Travel like a VIP in the Mercedes-Benz Metris
Road trips are a great way to make life-long memories with family and friends, but sometimes that perfect trip is blemished by a small and uncomfortable car — suddenly, a large portion of your vacation just became work.
Living in Los Angeles, I’m all too familiar with the small sedan that’s been filled to the brim with five adults, on their way to one of numerous adventures in Southern California. It’s too bad these otherwise epic weekends are usually book-ended with hours upon hours of confinement and discomfort.
Having had first-hand experience of a cramped sedan, and a 400-mile drive to San Francisco ahead of me, I employed the comfort and capability of a 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris passenger van to shuttle myself and my girlfriend up north for a few days of fun with friends.
Not to be confused with Mercedes-Benz’s Sprinter, the Metris is more than a re-purposed cargo van — it’s a garage-friendly VIP transport with some of MB’s best luxury and safety appointments.
From the driver’s seat, things feel very executive with a large, comfortable seat wrapped in black leatherette, and a steering wheel that looks like it came straight from an E-Class sedan.
The rest of the cabin receives the same premium treatment, with dual automatic side doors, plenty of leg room and two 12V power outlets in the third row for getting work done on the road.
Once we escaped the ever-present traffic of Los Angeles, the Metris really shined, boasting a 400+ mile range on a single 18.5 gallon tank of gas. The 208 horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine hummed effortlessly on the highway in 7th gear while Lane Keep Assist and Crosswind Assist made sure that the only thing I had to worry about was what song to stream next over Bluetooth on the nine-speaker sound system.
While the Mercedes-Benz Metris looks like an unwieldy commercial van — or a spaceship, according to my friend — it actually handles very much like a car, with an impressive turning radius and responsive electromechanical steering. These car-like characteristics made navigating the narrow and hilly streets of San Francisco a lot less stressful, and driver aids like blind-spot monitoring and a rear view camera gave me the confidence to take this luxury shuttle anywhere.
“But what about parking in a city that loves its bicyclists more than cars?” Well, the Metris literally parallel parks itself (while I control the throttle) with Active Parking Assist. Once it scans a suitable parking area, the van uses its electronic power-steering to expertly maneuver itself into tight spaces that I would never think to attempt on my own.
Employed some local talent for our #Mercedes #Metris photoshoot.
A photo posted by Andrew Chen (@lagraffiti) on
Everyone who came across the Metris was impressed by its roominess and capability, including our furry friend Denali, who didn’t want to go home.
With a windy San Francisco weekend in the books, the girlfriend and I hopped back into the silver arrow for a casual drive home. The return trip can sometimes be the hardest part due to tiredness and travel fatigue, but the Metris’s ease of use and relaxed seating position made a six-hour drive feel like a leisurely Sunday cruise.
Learn more about the Mercedes-Benz Metris and see if it’s a good fit for your lifestyle by visiting MBvans.com.
Photos by Andrew Chen.