No recommendation is more powerful than personal experience, and Dunstable-based private hire firm Arnald Cars didn’t hesitate when it came time to replace their 3-year old Mercedes-Benz Vito Traveliner, which had done 250,000 miles in just three years.
According to Arnald boss Colin Hall, the outgoing model was “impressively reliable and robust”, so Mr Hall and his wife Teresa had no doubts about replacing it with one of the first new model Vito Tourers to hit UK roads.
The Halls’ new Vito is a 9-seater, extra-long wheelbase 119 BlueTEC model, with optional rear-wheel drive and a Euro 6 2.1-litre, 190 hp diesel engine. Connecting wheels to engine is Mercedes’ 7G-Tronic Plus transmission, the world’s only automatic gearbox for vans with a torque converter and seven gears.
Despite the van’s size, however, a series of fuel-saving enhancements including alternator management, improved underbody aerodynamics and the ECO start/stop function, mean it should offer fuel economy of up to 47.1 mpg on the combined cycle.
Mr Hall says that Mercedes quality and brand image are an ideal complement to the ethos of his business:
“We pride ourselves on the quality of our friendly and reliable executive service, which explains why all of our drivers are CRB-checked, first aid-trained and fully licensed. The New Vito combines a stunning appearance with exemplary comfort levels, while the Mercedes-Benz brand image can only enhance customer perceptions of our business.”
The Halls’ new Vito is fully specced up for a high quality luxury taxi service. On the outside, the vehicle is smartly finished in metallic brilliant silver with colour-coded bumpers and 16-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, to which the customer added optional roof rails and fog lamps.
Inside, passengers don’t need to worry about summer heatwaves. The van’s range-topping SELECT specification includes comfort seating, TEMPMATIC air conditioning, and a carpeted passenger compartment, as well as a lighting package.
The driver will benefit from automatic Headlamp Assist function and a rain sensor which controls windscreen wiper frequency, along with an optional Parking Package and electric sliding doors.