Mercedes-Benz VLE – new luxury EV MPV with more than 400 PS, over 700 km WLTP, 300 kW charging

Mercedes-Benz has been threatening to reveal a luxury electric MPV for some time now, and it has finally done so with the VLE. Previewed by the Vision V concept at Auto Shanghai last year, this new-age luxo barge – Stuttgart is in fact calling the car a “Grand Limousine”, which is…a choice – is built on a new flexible modular platform simply called the Van Architecture, available with up to eight seats.

Clearly designed to compete with the latest flagship electric people carriers coming out of China, such as the Denza D9, Zeekr 009 and Xpeng X9, the VLE boasts some deeply impressive stats. At launch, the car will be available in a single long range model, the VLE300, with a 276 PS (203 kW) front motor and a 115 kWh NMC battery delivering a claimed WLTP range of over 700 km.

Later on, there will be a VLE400 4Matic that, as the name suggests, will feature dual-motor all-wheel drive with a total output of more than 400 PS (300 kW), getting it from zero to 100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds. A lesser model with an 80 kWh LFP battery will also be offered further down the line.

As per the new CLA, the VLE runs on an 800-volt electrical architecture to enable up to 300 kW of DC fast charging. This lets the car net up to 355 km of additional range with just 15 minutes of charging, although Mercedes has yet to provide a concrete 10 to 80% charge time. Also like the CLA, you’ll need to pay extra for a DC-DC converter to enable 400-volt charging at places such as a Tesla Supercharger.

To deliver on the “limousine” part of the brief, the VLE can be had with Airmatic air suspension. Besides offering a cushy ride, this setup also allows the car to be raised or lowered by 40 mm to benefit either ground clearance or entry and egress. You can also spec rear-axle steering at up to seven degrees, shrinking the turning circle to 10.9 metres – again comparable to the CLA.

Measuring 5,309 mm long, 1,999 mm wide and 1,943 mm tall, the VLE is among the longest in its segment – longer even than the Xpeng X9 (5,293 mm) and a long-wheelbase S-Class (5,289 mm) – with its 3,342 mm wheelbase also besting the others by a considerable margin. An even longer 5,484 mm model with a 3,517 mm wheelbase is coming, which will eclipse even a Maybach S-Class (5,460 mm, 3,396 mm wheelbase).

The VLE is therefore a more ambitious offering than the V-Class ever was, and to that end, the car gets a far more imposing design, with a massive full-height grille available with the upright three-pointed star bonnet ornament – a first for a van-shaped Mercedes. This is flanks by distinctive wavy headlights joined together by a strip up top; these are available in Digital Light versions with rather gaudy quadruple illuminated stars.

Further back, you’ll find a smooth streamlined design with an sweeping glasshouse arc, subtle front and rear shoulder lines and flush pop-out door handles. The slab-sidedness is mitigated somewhat by a range of large wheel options measuring between 19 and a whopping 22 inches in diameter. An inverted U-shaped taillight bar forms an aero shroud around the rear windscreen, which can open separately and features the Mercedes-Benz script (following another pervasive design trend? I hope not).

As before, the VLE can be had in AMG Line trim, giving the car a sportier front bumper design, an illuminated dot matrix grille and a returning dinner plate-sized grille star, providing a look rather reminiscent of the new electric GLC. Standard and Exclusive variants are also available, with higher-end models gaining a gloss black lower body to hide the car’s visual mass.

Continuing a trend seen on newer Mercs, the VLE features a flat dashboard covered in piano black trim, providing a platform for the optional MBUX Superscreen. This adds a 14-inch passenger touchscreen to the standard array of screens, including a 10.25-inch instrument display and a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen. There’s also an available 23.1-inch augmented reality head-up display and a central webcam.

The widescreen panel is framed by vertical air vents, with the centre vents hidden atop the dash. Buyers can choose between three centre console options – a compact design with single or dual Qi wireless chargers, a longer version with an armrest and open storage underneath, and a range-topping variant with twin heated and cooled compartments.

Behind the front seats is where the magic happens. The VLE can be had in eight- and seven-seater layouts, with the manually-adjustable second row available with either a bench or individual captain’s chairs with a fold-out table. Both of these can be arranged in any way – including a rearward-facing second row for shuttle purposes – and be removed; they even come with integrated wheels for easy moving and storage.

Power-adjustable second-row bench and captain’s chairs are also available, but the pews that towkays will really want are the Grand Comfort seats. These come with additional cushioning, built-in ottomans, individual wireless charging pads, lumbar adjustment and even a massage function. You can adjust these seats via the physical buttons, the infotainment system or even the Mercedes-Benz app.

The Grand Comfort seats are best paired with a 32:9, 31.3-inch 8K display that folds out, BMW 7 Series style, from the roof. It too has a webcam for conference calls, as well as a split-screen function and the ability to stream video from services such as Disney+. You control the massive “TV” through twin removable tablets located, rather oddly, behind the front seat backs. Audio from the screens is directed through an optional 22-speaker Burmester 3D Surround Sound system with Dolby Atmos support.

Utility has not been ignored in pursuit of luxury and technological advancement. Even with all seats up, you still get up to 795 litres of boot space. With manual seats, you can remove all of them to boost luggage capacity to a cavernous 4,078 litres, so packing even your most outrageous IKEA shopping spree will be a cinch. Mercedes also claims a towing capacity of 2.5 tonnes.

Safety-wise, the VLE is available with a whole host of driver assists, with the options list including MB.Drive Assist with Distronic adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist and lane change assist – the latter being upgraded to an automatic system with MB.Drive Assist Plus. Meanwhile, MB.Drive Assist Pro adds highly automated city and highway driving, available in China first. You also get park assist and an upgraded 360-degree camera system with a rim protection warning to guard against kerb strikes.

Although the VLE will be sold as an EV first, reports from the likes of Autocar suggest that the MPV will come with combustion engines further down the line, in keeping with Mercedes’ electrification U-turn. This is reflected in the change in the nomenclature of the platform, which was originally called the Van Electric Architecture (VAN.EA).

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