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| Mercedes-Benz
Viano 2.2 CDi Ambiante |
Broadcast
date : 13th August 2006 |
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Mercedes-Benz has proven once
again that when it comes to offering a vehicle for every
possible niche in the new-vehicle market, the Stuttgart
company is right up there with the best of them.
Take this new offering, which is easy enough on the eye if you
like massive chunks of metal, have a family of five children
and like to travel in style with an impressive degree of fuel
economy.
To be sure, it’s nowhere near as stylish as a CLS, as quick
as an SL65, or as luxurious as an S500. But it does have the
all-important Merc badge, even though your neighbors may
wonder if you’ve gone into the furniture transportation
business.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Viano will gain instant
acceptance like the more basic Vito has done here.
No-one can accuse the Viano of not being fully-specced. It
comes with Merc’s high-quality SOUND twenty system, while
COMAND navigation is available as an option.
Air-con is quite naturally standard, and the Ambiente model
has individual seats for the front and middle passengers while
a three-person bench seat is fitted at the rear.
Unlike the five-seater Crew Cab, the Viano Ambiente comes
fully carpeted, with leather upholstery standard on all the
pews.
Weighing 29 kilograms, the middle seats are removable and can
be mounted in various ways depending on passenger needs.
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The stepped rail mounting system allows easy and varied
adjustment, including a "package" position to
increase space without removing them.
To further increase passenger comfort, the Viano comes
standard with self-levelling rear-suspension, and even
weight-distribution. But is the ride car-like?
And thanks to typical Mercedes steering geometry, the Viano is
very easy to manoeuvre.
And it happily comes with all the typical Merc sedan safety
electronics, such as ESP and Brake Assist. Other safety items
include a comprehensive airbag system with thorax side-bags
and window-bags.
The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout gives the Viano
impressive straight-line stability at high speeds, something
that this 110 kilowatt machine is capable of.
Mercedes-Benz claim a top speed of over 170 km/h and a 0-100
in the 11 second region, which is more than adequate for a
large people-mover.
Its power delivery is smooth and effortless in diesel form,
considering that unladen it tips the scales at over 2000
kilograms.
The Vito in basic van and five-seater crew-cab configuration
has been a major sales success for DaimlerChrysler South
Africa.
But will status-conscious customers spend an extra R100 000
over the cost of a crew-cab for two extra seats, carpeting,
leather, and a range of bells and whistles?
Mercedes-Benz Viano Ambiente
- Engine:
Four-cylinder turbodiesel, 2148 cc
- Power: 110 kW @ 3
800 rpm
- Torque: 330 Nm @ 1
800 rpm
- Transmission:
Five-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive
- 0-100 km/h: 11,1
seconds (claimed)
- Top speed: 174 km/h
(claimed)
- Fuel consumption:
10,5 litres/100 km (estimated)
- Price: R433 200
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