Merc VLE Appears To Be Imminent
Exactly a week ago, Mercedes-Benz teased a new minivan called the VLE, providing a few shots of a pre-production development vehicle covered in blue camouflage. Our spies have now seen that same camouflage on another VLE van, but on this one, a few minor cosmetic changes suggest there can’t be much testing left to do for the upcoming luxury minivan.
In the teaser images from last week, there was a very simple daytime running light graphic in the headlights, the wheels were a somewhat generic double-spoke design that could have been from almost any existing product, and the taillights were pre-production placeholders. These spy shots show a vehicle with stylish differences in each of those areas.
Mercedes VLE Prepares To Join A New Generation
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Like the other upcoming Mercedes models we’ve spotted undergoing testing of late, from the electric CLA to the facelifted S-Class, the lights feature a Three-pointed Star motif at the front and the rear. At the front, they’re among the DRLs, while at the back… well, we can’t say exactly how often the symbol will appear, but it will likely be a repeating image in the vertical bars framing the tailgate.
It’s also worth noting that the tailgate integrates a small lip spoiler over it, which is less about downforce and more about cleaning the turbulent air in the van’s wake. More evidence of the ambition for aerodynamic efficiency can be found in the wheels and their directional spokes, but that’s not the only neat trick found within the arches.
The VLE Should Be Easy To Drive
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As the spy photos clearly show, one of the daily struggles facing the van driver in the busy and narrow European city is that of making sharp turns, but with a rather aggressive take on low-speed rear-wheel steering, this VLE electric van seems well-equipped to meet the challenge. It should also be easy to live with from a range perspective, as Mercedes claims that two test vehicles traveled 683 miles between Stuttgart and Rome and only needed two 15-minute charging stops along the way. That will be put to the test when the VLE debuts sometime next year, and given how many aerodynamic efficiency and range records Mercedes has claimed, we expect big things.