Used 2017 Mercedes-Benz Metris WORKER

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz Metris is a smaller counterpart to the full-size Sprinter van. Bigger than competitors like the Ford Transit Connect and Ram ProMaster City, the 2017 Metris basically created the midsize-premium utility-van market. With a price starting around $27,000 for the base Worker cargo model, the Metris offers unexpected value thanks to its larger size and better standard features. This year, Mercedes-Benz is working with a number of upfitters to customize the Metris right from the dealership with such well-known companies as Gruau and Knapheide through its Master Solutions program. Like the Sprinter, the Metris brings quality touches, a bevy of safety features and the cachet associated with the Mercedes-Benz name.

While it’s true the 2017 Mercedes-Benz Metris doesn’t share much with its luxurious cousins, there’s more to this Mercedes-Benz than just the badge on the nose. It handily outclasses the Ram ProMaster City, Ford Transit Connect and Nissan NV200, and the full-size Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana are covered wagons by comparison. The turbocharged 4-cylinder engine doesn’t make it a rocket, but it’s plenty powerful for this van’s mission, even when heavily upfitted with a fully air-conditioned cargo area. Cornering is almost fun; the rear-wheel-drive setup delivers good balance, and the 7-speed automatic transmission even offers paddle shifters, further belying the fact that this is, at its core, a work truck. The basic cargo van is about as noisy as you’d expect a big, empty, non-insulated box to be on the highway, but the passenger version is surprisingly quiet and definitely comfortable for all eight passengers.

As a utility van, the biggest asset the Metris offers is interior space. This, it has in spades. There’s 186 cubic feet in which you can cram boxes, barrels, flowers, plants, short trees…you get the point. Plus the Master Solutions program lets you customize the interior with rows of locking boxes for tools, racks for hardware and replacement parts, or even replace the entire back of the van with a giant refrigerator. Passenger vans offer three rows of seats for up to eight passengers. The control layout is simple, lacking the more advanced features from the luxury division, but still unmistakably Mercedes.

Considering the peculiar styling of some of its competitors — not to mention the big-daddy Sprinter — you’d expect the Metris to look a little funky. Instead, it’s a sleek box on wheels, with a big honkin’ Mercedes-Benz badge in the grille. It’s utilitarian, of course, with base models coming with black bumpers. Cargo versions have one sliding door on the passenger side, while passenger versions get dual sliding doors with power sliders as an option. You can choose between a liftgate or barn doors in the rear, and passenger models get glass side windows instead of the cargo model’s metal panels.

MASTER SOLUTIONS
Buyers of cargo vans like the Metris often turn to third-party companies known as upfitters to customize the van for their unique business: plumber, delivery, refrigeration, etc. Master Solutions lets buyers work with upfitters directly from the showroom, and then wrap the cost of the modifications into the financing for the vehicle.

TOWING & PAYLOAD CAPACITY
The Metris is a real rear-wheel-drive truck, and it has the towing capacity to match, outclassing its rivals with the ability to tow up to 4,960 pounds, and with a payload capacity of up to 2,502 pounds. Pretty good for a van with a 4-cylinder engine.

The passenger and cargo Metris models come with the same 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 7-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. The tilt steering wheel also features shift paddles to manually control the transmission. There are standard 17-inch steel wheels, air conditioning, power accessories, and an audio unit with Bluetooth, USB and auxiliary inputs and a 3.5-inch monochrome screen. In the cargo area there’s a wood floor with six D-rings for securing cargo, or five additional seats for passenger models. Safety is a primary concern, with systems to aid with crosswinds and driver drowsiness, plus a bevy of airbags.

"Luxury" isn’t on the menu, but you can get body-colored bumpers, black Leatherette seating material, heated front seats, a rearview camera, cruise control, and active safety systems like blind-spot monitoring, collision-prevention assist and lane-keeping assist. An Active Parking Assist feature helps in parallel parking, useful in tight urban areas. The available navigation system is on the basic side; it’s not the COMAND system you’ll find in Benz passenger cars. Passenger vans can opt for 8-passenger seating with a 2nd-row bench, and for dual power sliding doors as well. There’s also automatic climate control and idle-stop on the options list.

The only engine available for the 2017 Mercedes Metris van is a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine that makes 208 horsepower and a healthy 258 lb-ft of torque. It doesn’t sound like much, but we found this engine and its 7-speed automatic transmission plenty worthy to power this van. Unlike the bigger Sprinter, there’s no available diesel, nor is all-wheel drive available. Mercedes-Benz recommends premium fuel, but doesn’t require it. Maybe best of all, the Metris can tow up to 4,960 pounds, easily topping rivals like the Ram ProMaster City, Ford Transit Connect and Nissan NV200.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
208 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
258 lb-ft of torque @ 1,250-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21/24 mpg

Note: Due to changes in EPA testing to more effectively reflect real-world conditions, some 2017 models show slightly lower fuel-economy scores than their 2016 versions.