The winter-friendly Vito is equipped with a modified version of the 4Matic all-wheel drive system that is found in Mercedes’ passenger cars. A central differential sends 45 percent of the engine’s torque to the front wheels and 55 percent to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions. When one or more wheels lose grip, the Electronic Traction System automatically applies the brakes and transfers traction to the wheels that have grip in mere milliseconds in order to keep the Vito moving forward.
For the time being, the Vito 4×4 can only be ordered with a 2.1-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine rated at 190 horsepower and a healthy 324 lb-ft. of torque. Linked to a seven-speed automatic transmission, the oil-burner returns up to 36 mpg in a mixed European cycle. All told, the Vito 4×4 is only 110 pounds heavier than its rear-wheel drive sibling.
The 2015 Mercedes-Benz Vito 4×4 is on sale now in Germany, where it carries a base price of €36,120 (about $41,000). 134- and 160-horsepower versions of the Vito 4×4 will be introduced in the coming months.
U.S.-bound?
Mercedes will launch an Americanized version of the Vito called Metris in time for the 2016 model year. Technical details have not been published yet but it’s not too far-fetched to assume that the four-wheel drive model detailed above will make its way over the pond. Whether the drivetrain will be linked to a diesel- or a gasoline-burning engine is up in the air, however.
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