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Practical, safe to drive and competently designed - Mercedes-Benz O 319 (historical test)

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Created in 1957

Text:

Willi Schmitz

Photos:

Daimler AG

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Daimler AG

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Archiv

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1962) - on the road with Santa Claus

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1962) - on the road with Santa Claus

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - with roof windows and sliding folding roof

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1957) - Transparency drawing of the design for the O 319 and L 319

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1957) - Transparent drawing shows the chassis of the O 319 and L 319

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1956) - on the road in a caravan

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - as a camper van

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - camper van

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - a large vehicle, as a comparison with the truck and Beetle shows

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1956) - Rail loading of buses for Chile

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - Model O 320

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 D (1957) - on the Col du Calibier

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1957) - in operation between Gstaad and the spa town of Turbach

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - in use in Stuttgart

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - on the streets of Asunción in Paraguay

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 D (1958) - as a crew bus on the airport apron

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - as a school bus in Sweden

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - as it is currently being blessed in Andorra

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 D (1957) - in feeder service at Smithton airfield in Tasmania

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1955) - Advertisements with the new O 319 and L 319 models

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1958) - Advertisement - small bus with big advantages

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Mercedes-Benz O 319 (1956) - Advertisement - the big minibus

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Mercedes-Benz L 319 D (1958) - front-wheel drive, used by Toblerone and others - Geneva Motor Show 1958

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Mercedes-Benz L 319 (1956) - the advertisement shows the wide range of vehicles based on the L 319

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Summary

At around 4.8 meters in length, the Mercedes-Benz O 319 was no giant, but still offered space for 18 people inside. The range of applications was enormous, from camper vans to dump trucks. And all this at prices ranging from DM 10,000 to DM 17,000, with the Daimler engineers managing to give the commercial vehicle passenger car characteristics along the way. Even Santa Claus would have been able to cope with the O 319. This historical vehicle test describes the experiences of a test driver at the time, who was not afraid to remove the engine for the sake of experiment.

This article contains the following chapters

Clearly laid out
Maintenance-optimized design
Comfortable on all seats
Lots of space
Warm and bright
Driver with learning ability required
With two engines and different seat configurations
Outstanding driving characteristics
Quiet
Maintenance-friendly
A convincing package
Technical data

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

With the inclusion of this vehicle in the production program, Daimler-Benz-AG has entered a branch of production which it had not previously promoted, namely the construction of small commercial vehicles, i.e. light buses and light trucks. The wealth of experience available to the plant both in the field of passenger car and commercial vehicle construction, as well as the possibility of using proven engine models here too, were favorable prerequisites for the creation of this new type. After initially eyeing the vehicle a little suspiciously from the outside - to be honest, the protruding axle and the relatively small wheels (6.00-16 Extra Transport) made the vehicle seem a little strange to me at first - I got behind the wheel. And the impression was completely different.

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