, the brakes are good. The suspension is well-adjusted to keep the Metris comfortable when driving with nothing in the rear, so it’s not a crash like a Transit Connect or, worse, a Ram ProMaster City.
More importantly, the torque is strong at 1250 rpm, which means that the seven-speed automatic transmission doesn’t want to run too high for the Metris to keep running in the city. It also contributes to overall energy efficiency; The EPA says the Metris 2020 recedes 21 miles consistent with gallons to the city, 24 mpg on the road and 22 mpg combined. Transit Connect is a little more efficient, but don’t forget that it’s also smaller.
The Metris has a very clever list of driving force assistance technicians. Get a tow brake controller, adaptive load stability control, slope assistance, and a popular rear view camera. (I mention the rearview camera because this is mandatory through the federal government for all passenger cars, advertising cars are exempt). Blind spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and active parking assistance are available. The only thing missing is adaptive cruise control, really.
Unfortunately, the generation in the Metris cabin is pretty bad. There is a small 5.8-inch screen that runs a lightweight edition of the 10-year-old Mercedes COMAND system, with a rudimentary integrated navigation interface. Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? Yaya. Wifi? No.
This information and entertainment challenge is especially offensive, as Mercedes-Benz offers some of the most productive multimedia technologies in the world with its new MBUX interface. The Sprinter van receives this robust technology package, and it’s a shame that the Metris doesn’t offer anything better. The new Class V sold in Europe turns out to have a wonderful technological update, so I hope this will reverberate in the US. In the form of an updated Metris.
The 2020 Metris starts at $28375 for a fundamental Worker van, adds $1,195 for delivery, and can succeed at $36775 for the passenger van. In the case of this Metris Cargo Van, it starts at $32,585, adding destination, and adding parts like 17-inch wheels, tinted rear windows, heated seats and longitudinal bars brings the final value to $39,000. Mercedes-Benz has many landscaping partners who can help you make your paint van the exact tool to paint, and if you like the game that work, the new Metris Weekender looks like a smart couple for camping trips.
Low-budget ad buyers will likely need to check out Ford Transit Connect or Ram ProMaster City, as both are cheaper. But remember, they are smaller and slower and can’t bring as much, and there’s something to say for their staff that’s displayed on the structure sites in a Mercedes-Benz instead of a Ford or Ram. The additional charge of the Metris is very valuable compared to other small pickup trucks, and as we notice in our long-term summary, this Mercedes is an improvement in information and entertainment compared to a better-running van.
This was originally published on Roadshow.
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