The new Mercedes VLE and Renault R-Space Lab concept hark back to the MPV’s glory days

Could the MPV be making a comeback? After so many years spent under the SUV-led domination of roads around the world, the coming of new brands, new powertrains and new attitudes has subtly shifted the focus from vehicles that can putatively go anywhere to the more appealing multifunctional mobile space – the ‘multipurpose vehicle’.

A new model from Mercedes and a concept from Renault exemplify this shift. The new Mercedes-Benz VLE is the passenger version of the company’s light commercial van, drawing on last year’s Vision V Concept.

The latter was pretty much a neon-infused nightclub on wheels, exemplifying the iconic bling approach favoured by former Mercedes chief design officer Gorden Wagener. In production form, the VLE has naturally been toned down, but not so much that all character has been extinguished.

Mercedes-Benz VLE

Inside, there’s flexible seating with either three front-facing rows or two pairs of facing seats, familiar to anyone who’s had an upscale airport transfer. It’s all part of what Mercedes hopes will become a broad portfolio for this hard-working vehicle, with uses that range from family runabout to commercial transportation. With moveable seats for up to eight, the model marks the debut of Mercedes’ new Van Architecture.

Passenger comfort is of prime concern in this sector, especially when scene setters in Eastern markets have made a substantial pivot away from luxury saloon cars to upscale MPVs.

This new focus is exemplified by what Mercedes calls the MBUX Rear Space Experience. This is shorthand for the plethora of in-car entertainment systems available to passengers, culminating in a retractable 31.3-inch 8K screen that folds down from the headliner.

Ultra-fast 800-volt charging and a suggested range of 435 miles bring added practicality (let’s not forget that its VW rival, the Buzz, can barely manage 200 miles on a good day). Top-of-the-line models get Airmatic suspension and there’s also rear-axle steering to make this big car feel more wieldy in tight spots.

Renault R-Space Lab Concept

On a smaller scale but no less intriguing is this new concept from Renault, the product of the company’s new far-reaching Futurama laboratory. The R-Space Lab is a compact monobox design, a genre the company practically had all to itself back in the heyday of the original 1980s-era Renault Espace.

At 4.5m long and 1.5m tall, the R-Space Lab is relatively compact by contemporary standards. The R-Space Lab is also less overtly van-like than the VLE, but there is a renewed focus on a reconfigurable interior, with a passenger seat that can slide back to interact with the rear seats.

The digital cockpit has also been shaped with space-saving in mind, from the compact steering wheel to a multi-functional glovebox than can fold out to provide more space to recline. A full panoramic roof also adds to the spacious feel, while rear seats fold to create a completely flat floor for load-carrying and even car-camping.

Mercedes-Benz VLE, more information at Mercedes-Benz.co.uk

Renault R-Space Lab Concept, more information at Renault.co.uk