As you can probably guess, my family loves going on a driving holiday, even if it is only a day trip. Road trips take me back to my childhood when my mum would pack me and some friends up and we would go for a Sunday drive. The difference for my children is we do it in a little bit more comfort now compared back when I was a kid in our Land Cruiser ute that didn’t even have air conditioning.
This Mercedes-Benz V-Class V300 d AMG Avantgarde comes with air conditioning and a whole lot more. The V-Class has a seven-seat configuration as standard (2 + 2 + 3), and the one I drove had the optional 3-seater comfort bench in the second row ($1,671), so it was an eight-seater offering plenty of flexibility for my family.
Both current V-Class models come with a 2.0 litre, 4-cylinder, twin-turbocharged diesel engine with the V300 getting a bit more power with 174kW and 500Nm of torque with an additional 30Nm temporarily available thanks to over torque technology. The rear-wheel drive V-Class has a 9-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel mounted gearshift paddles that I didn’t feel the need to use. I also didn’t explore the Sport or Manual drive modes and stuck with Comfort mode for the entirety of my time with the V-Class. The official combined fuel use for the V300 d is 7.2L/100km and for my time I used 8.2L/100km of diesel.
The van actually rides quite high and you need to step up into it, meaning you get a good view from the front seats. For the driver and passenger, the V-Class drives well and has a nice ride, but the back seat passengers did complain that it was a little bit bumpy at times.
In AMG trim the V300 comes standard with a carbon fibre look dash and three ambient lighting colours, blue, orange, and white. A Burmester Surround Sound System with 15 speakers and bass reflex box for a total output of 640 watts also comes as standard. Family karaoke can be enjoyed via the AM radio, FM/ DAB+ radio, Bluetooth and USB music sources. The older Mercedes-Benz style 10.25″ central touchscreen can be accessed using the haptic feedback touchpad or voice control. The operation of the voice control worked well for me for making phone calls, changing the radio station, and setting a destination on the sat nav. The driver’s dash is also one generation behind the current Mercedes-Benz technology and combines an analogue speedo and taco with a small digital display between them.
There are plenty of storage spots at the front of the cabin with numerous cubbies next to the seats and in the front doors. Under the roller cover at the base of the centre console there are two cup holders that are removable to allow the base to be taken out for easy cleaning. There is also a cubby here for your phone with two USB-C ports and one 12V socket. Smartphone Integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is wired using the USB-C interface. There is an open area between the two front seats and this is where I stored road trip snacks so I could reach them easily and distribute as required.
Lugano black leather upholstery is used throughout the V-Class and both front seats are heated and have powered adjustment for the head rest, recline, seat height front and rear and forward/back with the controls located on the doors. They also have manual front leg extension and 4-way lumbar support with three memory positions for each front seat. One feature I think the V-Class does need is a digital rear view mirror because the two central headrests impede the driver’s view from the rear view mirror.
As the V-Class is a people mover, what’s happening in the second and third rows is very important to know. The electric sliding doors can be opened and closed using the buttons on the door, the B pillar and at the front of the cabin. The button on key fob to open the sliding door only opens the passenger side door, which would a safety feature so that passengers don’t step out on the road side of the van.
The 3 + 3 bench seats do make it a little difficult to access the third row with only a limited gap opening up when you manually rock the second row seat forward. So, to make it easier for my time with the V-Class we removed the passenger side outer second row seat. This created a large gap for all passengers to easily access the seats and my mum could stretch out her legs while sitting in the third row.
For both the second and third row seats the driver’s side two-seat section has manual recline adjustment and all the seats are on rails so can be moved backwards and forward, but this is a little difficult to do. Three adults could comfortably sit across the bench seats in each row and have ample head and leg room available.
There is some flexibility with the installation of car seats with three rear tether child seat restraint points on each bench with the fixing point for these low down behind the seats. Two ISOFix points are located on each row on the driver’s side seat and the middle seat.
The V-Class V300 has separate climate controls for the rear passengers with digital temperature and air speed controls located in the centre of the roof in the second row or the rear temperature can be controlled from the front of the vehicle also. There are roof mounted air vents on the side of the van with manual on/off and direction control for both the second and third row passengers. The second-row windows don’t open, so for some fresh air the third-row passengers can open the optional ($3,816) panoramic sliding roof above them, but this also opens the front sunroof as well.
In addition to air flow the other two most important things for back seat passengers are hydration and entertainment. This is where the V-Class does not fare so well, with no drink bottle holders for second row seats, so passengers sitting here can only shove a flexible plastic bottle into the door pocket. Third row passengers though do have large drink bottle storage cubbies on each side in the C pillar. For charging the devices for potentially six children there is only one 12V socket located on the passenger side of the third row seat, which I imagine could cause some sibling tensions.
The powered tailgate is very large and when you press the release button at its base or on the key fob you need to stand back out of its way. I could not find a release button in the cabin for the tailgate possibly due to the risk this would pose opening in a space where it may hit something? You can also access the top half of the boot by opening the rear window only, which is perfect if you only have a few things to put in or have limited space to access the boot.
The boot space is split into two levels by a large shelf offering flexibility when you pack it and within this shelf there are two foldable plastic carry baskets, one of my favourite little things that you find in a Mercedes-Benz. This shelf can be folded out of the way to create one tall luggage space, moved forward and back on the rails or completely removed if required. There is one light each in top and bottom area and one 12V socket on the driver’s side of the boot. The temporary use spare tyre is located under the back of the van.
The new V-Class does not have a current ANCAP safety rating, but comes with six airbags with front airbags and thorax/pelvis side bags for driver and front passenger, and window bags (front and rear). This V-Class is fitted with the Driving Assistance Package that includes Active Brake Assist and Lane Keeping Assist. It also has adaptive cruise control, which is set using a stalk behind the steering wheel, and blind spot assist. Van specific safety aids include Roll Over Mitigation, Roll Movement Intervention, Enhanced-Understeering Control, and Crosswind Assist. The reversing camera technology has numerous rear camera views and a 360-degree surround view camera with front and rear parking sensors. For convenience the V-Class has auto lights, adaptive high bean assistance, and rain sensing windscreen wipers.
The Mercedes-Benz V-Class comes with a five years/unlimited kilometres warranty with the 24-hour roadside assist support package. The services interval is 12 months/20,000km, whichever occurs first and a three-, four-, or five-year service plan can be purchased up front for $3,511, $4,542, or $4,892 respectively.
The Mercedes-Benz V-CLASS V300 d AMG Avantgarde is priced from $120,739 excluding on-road costs and as tested my Selenite grey metallic ($1,999 option) V-Class was $128,225 excluding on-roads. You can buy your V-Class online or visit your preferred Mercedes-Benz retailer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| Seating flexibility | Lack of drink bottle storage and charge points in rear seats |
| Boot space | Large tailgate |
| High driving position | Limited vision from rear view mirror |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.