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Mercedes Vito II, the kind of van you buy because it has no competition. Okay, maybe the Vito had it, but the Viano definitely spent a few years alone in its world.

Mercedes Vito II and also the fun was in the Viano area. If the first Vito was a living monument to reliability and simplicity, the Vito II clearly comes across as a luxury van, as if all people with money aspire to a Vito. Although, if you look at the engines put on the Viano/Vito II you would see that in the petrol section you have engines worthy of the S Class. As for the Vito II, we have the same timeless eternal diesel so you’ll be able to carry just as many people and potatoes (at the same time) and mainly you’re not limited by engine power but by the rust level of the van.

But that’s about all I’m going to say about the Mercedes Vito II because otherwise, I’m likely to be picked up by some very cultured gentlemen in a van who will show me some experiments regarding the resistance of skin material in contact with rubber material. Delivered with speed, in the shape of a rubber baton. Plus the Vito II was not such a popular van, being somewhere in the middle of the center. More expensive than a Transporter and smaller than a Sprinter, the Mercedes Vito II is stuck halfway down the road and more confused than Daniel Radcliffe when asked if he is Frodo from the Shire.

Mercedes Vito II Engines

Petrol

• 3.2 V6 of 218 horsepower  – Somehow this petrol was stolen from the W220 S Class and put into the Vito / Viano. I find it mind-boggling that this is also the smallest petrol engine available for the Vito II.


• 3.5 V6 of 258 horsepower – A newer generation engine, shared with the W221 S Class. Unfortunately not the most successful engine possible for it has the famous camshaft issue so you’d be better off with the “microscopic” 3.2 V6.


• 3.7 V6 M112 of 231 horsepower – Or if money is no object, then the fabulous M112 in the 3700 cc version is just the thing. Trouble free as long as it gets quality oil and filters changed on time, I really don’t understand why you would get this engine.


• 4.3 V6 of 325 horsepower – Neither does this one. But you probably really want a Mercedes Vito Brabus but don’t want to dive all the way in.


• 6.0 V12 of 426 horsepower  – Like this crazy engine, this mammoth put on Brabus models. Personally, I wouldn’t get inside a 426-horsepower Mercedes Viano with a 6.0 V12 aspirated engine, no matter how ready for action or VIP I am.

Diesel

• 2.2 CDI of 109, 116, and 150 horsepower  – Just as the 1.5 dCi is the village bike for the Nissan – Renault – Mercedes alliance and the 2.0 TDI is the village bike for the VW group, so Mercedes’ famous 2.2 diesel has been put on everything from the Vito to the S Class and the Sprinter to the GLK. Until 2009 they used the OM641 version which is much more reliable but was retired by emissions and the OM651 which came in a Euro 5 version but less reliable. In any case, these engines spin forever and have occasional timing chain and injector issues, but are essentially capable of billions of miles.


• 3.0 V6 CDI of 204 horsepower – Another engine stolen from the S Class, this engine is great on the long haul and poor in town. It chokes on dirt, dust, and diesel more than Jeff Bezos chokes while trying to pronounce “taxes”. But at this level of money and performance, do an occasional injector or EGR even matter if they break down?

Mercedes Vito II General Issues

• Some more expensive models have air suspension and the rear airbags are more fragile than the self-esteem of a geography graduate who is now applying for her first CV to get into the workforce and finds that her degree hasn’t helped her much.


• Some automatic gearboxes are the old 5G-Tronic and some are the dubios 7G-Tronic. I’ll leave it to you instead to figure out which and how. Like I was dropped off by a girl with pants down in the parking lot behind McDonald’s in Bristol and then the locals took pictures of me and put them on the internet with the title “Bears seen raiding the McDonald’s dumpsters in Fishponds, Bristol”.


• No meal without fish, no car list without Hyundai i30, and no Mercedes without rust. Mercedes Vito II has rust especially on the fenders and on the axle, but in any case, you will not drive like in Flintstone’s, as was the case with the first Vito.


• For the snobs who have chosen better living conditions, you should know that there are occasional issues with the power window motors. 

Mercedes Vito II verdict

The Mercedes Viano, the passenger version of the Mercedes Vito II, was a hit because it was the only premium van for VIP transport so we don’t praise it as if it were the Iron Sheikh bragging about himself. As for the Vito, unfortunately, it was too expensive an option for the average entrepreneur (the cheap or broke one would get the Astra H station wagon) and especially because the VW Transporter T5 and Opel Vivaro beat him up more than the thin blue line beats up esteemed citizens after any soccer match really. Oh yes, I remembered that the police usually travel around in Mercedes Vito II, so I can say only good things about this car.

What engines do you recommend? The 115cdi version with the 2.2 diesel and 150 hp is the most popular and the most correct choice  for the Vito II. But it seems like a 3.2 petrol sounds pretty good too.