***Testdrove a '03 Mercedes Vaneo 1.7 CDI***

[cawimmer430]

I finally did it! I managed to drive the ugliest car in the Mercedes range: the VANEO! Boy this thing is hideous. Those designers at MB must have worked extra hard to create something this repulsive. Seeing one is a rarity as not to many were sold.



It was a used 2003 1.7 CDI model and I had to bring it over to nearby Alt?tting (let?s hope they?re lucky enough to find someone who?d buy it!). As soon as I attached the red license plates (used to deliver non-registered cars from city to city?), I already felt sick from that ugly front staring at me. Damn was this thing scary. It wasn?t much better on the inside. The interior was basically a slightly modified W168 A-Class cockpit. The materials were dirt-cheap and felt so breakable.







The engine is an old companion from the W168 A-Class. It displaces 1689cc and produces 92-horsepower. Like the old W168 A-Class, the Vaneo is FWD. It wasn?t noisy, but it wasn?t very quiet either. Vibrations were low but could be felt. Well, the thing felt like a workhorse.



As I got going, I was cursing my luck with the POS 5-speed manual. It was so damn rubbery and vague. Where the heck was 1st gear? And how come ?R? was so damn hard to select? Yeah, I realize there was a display on the shifter but try shifting with this gearbox. Trash. Utter garbage. [:knockout:]







The surprise came in the form of steering feel. For a ?van?, it was pretty precise and slightly weighted. It didn?t feel sporty, but you got the feeling that you controlled the car pretty well on the road with it. In curves however, the Vaneo felt a little unstable due to the high center of gravity.



Suspension wise, not bad not bad. It was soft and plushy, yet rigid when it had to be. I can?t explain it, but the suspension felt hard, yet it was surprisingly comfortable. Road noise could be heard however when the roads became a little rough. Not a really nice suspension. This thing felt like a workhorse and it was, so I shouldn't complain.







Despite the 92-hp rating, the torque of the diesel engine helped the Vaneo drive pretty lively. Once I got used to the POS manual transmission, I could see how the car performed in individual gears. It pulled nicely in 1st to 3rd, gear. 4th and 5th gear were sluggish as expected. But out in the country and the roads leading to my destination, the Vaneo drove with agility I to admit. That?s about it.



Overall, totally not impressed. Mercedes should never have made this thing in the first place. It?s ugly and has no place in the luxury world of Mercedes-Benz. If they had sold it as a commercial van for businesses, it would have been more appropriate. But the Vaneo was displayed in showrooms next to S-Classes etc. (I?d rather see a Mercedes Actros truck next to an S-Class! []). No wonder this thing flopped big time. Overpriced and you get nothing, except the prestigious badge on a hideously ugly minivan. Also, take a look at the options list the first buyer ticked.







Even worse, you had to pay extra for electric windows, airconditioning, ESP, side airbags, electronic keys and tons of other options! And this was in 2003! [:o] [8)] Talk about stingy? The Vaneo was never a threat to its French and Italian and some German competitors. In the latter part of its life, Mercedes sold it as a ?special request? vehicle, which one could requisition under special order.





PHOTO ALBUM: http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2122462457

[ifcar]

It's not that ugly IMO. It could have been a lot worse with those proportions.

[TBR]

Yeah, I wouldn't call it ugly.

Is the V-series just an extended version of the Vaneo or is it completely different?

[giant_mtb]

It's not ugly, it's just 100% out of proportion...which makes it ugly, but it's not...?  :blink:  Stupid Mercedes always confusing me.  :angry:    

[Raghavan]

it's not ugly. of course, it should've been rebadged as a dodge, but do you guys hae dodge in germany?

[ifcar]

it's not ugly. of course, it should've been rebadged as a dodge, but do you guys hae dodge in germany?

They sell some Dodges in Europe as Chryslers, but they don't have the Dodge brand IIRC.

But why would you think it needs to be part of a different brand anyway? Mercedes offers cheap vehicles essentially everywhere in the world but the US.

[Raghavan]

it's not ugly. of course, it should've been rebadged as a dodge, but do you guys hae dodge in germany?

They sell some Dodges in Europe as Chryslers, but they don't have the Dodge brand IIRC.

But why would you think it needs to be part of a different brand anyway? Mercedes offers cheap vehicles essentially everywhere in the world but the US.

well, wimmer said that mb never should've made it, so i was asking if they could've rebadged it.

[ifcar]

He means it's a bad car, why would it be any better under a different badge?

[Raghavan]

He means it's a bad car, why would it be any better under a different badge?

i thought he said that it took away from the prestige of the brand.

[ifcar]

As I said, the US is the only part of the world where there are only expensive Mercedeses. The rest of the world gets Mercedes trucks, vans, and economy cars. The prestige factor isn't an issue there.

[Raghavan]

As I said, the US is the only part of the world where there are only expensive Mercedeses. The rest of the world gets Mercedes trucks, vans, and economy cars. The prestige factor isn't an issue there.

i said it should be rebadged after i read this sentence:

Mercedes should never have made this thing in the first place. It?s ugly and has no place in the luxury world of Mercedes-Benz.

[ifcar]

As I said, the US is the only part of the world where there are only expensive Mercedeses. The rest of the world gets Mercedes trucks, vans, and economy cars. The prestige factor isn't an issue there.

i said it should be rebadged after i read this sentence:

Mercedes should never have made this thing in the first place. It?s ugly and has no place in the luxury world of Mercedes-Benz.

It's no less luxurious than many of the products that they offer. We'll need a Wimmorial explanation of that statement.

[Raghavan]

As I said, the US is the only part of the world where there are only expensive Mercedeses. The rest of the world gets Mercedes trucks, vans, and economy cars. The prestige factor isn't an issue there.

i said it should be rebadged after i read this sentence:

Mercedes should never have made this thing in the first place. It?s ugly and has no place in the luxury world of Mercedes-Benz.

It's no less luxurious than many of the products that they offer. We'll need a Wimmorial explanation of that statement.

Wimmorial.  

[BMWDave]

Boy that interior is whats hideous, and the engine looks very anemic.  But nice writeup

[cawimmer430]

It's not that ugly IMO. It could have been a lot worse with those proportions.

Maybe I called it ugly because it was parked next to other MB's in the showroom. (Hint hint...)    

[cawimmer430]

Yeah, I wouldn't call it ugly.

Is the V-series just an extended version of the Vaneo or is it completely different?

The Vaneo uses a W168 A-Class (old model) chassis and is smaller than the Viano Class. Both are FWD but are completely different cars.  

Here's a Viano (in AMG form by Andre...)




Here's the old V-Class

[cawimmer430]

it's not ugly. of course, it should've been rebadged as a dodge, but do you guys hae dodge in germany?

Only Chrysler so far, but I heard that DCX wants to introduce Dodge here in the future.

[cawimmer430]

it's not ugly. of course, it should've been rebadged as a dodge, but do you guys hae dodge in germany?

They sell some Dodges in Europe as Chryslers, but they don't have the Dodge brand IIRC.

But why would you think it needs to be part of a different brand anyway? Mercedes offers cheap vehicles essentially everywhere in the world but the US.

well, wimmer said that mb never should've made it, so i was asking if they could've rebadged it.

It wouldn't have been a bad car had a few areas been improved.

For one, it was marketed as a mini people hauler. For an MB, it should have at least had better interior materials, although it's not really an issue here in Europe. Quality wasn't the best either. In fact, in customer satisfaction in Europe, the Vaneo was dead last!

Ultimately, it was just overpriced for what you got and the competiton offered more stylish cars, better value for money and most shoppers in this class weren't too concerned with a "prestigeous badge".