Mzansi's two most premium people carriers are neck and neck in terms of power output.
The Mercedes-Benz V300d and VW Caravelle eHybrid are in a league of their own. Pictures: Supplied
The all-new Volkswagen Caravelle is not only the brand’s first local plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), but is also the most powerful people mover in Mzansi.
Wearing an eHybrid badge, the all-new VW Caravelle has swapped out its predecessor’s 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine for a powertrain made up of a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine, 19.7kWh battery pack and rear mounted electric motor. The system delivers a total of 180kW of power and 350Nm of torque. This is 16kW more power than the oil-burner, but 120Nm less torque.
VW Caravelle ahead of V300d
The new power output sees the all-new VW Caravelle PHEV edge the Mercedes-Benz V300d. The 174kW the V300d’s 2.0-litre blown mill punches out six kilowatts less. But the Merc’s torque of 500Nm is a full 150Nm more than the VW van.
Other local people movers do not come anywhere close to the pair in terms of power. The Hyundai Staria’s 2.2-litre oil-burner produces 130kW/430Nm, the Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0-litre turbodiesel pumps out 125kW/390Nm and the Toyota Quantum VX’s 2.8-litre diesel mill 115kW/420Nm. The closet rival is actually the Mercedes-Benz Vito 119 CDI which makes 140kW/440Nm.
The Mercedes V300’s power goes to the rear wheels via 9G Tronic automatic transmission, while the Caravelle’s six-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends the twist to all four corners.
The Citizen Motoring has not put either van through a high-performance road test yet, but the claimed acceleration times will make it an interesting race between the two. Mercedes says the V300d will sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds, while the VW claims 8.2 seconds for the Caravelle to reach 100km/h from a standstill.
The VW Caravelle eHybrid has a rated top speed of 190km/h, while the Merc van is limited to 220km/h.
Hefty price tags
In terms of pricing, the Volkswagen Caravelle eHybrid Style 4Motion will set you back R1 794 000 compared the Mercedes-Benz V300d Exclusive’s sticker of R2 301 578.
