25 years. That's how long Mercedes-Benz has offered the Vito. While the brand is more commonly associated with luxury sedans and sporty AMG models, their reputation as a builder of reliable and robust commercial vehicles is strong.
The Vito, now in its 25th year, is perhaps the most recognisable offering. To celebrate a quarter of a century in production - and 1.8 million units sold worldwide - the German brand has enhanced the safety features of their commercial van.
Receiving a facelift earlier this year, Mercedes introduced a host of safety and driver assistance systems for their Vito. This included Active Brake Assist, a digital rear-view mirror and Distronic. The Stuttgart-based brand has gone one step further, adding Blind Spot Assist as standard to the commercial vehicle.
"With the Vito’s Blind Spot Assist, drivers receive an audio and visual warning when there is a vehicle or obstruction in their blind spot. Warning signals and a red triangle appear on the exterior mirror, allowing time to avoid a collision or accident."
But that's not all. Active Brake Assist is also standard, the system capable of detecting a collision with a vehicle up front, alerting the driver with both a visual and acoustic warning. If the driver responds, brake pressure is built up to help avoid the situation. However, if the driver does not respond, the system assists with braking manoeuvres, says Mercedes. "In urban traffic, Active Brake Assist also reacts to stationary obstacles or crossing pedestrians."
