Mercedes-Benz VLE review

Up to eight seats, ranging from two to… eight. You really can move everything about. The single non-electric seats can be flipped and removed (they weigh 27kgs, so no more than a fat baby), turned around and rolled away on built-in wheels in what Mercedes calls ‘Roll&Go’. The electric items can be removed, too – but it’s an operation best saved for a dealer.

But at the basic level every chair apart from the rear bench option is essentially a captain’s chair. So you can have three on one side and room for a bike on the other. A four-seater with an enormous boot. A comfy, individually-seated six-seater, or the full double three-seater and two front seats for the eight-seat transport apocalypse.

The business version comes with high-sided airline-style seats in the middle complete with wireless charging, iPhone-style controllers and folding tables, plus a 32-inch, 8k screen that deploys from a slot in the headliner – it has cameras, so hello on-the-move Teams calls. There’s a Burmester stereo that sounds epic, and every interior material option from Artico fabric to full-on smelly leather.

You can even option three different types of centre console, from a shelf-like arrangement to the full length sideboard of a thing festooned with storage and multiple charging spots. The dash is the usual Mercedes Benz Superscreen: 10.25-inches for the driver, 14-inches in the middle and another 14 for the passenger, but it’s a bit annoying if we’re being honest, even if it is powered by a water-cooled supercomputer and MB.OS.

The VLE also has all the ADAS and driver-helpers via MB.DRIVE and an absolute bouncy castle of airbags, including ones that pop up between passengers to prevent them hitting each other on the rebound, front ‘bags, kneebags, window bags (and there’s a lot of window) and side bags for thoraxes and pelvises.

Oh, and a panoramic roof is standard in the rear, too – so it’s not as dark as it should be, and there’s a hot-slash-coolbox that can maintain several temperatures, whether that’s cold drinks or hot takeaways. 

Is this the most practical car… ever?

In with a shout, certainly. The 300kW+ charging means you won’t have to keep your passengers waiting too long with 10-80 per cent in 25 minutes, 226 miles added in a quarter of an hour if you’re in the charging sweetspot. And on a big enough charger.

With all seats in place the boot measures 795 litres, climbing to 4,078 litres in two-seat mode. That’s basically an Olympic swimming pool.

But the real treat is that the VLE goes for the luxury MPV vibe, instead of the more usual SUV. Of course, Mercedes offers eleventy-thousand versions of an SUV model, but the VLE forges the compromises of those kinds of things and just goes for straight usefulness. It might not be classically pretty, but the beauty is in the practicality.