Attack of the new mini vans

[kudzu]

Haven't seen a Metris on the road. It is a good size. Hope they really do bring the AWD over.

 

[madmax718]

Metris seat reviews have made it seem that they will be very utilitarian past the first row.

As far as new "minivans" go- the GM U body minivans were of the same width and length as these new "mini" minivans, as these new minivans are euro sized (just like the gm U body).

Dodge Caravan: 78.6 (pretty much the same since 2004)
Sienna: 78.1 (77.4 in 2004)
Ford Transit: 72.2
NV200: 68.1
Chevy Venture/montana/etc: 72

And here's the real kicker- all the fold into the floor seating options eat up ground clearance.

 

[zelatore]

I haven't seen any on the road yet either but I had a good look at one at the auto show a couple months ago. If I were in the new minivan market, that would be my choice. RWD only in North America for now, but the sales guy expects AWD to follow soon. The Sprinter was always way to big for an Astro/Safari replacement but the Metris is perfect, IMO. Its a shame but I highly doubt they will sell many of these, since young wealthy families around here wouldn't be seen in anything less than a GLS or GLE.

Jason

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

I've seen a few around on the road, but certainly not being used as family transport. They are cargo vans built for working out of, never intended to haul a family.

I currently run an NV200 as my work van and it's generally adequate but it's a soul sucking appliance to actually drive. That sort of comes with the territory I guess, but for as small as it is and as underpowered as it is I find the mileage disappointing. I can average around 25 mpg. Heck, my 300 hp BMW averaged almost that and it was rather entertaining to drive.

I've got a few years of service left in the NV200, but I would like to move to a bit larger platform for my next van. I've been eyeing the Metris or the smallest of the ProMaster 1500s. But since this is 100% a business tool I'm hoping mileage increases on this size van before I'm back in the market. I'd like to at least get the small vans up to high 20s and the mid-size where I am currently in the mid 20s.


One last thing, somebody mentioned roof height and that's certainly a big issue, but more important is load-in height. A low load floor is easier to, er, load, and can make up for a low roof height. It doesn't much help with ground clearance for an off-road rig, but again these are built for tradesmen. I'm pretty sure my NV200 has the lowest load in height of any of the vans, which I will miss when I replace it.

 

[madmax718]

just about any FWD will have a lower load in height than an AWD or RWD.

Though I hear the next gen may have fwd and Electric RWD- if that happens you may get the best of both worlds. or the ram pro master, the nose is settling in on me.

 

[kudzu]

Metris does come in a window van version with 8 person seating. Haven't seen it in person, but I'd guess it's not as plush as many seem to want in a minivan.

If load in height is better, meaning lower, on the NV200, it must be only marginally so. To me, the floor height seemed comparable between Promaster City, Transit Connect (both old & new), & NV200. OK, just looked it up & it appears the NV200 beats the TC, but by less than an inch. Had a Promaster City next to my '10 TC & the floor height seems similar. Old TC has more interior height than Promaster City & much more than newer TC. This mattered to me because you could actually have storage on floor, platform above (in my case for the dogs), & still suspend things from the roof inside. I could, with an intricate, jigsaw puzzle approach, get everything inside the older TC. It could also serve as a weekender camper van. Though that assumes you don't have a pack of large hounds, like me. lol What BF cared most about is that we could fit a motorcycle inside. I would only care about that if I broke down & had to bring it in for service.

FWD with electric RWD, hmmm. It certainly has possibilities. For most driving I'd prefer that, but not sure if it's better for towing a trailer. Then again, more clearance without having to go full on, jacked up 4x4 would suite my purposes much better. Look forward to them doing that & giving it a try.

 

[calicamper]

I thought the new Mercedes Metris would be more popular as the size slides in a spot in the market that is basically vacant. But I've only seen one of them on the road in as many months. Anyone else?

A good friend bought one of the first ones to arrive. Back in January. Theirs is set up as a simple mini van ish which he uses as his regatta wagon hauling his 20ft racing sailboat. If it holds up hes thinking some camper van mods could be in the future. He likes it. Load capacity is nuts thats for sure. No awd which is a bit of a bummer.