Those of you who find the Sprinter vans too large and SUVs too small will be pleased to see Mercedes-Benz reveal the new V-Class van on this Thursday. The event will be streamed live from the presentation in Munich, Germany, and leaked photos show that the new model will receive an interior upgrade similar to the C and S classes.
The V-Class was born in 2004, and received its second-generation upgrade in 2010. It is similar to the Sprinter vans in that it prioritizes storage capacity over passenger comforts, and is often used for commercial purposes.
All that will change on Thursday when it adapts features that suit it as “a spacious family car and flexible vehicle for leisure activities and as a luxury people carrier, for example when used as a shuttle bus,” in the words of Mercedes-Benz. If it indeed is to be used as a shuttle bus, it’s nicer than any shuttle we’ve ever been in. Behind the driver four passengers will be able to sit facing one another as if in their own personal train compartment. Wood and aluminum appears to be used throughout the interior, which would indeed signal a departure from the car’s business-attitude heretofore.
So far it looks like the new V-Class will go on sale in the second half of 2014 in Europe with a possible U.S. arrival in the spring of 2015. You can watch the unveiling live Thursday, and tell us what you think about the vehicle. Does it hold any appeal to you? In what ways would be superior or inferior to an SUV? What would motivate you to buy this vehicle?