Lifted Mercedes V220d 4MATIC W447 Off-road Van Build
While the majority of V-Classes are typically used as compact delivery vans or as transfer VIP vans for 4+ people and typically found in the parking lanes of big cities and airports, some of them have been chosen to live a more adventurous life. Offering ample interior space for everything starting from the seats for the entire family up to the bed and kitchen setup and backing this up with the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive, the W447 or Vito is a worthy alternative to typical off-road crossovers and SUVs.
Today on Offroadium, we have a pretty interesting and unusual off-road build from the Land of the Rising Sun – a lifted Mercedes-Benz V220d 4MATIC W447 with some stylish off-road modifications, built for camping and outdoor adventures. This van was built by Hirotaka Kanemoto san from RD Base JP, following the Japanese Age-kei “Lifted Style” modification trend that’s been gaining a lot of traction lately. Read on to find out more about this build and the cool Japanese modification culture behind it.
Key Modifications:
- All Ground 50mm suspension lift
- 28.5″ Yokohama Geolandar M/T tires
- Age-kei exterior styling with epoxy liner
Age-kei Off-road Look
The overlanding trend has been widely popular in the USA as well as other parts of the world throughout the past decade, and Japan, despite limited public land access, is no exception.
While there are many complex and sophisticated 4×4 builds created to tackle serious trails, this whole off-road thing has influenced a special outdoorsy modification style on the Japanese car scene commonly referred to as Age-kei (アゲ系) or “Lifted Style.”
It evolved into a subculture that values utility and ruggedness over the “slammed” and “modified” car aesthetics that’s been around since the 80s. It kind of allowed people to embrace nature and enjoy their beautiful country while camping in their vehicle, while also giving them a space for creative fulfillment through modifications and upgrades.
This style has its own core characteristics that create the Age-kei look, and much like this W447 on the photos, a build in this style follows a certain recipe:
- The Lift: A 1-to-2 inch (30mm–50mm) lift using spacers or longer springs
- The Wheels: “Steelies” (black steel rims) or rugged concave alloys from Japanese brands like Delta Force, MLJ, or Rays
- The Tires: Chunky All-Terrain (A/T) or Mud-Terrain (M/T) tires, almost always with white lettering
- Rough Textures: Extensive use of Raptor Liner or matte black paint on bumpers, grilles, and fenders to give it a “working tool” vibe
- Functional Accessories: Roof baskets, rear ladders, and heavy-duty hitches
Some of the builds in this style we featured before:
Tech to Back Up the Looks
What makes a vehicle off-road capable is certainly a 4WD or AWD drivetrain. This particular van is equipped with a permanent all-wheel-drive 4MATIC system by Mercedes. Unlike the systems on common cars and crossovers, this one employs a 35% front / 65% rear fixed torque distribution for predictable handling of a loaded vehicle.
Having so much space to transport people and things, the engineers realized that the rear axle would typically get more weight concentrated around it, that’s why we see this distribution. Like many modern-day all-wheel-drive systems, the 4MATIC employs a four-wheel electronic traction system (4ETS) which imitates mechanical lockers by braking individual spinning wheels.
Despite not having a low-range transfer case, the 9-speed 9G-TRONIC transmission has a crawl-friendly first gear. And like many all-wheel-drive crossovers, it also features a DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) system for controlled steep descents that prevents slipping on uneven surfaces like a mud-covered hill that would otherwise pose a serious rollover risk.
All this means that a W447 can easily maintain traction on slippery surfaces and is suitable for fire roads and outdoor camping, but the absence of mechanical lockers and the damage-prone unibody construction does put some limitations on it.
The Build
Wheels
The hero of our today’s feature is a typical Euro Age-kei or “Age-Box” style van with multiple rugged modifications, with the most noticeable being the off-road wheels.
From the factory, these vans come equipped with 225/55R17 tires that measure 26.8 inches (680 mm) in overall diameter, but the owner decided to swap them out with a set of oversized 225/65R17 Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 with a little noisy but super-capable tread pattern. This particular tire uses GEO-SHIELD technology for sidewall protection against jagged Japanese “Rindo” (forest road) rocks.
Having a taller side profile and the overall diameter of 28.5″, they immediately bumped up the ground clearance by about 1 extra inch.
Suspension
The lift has improved the wheel articulation, bumped up the approach and departure angles from ~20° to over 24°, and gave the van that wide beefed-up stance common for adventure vans.
Body & Accessories
The next step was to take care of the body protection. Instead of fabricating custom bumpers or protective bars, the owner decided to cover up the high-impact body elements with polyurethane liner that’s typically used to protect the bed of trucks. As a result, the van became protected from rock chips, brush, mud spray and got that aggressive off-roadish look and rugged touch common for Age-kei vehicles.
A black steel cargo basket by Curt tops off the adventure style and brings in some practicality to the build. With the overall height of slightly more than 1.7m, installing a roof box would pose serious problems for underground parking, so it’s perfectly understandable why the owner chose to use the hitch mount instead.
Conclusion
Despite limitations like the lack of mechanical lockers and a long wheelbase that creates a higher breakover risk, this van’s strengths are undeniable. It delivers exceptional highway comfort, massive interior volume, and surprisingly capable electronic traction when the pavement ends. Ultimately, this build proves that with the right Japanese Age-kei influence, the W447 is the ultimate “glamping” platform for those who value style and substance equally.
Based on our off-road capability rating, this build achieves a score of 30 out of 70 possible points, thanks to its AWD system with a basic lift and slightly oversized off-road tires (25 points) and advanced traction enhancement modes like 4ETS and DSR (+5 points).
Watch the progress and find out more about this Mercedes-Benz V220d 4MATIC off-road build by visiting the Instagram profile of the owner: @hirotaka_kanemoto
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