They say there is nothing more liar than a "Farewell Tour" by an artist dedicated to music. Moreover, there is a famous joke that says: "Longer than the farewell tour of Los Chalchaleros".
This time we are not firing a band, but the Mercedes-Benz Vito manufactured in Argentina. The model was produced at the Virrey del Pino Buenos Aires plant between 2015 and 2019 (read obituary). In a way, this is a liar farewell, since the national Vito will be replaced in our market by the Spanish manufacturing model. Anyway, I had to say "goodbye". And nothing better than a good rock concert to say "thank you, totals".
Due to my other work, the possibility of going to cover the Rock festival in Baradero 2020 arose and, in addition, to be the official transport of Eruca Sativa, the band born in Córdoba, integrated by Lula Bertoldi, Brenda Martín and Gabriel Pedernera.
Next, a farewell trip diary of one of the last national Mercedes-Benz Vito 119 Tourer, since the "conventional" criticism was made by the editor of the blog a few years ago (see note).
Zero minute About to leave Mercedes-Benz Argentina for the Rock Test.
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DAY 1
My life in recent years could be defined as follows: my normal job is what fills my refrigerator and my collaborations with Autoblog are what fill my garage (even temporarily). But, I have a "little problem" for which I always like to mix jobs and situations. That's why Autoblog and my marketing agency become one thing several times.
For a few years now, Rock in Baradero has become an increasingly important festival in the local scene. Without a doubt it is, together with Cosquín Rock, one of the shows of the summer and is almost the prelude rocker to Lollapalooza. This year the presence of the Spaniards of Ska-P was added, something entered in years, but with the same desire to shake as usual (use Google, do not make an older man angry).
"In the background there is room" and access is facilitated by folding the armchair of the second row.
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The concrete thing is that it was a great opportunity to try a van, combi, multi-seats or whatever you want to call it and C.C. He had already told me about the farewell of the national Vito. A call to Mercedes-Benz Argentina - which always tells us "yes" to the most crazy ideas - and there we went.
Sunday, 10 in the morning, Palermo Hollywood. The musicians and technicians of Sol Pereyra and Silvina Moreno get on another 16-passenger combi with their equipment. La Vito and I are in doubt that something does not come in or someone is left without a seat. No need, everyone enters and leaves. In La Vito, Mariana (head of the press) and Flor (an all-terrain vehicle to assist the artists) climb. Obviously, there is a matero kit and homemade fat cakes, which I loved the previous afternoon (keep humping with MorfiBlog, which at any time starts seriously). The driver, that is me, does not drink mate. Not because I don't like it, but because we try to respect the rules and you can't drink mate while driving.
Kapanga sounds from Bluetooth. It also supports pendrives and SD memories.
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We put a stopover in Martínez to bring together the CEO of S’Music and we face Panamericana-Ruta 9. This Vito 119 Tourer is the vehicle with the most kilometers I have tested for Autoblog. The normality is to have cars of no more than 10 thousand kilometers. I have even tested vehicles that at the time of removal had less than a thousand. The Vito that will take us to Baradero has more than 50 thousand and you hardly notice it. There are no rare noises on board, although the engine is quite rumorous. With the windows closed, you can barely hear it. The eight seats are impeccable and only that of the driver denotes some wear, if we examine it very thoroughly. The paving of a certain part of Acassuso helps to verify that you are not aware of the kilometers or the different hands that you must have passed through. Color data: when they delivered it to me in Mercedes-Benz, they asked me to pass it a little later because “we have to wash and vacuum it, it's been a month since it's on the Coast”. No traces of sand. Press fleet maintenance award.
Simplicity and 6th box. The "Rear" button activates the arrival of the air conditioner to the rear seats.
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Go out on the highway, put sixth and look for cruise control… that you don't have. Well, we had to ask Mr Mercedes-Benz something and here we started the list. The walk is smooth, comfortable, neat, without frights, even on the bridges of the bridges of Route 9. The years pass, the governments pass, the jumps of entry and exit of several bridges of the Pan American are there.
Traffic treats us quite badly in more than half of the route. Maybe going out around noon on a sunday was not the best plan for the Autopista del Sol and its track that continues to Rosario. Arriving at the toll of Zárate and with a playlist by Charly García sonand