News from Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI) - Mercedes-Benz Vito measures up for Montgomery

Scotland--May 31, 2012: The Long and Extra-long of it. Montgomery Refrigeration chooses the Extra-long Mercedes-Benz Vito, right, for its impressive ability to carry three-metre lengths of pipe

Mercedes-Benz Vito measures up for Montgomery

Size really does matter to Montgomery Refrigeration when it comes to its service vans - and the availability of an Extra- long body variant helps to explain why the Belfast-based company relies so heavily on the Mercedes-Benz Vito.

Montgomery Refrigeration has just taken delivery of the first vehicles from an order for 24 new Vito 113CDIs, which are being supplied by Newtownabbey dealer Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI). All are the subject of a contract hire agreement with Mercedes-Benz CharterWay, a brand of Mercedes- Benz Financial Services.

The 2.8-tonne Vito combines stylish good looks with a car- like driving experience. More compact and manoeuvrable than a 3.5-tonner, the Vito nevertheless retains a practical load carrying capacity that makes it ideally suited to Montgomery's field engineers.

Most of the company's new vans are Long-bodied models. But eight are Extra-longs with a cargo length of 2,897mm, which can be extended by a further 200mm thanks to the through- loading facility beneath the front seats.

And as Refrigeration Service Manager Calvin Irvine explains: "This means our refrigeration engineers can carry three- metre lengths of copper pipe to jobs, which they couldn't do in the similar-sized vans by two other manufacturers that we operated previously."

Northern Ireland's leading supplier and installer of commercial and industrial refrigeration equipment also serves customers throughout the Republic and Scotland, and offers additional facilities management services covering air-conditioning, electrical installations and the like. Montgomery Refrigeration currently runs a total of 35 Mercedes-Benz vans. "We've been running operating Vitos for the best part of 10 years," continued Mr Irvine. "They've proved outstandingly reliable and are very popular with the engineers who drive them. Mercedes-Benz vans are also the safest on the road, while the three-pointed star speaks volumes for the quality of our own business."

Launched last year, the latest Mercedes-Benz Vito range is powered by state-of-the-art, Euro 5-compliant common-rail, turbo-charged diesel engines that not only meet the latest emission standards but also deliver significant improvements in fuel economy, as well as welcome boosts in power and torque. The Vito 113CDI produces 136hp and 310Nm of torque, both significantly up on the 116hp and 290Nm offered by the previous equivalent model.

Every bit as important to the operator, though, is the back- up it receives from Mercedes- Benz Truck & Van (NI). The dealer maintains most of Montgomery's vans in its Newtownabbey workshops - those vehicles based in Scotland are serviced by local dealers, but the entire process is managed by MB T&V (NI).

"We like the budgeting predictability and peace of mind that contract hire offers, and have a great relationship with the dealership team," confirmed Mr Irvine. "Nothing is too much trouble for sales executive Darren Gilpin or his after sales colleagues - they're nice people to do business with and will always go the extra mile for us."