Mercedes’ 2014 V-Class is the minivan you wish your parents owned when you were a kid

By Davis Adams January 31, 2014

Mercedes-Benz has cannonballed into a segment that no other luxury automaker has dared to enter: minivans.

The German automaker just pulled the sheets off its 2014 V-Class, a legitimately luxurious minivan. The folks at Benz have called the V-Class the “Mercedes of MPVs”, and we believe that, as the next nicest family hauler in the segment is either the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna.

The 2014 V-Class is offered in three lengths across two wheel bases, and it can seat as many as eight passengers. However, there are multiple seating configurations, our favorite of which allows the middle and rear rows to face each other, not unlike a limousine. You’ll also find the full suite of Mercedes-level luxury appointments available inside, ranging from heated and cooled seats and navigation, to an adaptive suspension, LED lighting and selectable driving modes.

The V-Class is powered by a 2.1-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder, which is offered in three different levels of horsepower. The base version of the car produces 136 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. The mid-trim offers 163 hp and 280 lb-ft. And the big mill in the group produces 190 hp and 325 lb-ft of wheel-turning goodness. No matter the version you choose, the V-Class engine is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with eco, comfort, sport and manual drive modes.

There’s no word on the V-Class heading stateside at this point, but we could see it eating into the sales margins for highest-trim minivans on the market here today. Watch out, Sienna Limited and Odyssey Touring Elite.

The V-Class goes on sale in Europe later this spring.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Photo Galleries

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Whether you're talking about gadgets or cars, Davis always seems to prefer "next year's models." He's a neophile to the core…

Cars

Don’t let the gimmicks fool you. The Ioniq 5 N is a serious track car

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N drifting.

We’re finally getting to the fun part of automakers’ methodical quest to replicate their lineups with electric cars.

Performance versions of ordinary cars have been a staple of the auto industry for decades. But while we’ve already seen some variants of EVs boasting more power and more impressive stats — think Tesla Model S Plaid or Lucid Air Sapphire — the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the first to truly apply that format to an EV.

Cars

The Maserati GranCabrio Folgore is one of the best-looking EVs yet

Front of the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore

Maserati is adopting electrified vehicles with open arms, and while that could potentially signal an identity crisis for the luxury Italian brand, that’s probably a good thing in the long run.

The company recently took the wraps off of the new Maserati GranCabrio Folgore, which is essentially a convertible version of its already released GranTurismo Folgore electric car. The new EV is its third go at electrified vehicles so far, and it flew us out to Rimini, Italy, to witness the big reveal in person.

Cars

EV warranties aren’t like those for non-electric cars. Here’s what you should know

Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station with power supply plugged into an electric car being charged.

EVs are on the rise. With awesome new models finally rolling out and charging networks rapidly expanding, it feels like we're at the tipping point of electric cars being as mainstream as non-electric vehicles. But with a whole new type of vehicle come new challenges. One challenge is adapting to charging times. Another is paying closer to attention to range. And another, as some drivers are finding out, has to do with electric car warranties.

Turns out, the warranty that comes with electric cars isn't necessarily quite the same as the one that you might get with your non-electric car. If you really think about it, that's probably not all that surprising -- after all, while they can look the same, electric cars have a completely different makeup under the hood compared to their gas-powered cousins. But understanding an EV warranty could be the difference between winding up having to pay thousands for a battery replacement, or getting one repaired on the house.
It's not all new
Before diving into things like battery warranties, it's worth doing a quick primer on car warranties in general. EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles usually come with two different warranties -- at least when they're bought new. First, there's the basic warranty (also known as bumper-to-bumper warranty), which covers every part of a car except for basic maintenance, usually for up to three years or 36,000 miles.