When we heard Renntech had turned its attentions to the Mercedes-Benz Metris van, we expected something extreme and maybe exciting. The Florida-based aftermarket tuner made its name building ridiculously quick variants of Mercedes-Benz and AMG cars and has since used its expertise to create a couple of impressive one-off Mercedes-Benz vans, including the Sprinter Extreme concept from last year’s Chicago auto show and the Metris-based flared DJ Van from the 2014 SEMA show. Alas, Renntech?s hit-streak appears to have come to an end, as the firm?s Metris MasterSolutions Toolbox concept, displayed at the 2017 Chicago auto show, looks like a toy built for a giant child who spends too much time watching Bob the Builder.
Created to showcase Mercedes-Benz MasterSolutions, an upfit program designed to assist Metris and Sprinter buyers in tailoring their work vans to suit the particular needs of their businesses, the Mercedes-Benz Metris MasterSolutions Toolbox concept includes a host of worksite-friendly features beneath its vinyl-wrapped matte finish and an array of tacky plastic body add-ons that leave the poor thing looking like a victim of Proteus syndrome, the disease believed to have afflicted Elephant Man John Merrick.
As a showcase for MasterSolutions, the Toolbox concept does a good job of featuring the program?s wide variety of shelves, racks, and removable cases for the cargo hold, installed aft of a custom-built clear plastic partition that separates the van...