Mercedes Benz Metris: First Drive 2016

What is it: 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris Cargo or 8-passenger van.

Price range: $29,945 to $40,000, roughly

Alternatives: Old Chevy Astro vans, pickups with good bed shells, getting out of the retail delivery business.

Pros: Rides well, sweet engine and transmission, looks impressive.

Cons: Built to last, not impress. In Europe power sliding doors are an option. Not here. And yeah, we should get a diesel version too.

Would I buy it with my own money? If I were FedEx I’d buy a couple thousand. If I had to shuttle conventioneers around, sure this makes sense. But families will still prefer a great front-drive minivan like the Honda Odyssey.

America is the last frontier for Mercedes-Benz trucks. We’re the holdouts; the last place on earth that hasn’t acclimated to the three-pointed star meaning commercial efficiency in transportation. The bigSprinter has been a hit. And now here’s the smaller 2016 Metris van. It’s the first Mercedes optimized for people who usually answer the phone by saying “Hello, Best Western.”

Mercedes has been building vans in this general size class for decades. Odd, awkward looking troll boxes like the N1300 and MB100 that I’m practically daring you to look up on the Internet and revel in their weirdness. The company’s current entry has been known as the Vito in most of the world and as the V-Class in a few places. But the name Vito is inseparable here from The Godfather. And Mercedes doesn’t want to be associated with mafia chieftains unless they’re buying S600 Maybachs.

Inside Mercedes this latest version mid-size van is known as the W447 and it was introduced last year powered by a range of various diesel engines. To become the Metris, the diesel engines have been kept out of the United States, replaced by the 208 horsepower, turbocharged 2-liter gasoline-burning four from the C300 sedan. The gasoline engine will be, says Mercedes, exclusive to the United States – at least for now. And the United States won’t be getting a diesel – at least for now.

At 202.4 inches long over a 126-inch wheelbase, the Metris is just a half-inch shorter than a Honda Odyssey. That Honda is 3.7 inches wider than the Mercedes, though the Metris, at 75.2 inches tall, stands a significant 6.8 inches higher. The Metris has very European dimensions. And those dimensions result in a lot of interior room.