Mercedes VLE Review: Will It Work For America?

Mercedes-Benz wants to sell a van in the United States—not just any van, but a desirable van. For a country that sees vans (in the mini variety) as nothing more than family haulers and (in the full-size variety) utilitarian objects, this is more than just brave. For an automaker as large as Mercedes, it’s an uncharacteristically large gamble.

It’s not just one van, either; Mercedes plans to sell three vans in America: the VLE, the upper-class VLS, and the ultra-luxury VLS Maybach. All hitting slightly different segments of the market, all of them aiming for the premium upper end. Not only is Mercedes swinging for the moon here, but it’s also throwing all of its weight behind the effort.

The big question is: Are Americans ready for a $130,000 luxury van? Mercedes certainly thinks so. I’m not as confident.

Van With A Plan

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Under the Basque sun, it couldn’t be clearer that the VLE is a new generation and a different attitude for Mercedes-Benz’s van division. It’s not just steel panels and hard plastics—acres of leather, suede, and luxury adorn the inside of the VLE. Even for what Mercedes calls its “entry-level” luxury van, it’s an impressive introduction.

All three vans and the upcoming Sprinter branch from the same brand-new electric van platform, which was optimized for a more luxury experience rather than the bare-bones utility-focused Mercedes vans of yore. Metris, this is not.

Photos by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photos by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

It’s a ground-up engineering exercise. In preparation for a luxury product, Mercedes made specific moves to quieten down and refine the new architecture, with extensive structural reinforcements to give its suspension a stable platform to work with.

The suspension itself is a fairly normal front strut, but the rear suspension is unorthodox. Mercedes leaned the rear shock absorber and spring at an aggressive angle to fit it under the floor, keeping the floor totally flat. It all fits a large 115.0 kilowatt-hour battery with a reported 400+ mile range, which is plenty. The dual-motor VLE 400 makes a solid 415 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of motivation.

Driving (And Riding) In Luxury

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

For my drive, it came in multiple trim levels, but I sampled the Exclusive grade, with rear reclining captain’s chairs and every possible technology. Though Mercedes is nebulous about what will make the tough US market, they say there will be a variety of trims and configurations available beyond this ultra-premium stuff. A more traditional luxury van with a regular second row will make it more accessible to families and everyday use.

But the trick of the VLE lies beneath the surface. Whatever you see inside is almost infinitely configurable, with the rear two rows fully removable. Even the two massive recliners within the Exclusive are removable, though it takes a little more effort.

Everything is mounted on a clever rail system that allows plenty of forward-and-back adjustment and ease of removal. You could theoretically remove one side’s worth of seats to fit a bicycle, or remove the third row to make more luggage room, or remove the second row to have a proper cargo hold.

Photos by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photos by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Up front, you get a trio of screens: Two 14.0-inch displays for the center and passenger, and a 10.3-inch instrument cluster. All of it is packed with the latest generation of the MBUX infotainment system, which is more intuitive than ever.

More controls are easily accessible, and it was less of a headache to navigate overall, with plenty of screen space devoted to graphics rather than to fixed controls. All the major stuff is neatly organized at the bottom of the UI, and the menu system is much simpler than before.

Quality has also taken the lead inside the VLE, rather than the flash and dash of the last generation of Mercedes. The materials are lovely, with a great mix of leather textures, suedes, and comfortable, supple seats. Fixtures inside the cabin like the center console (which has an optional cooler) feel much more substantial than usual, and the plasticky feeling is fairly absent from the interior.

While the final US configurations are far from decided, Mercedes is firm on offering plenty of standard features. It says the panoramic sunroof and Burmester stereo will be standard, as will much of the MBUX screen and software suite. Even better, Mercedes is mulling over making the higher-output VLE 400 the base trim, as the VLE 300 is quite slow, and the extended-wheelbase version (which we did not drive) will be the standard size.

Driving the VLE was almost entirely uneventful—it is a van, even if Mercedes likes to dub it a “grand limousine.” There is no denying the van-ness of the driving experience, with the upright and tall seating position, the pedals mounted almost parallel to the floor, and the steering column pointing toward the sky.

I’ll say that the steering, brakes, and throttle had a nice linearity, making it easy to drive smoothly. For a six-figure luxury product, it didn’t feel all that grand to drive; it was very much a van with the kitchen sink’s worth of amenities.

You’re forcibly reminded of your place in society as The Driver by the front seat recline limits—you cannot encroach upon the room of the rear passenger. It’s easy to understand that the rear seat is the place to be. Handily, Mercedes had a chauffeur loop on hand to experience the support of my driving experience, so I can say that in both the front and rear seats, the VLE rides almost beautifully, and it’s extremely quiet.

Sometimes, larger bumps can discomport the VLE, and the van crashes into its rear bump stops, which wouldn’t happen if the dampers were tuned a shade better. It’s a very old-school, Cadillac-like ride: Floaty, imprecise, and lazy.

Photos by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photos by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

VLE Verdict: A Tough Sell

The truth to this is that Mercedes will have a tough time selling this in the US. Not because it isn’t worthy—I think it actually does exactly what it needs to do—but because of the inertia in the US against vans. As a luxury product, the VLE holds up to the scrutiny. And in certain trims, like the Exclusive with AMG Monoblock-style wheels, it looks cool.

But convincing American buyers that a van can be cool is an entirely different exercise, especially when the van will easily command six figures. As tested, my Exclusive was around $130,000, though US pricing isn’t final.

Unfortunately, we won’t know for a long while. Mercedes says it won’t introduce its line of luxury vans to the US until 2028 and will start at the very top with the VLS Maybach. So yes, the VLE is pretty great for passengers, decent enough but very van-ey for drivers, presents an incredible practical luxury argument, and it will be in a class of one. But will Americans embrace it? Time will tell.

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– The Motor1.com Team