M-B's New Vito Offers Much Improved Fuel Economy and BlueEFFICIENCY Option
By Scott Doggett September 1, 2010
The new Mercedes-Benz Vito, a light van produced that the German automaker has been selling in many countries (excluding the U.S.) since 1996, has just received a comprehensive revamp and for the first time is available with a BlueEFFICIENCY drivetrain.
Standard new engines and new transmissions reduce emissions and fuel consumption by up to 15 percent to 31.7 miles per gallon on the slightly generous European cycle while enhancing performance, Mercedes said in a statement today. All of the engines reportedly comply with the Euro 5 emissions standard.
Further reductions in fuel consumption and emissions are possible with the optionally available BlueEFFICIENCY technology. The technology, which is available as an option for the Vito panel van and comes as standard for the Vito crewbus licensed as a passenger car, is a unique offering in the vans segment.
The new BlueEFFICIENCY four-cylinder engines are rated at 70 kilowatts (95 horsepower) in the Vito 110 CDI, 100 kW (136 hp) in the Vito 113 CDI and 120 kW (163 hp) in the Vito 116 CDI. Fuel economy improves to 34 mpg.
All of the available diesel engines for the van are equipped with an oxidation catalytic converter, a particulate filter and cooled exhaust gas recirculation. The new ECO Gear six-speed manual transmission for all four-cylinder models offers a broad gear ratio spread for optimum performance and enables low fuel consumption and emission levels.
Top of the range among the diesel engines is the V6 in the Vito 122 CDI, which reportedly puts out 165 kW (224 hp). The Vito 126 and its V6 gasoline engine is rated at 190 kW (258 hp).
The fully reconfigured chassis is tailored to the transportation of goods or passengers, according to the model concerned. The model will be available in Canada, most of Europe, China and elsewhere. Prices have not been announced.
The announcement comes less than two months since Mercedes announced that it had started production on electric-drive Vito E-Cell vans, which are larger than Ford's upcoming 2011 Transit Connect electric van.
Mercedes said it expects sales of the Vito E-Cell to begin late this year. While the Vito EV model is intended at least initially for the European market, we suspect Mercedes won't be far behind if Ford's Transit Connect EV takes off in the U.S. light delivery vehicle market.
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