Has anyone heard anything that could be considered at least a "credible rumor" about any changes we might see in the 2018 Metris?
I don't expect that we will see the V-Class, or the Marco Polo camper (especially given the camper conversions coming on the market), or a diesel engine, or AWD anytime soon here in the U.S. and Canada but...
As a former Vanagon and Eurovan owner, I would buy the Metris in a heartbeat if MB offered it with the folding seats, the 3rd row bed option, and accessory table offered in comparable trim levels in Australia, Europe, and... ****, everywhere but here in North America! I can live with RWD, and I can live with having to replace the entertainment system because they don't offer any better option, but for me the current fixed "bus seats" are a non-starter. And, from what I've read on this website and elsewhere, the 2nd and 3rd row seat "problem" is the most common complaint about the passenger van. And, unlike bringing in the V-class or a diesel engine -- which are big, complicated decisions with lots of downstream costs -- offering us the same seats that are already offered elsewhere (in the same fabric pattern we get now) isn't all that complicated and wouldn't mean lots of downstream costs.
I've thought about an Explorer conversion van... IMHO the low roof model ordered with the right color interior, without the stitched logos everywhere, without chrome wheels, and without any custom paint or extra body cladding actually looks pretty nice and I've come close to taking a trip to see one in the flesh... That said, if I do go that route and then MB brings out folding seats etc. the following year, that might well trigger something in my brain and lead to a trip to the van factory/offices in South Carolina looking for some payback!
So... anyone heard anything? :laugh:
I don't expect that we will see the V-Class, or the Marco Polo camper (especially given the camper conversions coming on the market), or a diesel engine, or AWD anytime soon here in the U.S. and Canada but...
As a former Vanagon and Eurovan owner, I would buy the Metris in a heartbeat if MB offered it with the folding seats, the 3rd row bed option, and accessory table offered in comparable trim levels in Australia, Europe, and... ****, everywhere but here in North America! I can live with RWD, and I can live with having to replace the entertainment system because they don't offer any better option, but for me the current fixed "bus seats" are a non-starter. And, from what I've read on this website and elsewhere, the 2nd and 3rd row seat "problem" is the most common complaint about the passenger van. And, unlike bringing in the V-class or a diesel engine -- which are big, complicated decisions with lots of downstream costs -- offering us the same seats that are already offered elsewhere (in the same fabric pattern we get now) isn't all that complicated and wouldn't mean lots of downstream costs.
I've thought about an Explorer conversion van... IMHO the low roof model ordered with the right color interior, without the stitched logos everywhere, without chrome wheels, and without any custom paint or extra body cladding actually looks pretty nice and I've come close to taking a trip to see one in the flesh... That said, if I do go that route and then MB brings out folding seats etc. the following year, that might well trigger something in my brain and lead to a trip to the van factory/offices in South Carolina looking for some payback!
So... anyone heard anything? :laugh: