Does the Mercedes-Benz Metris Really Deserve its Bum Rap?
YouTuber Doug DeMuro clearly hates the Metris with a passion. But are his complaints valid?
In all fairness, vans don’t exactly elicit what you might call excitement. They’re built for a purpose, whether that be to transport a family or some various commercial goods. They’re slab-sided slices of utility, not sports cars. So we’re not surprised that a car guy like Doug DeMuro might hate the humble van. And yet, his disdain for the Mercedes Metris is unprecedented.
DeMuro hates the Metris so much, in fact, that he dubs it “the worst minivan ever made” in this video review. Needless to say, that’s a pretty strong statement. Why, exactly, does he hate it so much? Did the Metris insult his mother or leave him stranded on a dark desert highway somewhere? Well, no. For starters, DeMuro points out the van’s sky high starting price, which is thousands more than its competitors.
Interior
Next, it’s on to the interior, where the second row seating doesn’t fold. It merely tilts forward as one heavy piece. Hilariously, DeMuro also points out that this can only be done on the passenger side. “If you have someone entering on the driver’s side and they want to get in the third row? Too bad.” Compared to the Honda Odyssey, he calls this layout “comically inept.” Making matters worse, he notes that “the third row doesn’t even fold at all!”
DeMuro also points out that sitting in the third row is a problem for children, the people who typically inhabit the third row. Since the seat weighs “around 100 pounds,” he doubts kids can escape “the jail cell that is the Metris.” Those same seats, with non-folding headrests, make rear visibility “absolutely terrible.” Throw in some fixed rear windows, and it’s like an ’80s flashback.
Options
Also, despite the $43,000 asking price, the Metris lacks a power liftgate, power passenger seat, and other niceties present in all the competition. It has halogen headlights, like “a 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit.” The infotainment screen “is about the size of a cell phone, and it isn’t even a touch screen.” Things don’t get much better under the hood, either. The Metris matches the Honda in fuel economy, yet with 80 less horsepower and a nearly 2-second disadvantage in 0-60 acceleration.
Hilariously, the key is “de-contented” compared to other Mercedes keys. It even has a power sliding door button even though this particular van doesn’t have power sliding doors. So you begin to wonder, is there anything that DeMuro likes about the Metris? Well, he appreciates the dash storage designed to eliminate windshield glare. And the climate control that flows all the way to the third seat.
Hitting the Road
But once the rubber hits the road, things go bad again. The rear seats “rattle and shake around like crazy. Like an ’80s minivan that’s had 25 years of kids kicking them.” Front visibility and ride quality are “great,” and braking “normal,” at least. But ultimately, the humble Metris receives DeMuro’s second-lowest “Doug Score” ever.
Many of DeMuro’s complaints about the Metris seem valid, but we’re curious to hear what you think. Is this an unfair desecration of the model, or is the Metris really that far behind the minivan curve?
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