Mercedes-Benz is preparing to bring its new-generation passenger van to the United States market. The VLE-class launches as an EV with the single-motor VLE300 and the dual-motor VLE400. Several seating configurations will be offered, including one with two lounge-like center seats.
In the 1995 film Get Shorty, New York mobster Chili Palmer (John Travolta) travels to L.A., and when the rental-car shuttle driver drops him off at his car, it’s an Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan. “I reserved a Cadillac,” Palmer protests. The rental agency guy brushes him off with a glib, “Yeah, well, this one’s the Cadillac of minivans.”
Unfortunately, that bit of product placement couldn’t save Oldsmobile. And there’s never been a Cadillac minivan—or any luxury-brand minivan, at least not one sold in the United States. But that’s about to change with the new 2028 Mercedes-Benz VLE-class.
A Limo with Sliding Doors
Mercedes has sold vans in North America for years, chiefly its Sprinter but also, for a time, the mid-size Metris. Both of those were designed as commercial vehicles, even if they also had passenger-carrying configurations. With the VLE-class, Mercedes is about to launch its first purpose-designed passenger van into the U.S. market—a Mercedes minivan, if you will. Mercedes surely won’t use that characterization, though. It prefers the term “grand limousine.”
Luxury transport for America’s chauffeur-driven set typically consists of large body-on-frame SUVs. But is that really the best vehicle type for that use case? Arguably not. Vans are roomier within the same vehicle footprint, and they offer easier ingress and egress than high-riding SUVs. Mercedes previewed the idea of a kitted-out van for A-listers with last year’s Vision V concept, and the notion is already popular in China.
The VLE retains the concept’s light-up grille surround and available stand-up hood ornament (although the latter is not illuminated like on the new 2027 S-class). At the VLE’s rear, the taillight array rises up and over the rear window. Like workaday minivans known for schlepping families to and fro, the VLE has dual sliding doors (with roll-down windows). At the rear is a liftgate, and the large rear glass also opens separately.
Although Mercedes is touting the VLE as executive transport, it’s equally suitable as a shuttle for spoiled offspring. There are multiple interior configurations, and total seating capacity ranges up to eight. The middle row can be a three-person bench, two individual seats that can face forward or flip around to face backward, or two Grand Comfort individual seats. The rearmost row can be two individual seats: a three-person bench that’s split 60/40 or a power-operated three-person bench.
The manual rear seats can be moved forward and back or removed altogether. The available power-operated rear seats can’t be removed, but they can be manipulated via switches on the doors, using the central touchscreen, or with a remote. The Grand Comfort seats include tray tables that stow in the side armrest, a deployable leg rest, and a massage function.
Up front, there’s a choice of center consoles; the smaller version pokes out from the dash and allows walk-through to the rear, while the larger version fills the space between the front seats and offers the option of a refrigerated or heated compartment and a scent atomizer.
Of course, the VLE has the latest MBUX operating system, including an AI-powered digital assistant. A dash-spanning Superscreen is optional, and its orientation is more upright than the similar Hyperscreen in other Benz models. It encompasses three displays: 10.3 inches for the driver, a 14.0-inch central unit, and another 14.0-inch display for the front passenger. In the rear, an available 31.3-inch screen deploys from the ceiling. It boasts 8K resolution, split-screen capability, and a built-in camera for video conferencing.
#Van.EA Life
The VLE is built on Mercedes’s new modular Van.EA architecture; a related Van.CA variant underpins the combustion models that will follow. (Mercedes claims 70 percent shared parts between the two.) The electric VLE features an 800-volt architecture and a 115-kWh battery, though some markets will get a less expensive 80-kW battery sometime after launch. It can recharge at up to 300 kW when connected to a DC fast-charger, or 11 kW via an AC charger. It also features bi-directional charging. The VLE300, with a 268-hp front-mounted single motor, launches first, followed by a dual-motor VLE400 with 409 horsepower. The VLE300’s WLTP range estimate of 700 kilometers should translate to around 370 miles via our EPA methodology (a range estimate for the dual-motor version is not available yet).
The platform’s sophisticated chassis includes available air springs that can vary the ride height by 1.5 inches, and it uses navigation maps data rather than just vehicle speed to decide when to raise or lower the vehicle; it can also be raised via voice control. Rear-wheel steering (up to 7 degrees) is available too. So is automated parking, and the van can also autonomously retrace its route to reverse out of a long driveway.
The VLE will come in a standard trim level, an AMG Line with a large three-pointed star set within the grille, and an Exclusive Line with a stand-up hood ornament. Wheel sizes on the vans we saw were 19 inches, 21 inches, and 22 inches.
The modular Van.EA architecture will also support upcoming cargo vans, which will have their own bodywork and be offered in different sizes. The VLEs that we saw were the standard-length model, which, at approximately 209 inches overall, is a couple of inches longer than the current U.S.-market cadre of the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Kia Carnival, and Chrysler Pacifica. A slightly bigger VLE—about six inches longer—is also planned, and that’s likely to be the variant sent to the U.S.
Beyond the level of finery on display here, Mercedes also mentioned a VLS variant. In the Hollywood version of the luxury minivan story, Chili Palmer ends up embracing his “Cadillac of minivans.” Will America’s luxury-vehicle market do the same with a Mercedes-branded van? We’ll find out in 2027, when VLE goes on sale in the United States.
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Joe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar.
