TheChauffeur.com reporter, Dr. Ian Kuah gets behind the wheel of the new Mercedes-Benz V-Class to find out if it lives up to the standards Viano chauffeurs are used to…

From the moment you climb on board, the new V-Class feels premium and special, the leather-covered dashboard and state-of-the art controls striking a clear relationship with the new C and S-Class.

The electrically activated sliding doors on both sides are a big advantage, allowing easy access no matter which side of the road you are parked. The motorised rear door is another plus point, but the optional easy load feature that brings the separately opening glass for easy access in restricted spaces is a mixed blessing.

The thick shelf that accompanies it has folding plastic crates for holding small items, but in a chauffeur configuration where you have five or six passengers and their luggage, that bulky shelf may need to stay at home.

For the UK, a seven-seat (2-3-2) configuration will be standard, with the option of six seats (2-2-2) where the two rows face each other with a folding table for conference situations. All the seats slide on rails so you can tailor the interior for legroom and luggage space.

The first V-Class variant I drove was the Edition 1, denoting the special package Mercedes produces in Europe for all its brand new models. In silver, this V250 BlueTec based version has brown leather trim and distinctive 19-inch wheels.

Although handling is crisp, the downside of the sport suspension and big wheels is a firmer ride than appropriate for a luxury MPV, even on relatively smooth German roads.

I thus made it my mission to drive a V250 with standard suspension and 18-inch wheels on the second day. The 18s look big enough anyway, and this comfort-biased set-up is excellent even from the third seat row, with a supple secondary ride at low speeds and good body control at motorway pace.

There is no more air suspension option for the rear axle. Mercedes now use frequency selective dampers, a Koni patent, produced by Tenneco, which work seamlessly to balance ride and handling across the cars speed range.

High-sided vehicles have stability issues in strong crosswinds, and one of the new features is a stability-control that ameliorates wind-induced yaw using individual brakes.

We had some very big gusts coming off the North Sea on the way back to Hamburg from the Island of Sylt, and I felt the system jump in to stabilise the car a couple of times on the autobahn. Its yaw corrective action is not unobtrusive, and will likely cause passengers to comment.

On the autobahn both road and wind noise became very prominent at around 100mph, but this is not an issue at UK motorway speeds where the cabin of this first true luxury MPV is a refined and restful place to be.

The 2,143cc four-cylinder from the passenger car range replaces the emissions unfriendly V6 diesel of the outgoing Viano. With 190hp and 440Nm of torque, this motor is relatively powerful and can move the V-Class along at a fair pace, but it is not as refined as the V6. A short-term overboost facility increases output by 13hp and 40Nm for full throttle work like overtaking.

The motor works seamlessly with the 7G-tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox, whose ratios can be selected by the steering paddle shifts. Meanwhile the Agility Control switch on the centre console allows you to choose between its ECO, Comfort, Sport and Manual settings.

The motor is a bit clattery when cold but disappears into the background at cruise. All the test cars had around 5,000 km on the clock, and so were still very tight. Certainly, my Edition 1 improved with a day of high speed running, while my second test car was subjectively quieter and more powerful from the word go.

Mercedes claim an incredible NEDC fuel consumption average of 47mpg. In high-speed autobahn and cross-country running the first day I achieved 32.4mpg.

With a pure motorway run on the second day, this improved to 34mpg, and I would expect a careful chauffeur to achieve over 36mpg in less demanding UK conditions, which is very good for a vehicle weighing 2,145kg.

The first European deliveries are in June this year, and it is a great pity that the RHD version of this brilliant people mover will not reach our shores till spring 2015.

Report and Pictures: Dr. Ian Kuah.

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