Employing a concept that sets a new benchmark in its category, the Vito meets the highest standards of active and passive safety. Standard specification includes a powerful braking system and the Electronic Stability Program (ADAPTIVE ESP®) with the safety systems ABS, ASR, BAS and electronic brake force distribution (EBV), as well as Hill-Start Assist.

You can further add to this comprehensive range of safety features with the optional extras of tyre pressure control system and a seat belt warning system which increases the passive safety level.

Your daily work makes no allowances for the weather. Capable of tackling wet leaves, iced-over road surfaces or sudden braking on loose surfaces, the standard Electronic Stability Program ADAPTIVE ESP® makes sure that your Vito is unlikely to lose its footing.

ADAPTIVE ESP® is an innovative handling dynamics control system, which for the first time takes the vehicle load into account. It actively intervenes in certain dangerous driving situations, e.g. impending risk of skidding, by applying a specific braking force to individual wheels and adjusts the engine output to help the driver cope with critical hazardous situations. As well as aiding directional stability, ADAPTIVE ESP® combines the functions of the anti-lock braking system (ABS), acceleration skid control (ASR), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BAS) and the optional Hill-Start Assist (AAS).

The ESP® trailer stabilisation is available in conjunction with the standard trailer coupling. This system complements ADAPTIVE ESP® and increases driving safety for trailer towing by applying targeted braking to the wheels of the towing vehicle and reducing the engine torque if the trailer begins swinging back and forth. This helps the driver to stabilise the car/trailer combination. If the system has to intervene several times in a row, the brake actuation continually becomes stronger, which then significantly reduces the vehicle speed.

Wherever you may be travelling and no matter what your load, in a critical driving situation fractions of a second - and every move - are often crucial.

The anti-lock braking system (ABS) prevents the wheels from locking during braking. Speed sensors continuously monitor the speed of each wheel. Before a wheel reaches the point of locking up, the brake pressure at that wheel is immediately reduced. As soon as the danger of locking has been averted, the pressure is reapplied. In this way ABS helps the driver to retain control of the steering even during emergency braking. When ABS is in operation, the driver feels a slight pulsing in the brake pedal.

If you're on an urgent business run, need a quick start or want to accelerate on a wet or loose surface, the Vito's acceleration skid control (ASR) prevents one or more wheels spinning as well as lateral vehicle skidding in such situations.

At the first signs of wheel spin, that is to say if the rotational speed of one of the driven wheels suddenly increases, ASR reduces the engine power and also intervenes in the brake system to prevent prolonged wheel spin. ASR ensures smooth start-off and acceleration, without prolonged wheel spin or sideways drift. The result is improved traction - and safety - particularly on split-friction or slippery surfaces.

In tests carried out in the driving simulator, our research engineers established that drivers do not apply the brakes vigorously enough during emergency braking. This finding led them to develop the Brake Assist system. From the speed at which the brake pedal is depressed, Brake Assist is able to detect a situation where emergency braking is required. In such a situation the system automatically increases braking power, aided by the anti-lock braking system (ABS) which prevents the wheels from locking up.