700 Sprinters Into Action

Balfour Beatty Order 700 Merc Vans

Sheffield-based Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions (BBUS) have acquired an incredible 700 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters through local van dealer Northside Truck & Van.  The order consists primarily of the 313CDI 3.5 tonne vans but BBUS has also requested a number of Mercedes chassis cab vans to complete their van fleet.

BBUS has asked for all the Mercedes vans to be fitted with passenger airbags in addition to the standard driver airbags.  The Mercedes vans will also be fitted with seat belt warning alarms for the van drivers.  All of the 700 vans ordered comply with Euro 5 exhaust emissions.

I've just bought a new Vito - but where's the plug?

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a prototype of a battery-powered van based on the Vito at an EU meeting in Spain this month.  Offering an average range of 80 miles and limited to a top speed of 50mph, the Mercedes van is fitted with lithium-ion battery technology and a 90kw electric motor.  However, unlike many other Mercedes van models, this van is likely to become a standard production van rather than a special van conversion - good news for the wannabe electric van drivers out there.

Transporter S Line -V- Vito X

This should be an obvious question - which of the Volkswagen Transporter S Line or the Mercedes Vito X is the quickest round any track they’re pointed at?  Let’s face it, the Vito X has more torque than an Audi S4!  Unfortunately, these are not cheap vans (circa £28,000) and thus my request to the Vansdirect board to throw them around a track for the day was turned down (hmmph).  However, the good people at Fifth Gear, including the lovely Vicki Butler Henderson, can put this travesty to rights. So sit back and watch two non-cheap vans be driven round a track at break neck speeds to discover the result; VW versus Mercedes vans.