VW Transporter Vs Mercedes Vito Vans
Watch the New VW Transporter Battle it out on the track against the Mercedes Vito on Fifth Gear
Transcript: “This is the Volkswagen Transporter Vans sports line. From its spoiler to its grill it means business. Keen viewers will know that fifth gear is quite a fan of the 27,000 pound brute. A while back it beat the A-Team van around Snetterton. Since then its reigned as white van mans dream machine, but now there may be another.
Meet the Mercedes Vito Sport X. Brabus badges dawn it like its some kind of supercar. This limited edition van will set you back 25 grand, but is it as quick as the VW?
So we have a 2.5l turbo diesel engine, with 172 BHP, it is the fastest VW Van engine you can buy. It has got 400 nmt and it is one energetic piece of kit. Pulling out of this corner hear, a really tight right hander, at 3000RPM, boot the throttle, it just picks up and goes. Maximum power you can get is between 2500 and 3500 RPM so you do have to work the gear box to make sure you stay in that power band, but it is so rewarding. VW have decided to put in some traction control, but fortunately they have given us a button to turn it off. The suspension is lowered and it sits on 18″ tyres, which have a reasonable amount of grip. However this is a front wheel drive van so it will under-steer when you rush into a corner a bit too quickly. If this is what delivery men get to do everyday, then I think I might swap jobs.The Transporter did a time of 1min 37.8s
Time for the Vito Sport X. Right so we now have a 3letre V6 Diesel engine, with 440nmt, 40 more than the VW, but more impressively, it is more than a Audi RS4. We also have 204Bhp, which is 30 more than the VW. So it should be quicker than the transporter. But is it? It may take 8.3 seconds to 60, but thats in a straight line. Turn a corner, and the traction control absolutly kills any progress dead. Turning into this bend here, flat on the throttle and bearly going anywhere, 40mph when i should actually be doing aroung 50-55mph. There is a button to turn the traction control off, but it only deactivates the system for about a nano second. I dont know why they even bother having a button. This is a rear wheel drive van. I should be getting the rear end out, having alot of fun, I’m amazed anybody makes there delivery time if they have one of these. The Vito did a fast lap of 1min 39.2s, a massive 1.4 seconds slower than the transporter.”
You can find a Used Transporter and vw van hire on the VW website.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:22 pm
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