Luxury MPVs are a fairly rare breed in a world where growing families are increasingly migrating to SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz soldiers on in this segment with its V-Class bus.

And to no surprise, as the premium people carrier still makes good business sense for Mercedes-Benz Vans. While the double-cab bakkie experiment fell flat with the shortlived X-Class, Merc’s business-class minibus sells decent numbers in SA where it outperforms its closest competitor, the VW Caravelle, by three to one...