There are luxury cars, there are luxury SUVs, and then there’s the Mercedes-Benz V-Class — a vehicle that wakes up every morning convinced it’s the lovechild of a Maybach S-Class and a Gulfstream G650.
And when DC Design gets its hands on it, the V-Class doesn’t just believe it’s a private jet… it starts charging like one too.
What you’re looking at here is the 2019 third-generation Mercedes-Benz V-Class (W447), heavily transformed into the Jet XE Lounge, a rolling VIP suite whose only natural predators are paparazzi and your bank balance. The V-Class itself has always been an eccentric creature — Mercedes launched it back in 1996 to answer the question nobody asked: “Can a minivan make you feel rich?”
Turns out the answer was yes… aggressively yes.
A Van That Thinks in Euros, Not Litres
While India discontinued the V-Class in 2022 (because apparently ₹1 crore vans are a niche hobby), the rest of the world still buys it happily, often without realizing they’re paying luxury-sedan money for something roughly the size of a Delhi studio apartment.
This particular example is a Selenite Grey masterpiece — 5.1 metres long, 2.2 metres wide, and nearly two tons of German engineering trying to pretend it’s Spanish because Mercedes assembles it in Spain too. The styling is unmistakably V-Class… until the DC kit kicks in. Suddenly, you get Maybach-like bumpers, a sculpted bonnet, a sparkling new grille and LED Intelligent headlights that do more thinking at night than half the drivers on our highways.
The wheels remain delightfully modest 17-inch alloys wrapped in 225/55 R17 Hankooks, but don’t let the size fool you — this van has the road presence of a politician convoy and the attitude of a billionaire influencer.
Welcome to the Lounge: Please Take Your Seat, It Will Massage You
The magic begins when you slide open the powered doors and step into the customized cabin — and “cabin” really is the right word. The moment you enter, you realise DC hasn’t modified the V-Class; they’ve domesticated it. This is no longer a vehicle. This is real estate.
You’re greeted by wooden flooring, ambient lighting that feels like a five-star spa, power sliding tables, and curtains that glide open and shut with more grace than some theatre stages. And then… the seats.
Two massive, Nappa-leather-wrapped, fully powered captain seats that recline to 165 degrees, extend calf rests, heat, cool, massage, and gently cradle you as you reconsider life choices.
Between them stands the crown jewel — a powered 43-inch smart TV that rises like a cinematic monument from the partition. Add an inverter, a chilled fridge, bottle heater, glass holders, and an intercom system, and suddenly the back row of your V-Class feels more prepared for business meetings than most corporate offices.
There are aircraft-style skylights too, flooding the cabin with natural light and completing the illusion that you are no longer bound by normal earthly transportation. Riding in this thing isn’t travel — it’s teleportation with snacks.
The Driver Cabin: Still a Mercedes, Still Slightly Confused
Up front, the driver sits in a cabin that looks comparatively modest — unless you pay another ₹76,000 to DC to give it the lounge theme as well. The dashboard gets the classic Mercedes layout with a 3-spoke multifunction wheel, Audio 20 infotainment, dual-zone Thermotronic AC with ionizer, voice controls and a calm reassurance that no matter how wild the rear gets, the front still remembers where it came from.
It’s a bit like a house where the drawing room looks like Buckingham Palace but the kitchen is still normal — comforting, dignified, and quietly doing its job.
Performance: The Gentle Giant
Under all this extravagance lies the humble but trustworthy 2.2-litre OM651 diesel engine, making 161 hp and 380 Nm. Paired to a 7G-Tronic Plus gearbox, it moves this three-ton palace from 0–100 km/h in 10.9 seconds — slow by car standards, fast by sofa standards.
The V-Class doesn’t try to be athletic, agile or dynamic. It glides. Smoothly. Calmly. Patiently. Like a vehicle that knows nobody inside is in a hurry because they’re too busy enjoying their massage.
Top speed? 195 km/h.
Mileage? A respectable 16 km/l if you’re nice to it.
Tank: 57 litres — enough for Delhi–Jaipur without the need to leave your rolling home theatre.
Safety: German Overkill (The Good Kind)
With 6 airbags, Euro NCAP 5-star rating, active parking assist, attention assist, pre-safe systems and a 360° camera, the V-Class is as safe as cars get. It’s comforting to know that even if you’re watching Netflix on a 43-inch screen while lying flat, the vehicle still cares deeply about your survival.
So… Who Is the V-Class Really For?
The V-Class is not built for the masses. It’s built for:
- CEOs who need to attend meetings while stuck in Mumbai traffic
- Celebrities who want to hide from the world
- Families who believe holidays should begin the moment the car starts
- Politicians who prefer quiet comfort before the rally noise
- And normal people who suddenly inherit a fortune and don’t know what to buy first
DC’s conversion only amplifies this behaviour — transforming the van into a luxury cocoon where the outside world stops mattering.
Final Verdict:
The Mercedes-Benz V-Class JET XE Lounge isn’t just a minivan. It’s a mobile luxury lifestyle, a private jet on the ground, a yacht with wheels, and occasionally… a form of transportation.
Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s over-the-top. And yes, it probably has more powered features than your entire house.
But sit inside once — just once — and suddenly every SUV in the world starts feeling a little… basic.
If you want a car that makes you feel like a billionaire even when you’re stuck at a red light, this is the one.
