Mercedes-Benz V-Class vs Toyota Granvia

What's the difference?

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class van isn’t made for ferrying parcels from point to point. No, even though it is based on the Vito courier van, the V-Class is all about human cargo.

And let’s be clear, here: we’re not talking about chucking people in the back and hoping they get to their destination without cracks or breakages. This is a luxury van made to move people in comfort and style, with all the trimmings you’d expect of a vehicle bearing the three-pointed star badge.

So, is it any good? I played hire-car driver to find out.

Never talk to strangers. That's (hopefully) what your parents taught you. Luckily some people ignored that good advice when it came to the Toyota Granvia VX people mover and me.

As you'll see in the video above, I tested it on the public – people I didn't know from a cake of soap or whatever the saying is. Seriously, I drove a bus route and somehow talked people into not getting on their regular bus and letting me give them a lift to wherever they were going instead.

I don't often conduct social experiments like this, but I figured the Granvia VX was different. First, here was a new-generation people mover based on the Toyota HiAce that effectively replaces the long-serving Toyota Tarago. Second, it's different from the Tarago and rivals such as the Kia Carnival and Hyundai iMax in that it seems like it's purpose in life could be more of a hire car 'shuttle bus' as it is for a Mercedes-Benz Valente.

So, either way its job is to carry more than one person nearly all the time and that's what I did. You can watch the video above and below is the full review taking into account how I found the Granvia VX to drive, along with its practicality when it comes to cargo capacity, fuel economy and passenger comfort.