THE fastest van on the road at the moment is the Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport-X - a two tonner with a sub 10 second 0 to 60 acceleration.

Powered by a three-litre V6 diesel the hot Vito has a top speed restricted to 125mph yet is still good for averaging more than 30 to the gallon.

Any self respecting van man will love it as a spot of indulgence and the sports treatment includes quilted leather seats complete with fine stitching and armrests.

There's also sports suspension, Sport-X branded floor mats plus 18-inch Brabus alloys, spoiler and chrome sidebars.

And if that's not enough to bring a custom touch, the one we tried came in a startling orange paint job complete with some fancy decals.

The handling is impressively agile, almost as dynamic as a quick hatchback and with a five speed auto box that can be switched into manual mode if required the Sport-X showed a mean turn of speed on a run out from the Mercedes Driving Experience centre at the Silverstone race track.

Red lining at just under 4,000 revs the engine packs plenty of mid-range torque and kicks out a potent 224bhp making it a very lively van indeed.

According to Mercedes 0 to 62mph comes up in just 9.2 seconds which means the Vito Sport-X accelerates 2.5 seconds faster than the quickest Ford Focus diesel.

The version we tried not only proved it could hold its own on whatever type of road it found itself but the ride was also remarkably stable - especially for something of such proportions.

As a five seater there is easy access thanks to sliding middle doors and nothing has been lost when it comes to practicality with the cargo area wide, high and more than 2.4 metres long at the maximum and capable of carrying a payload of more than a tonne.

It fits the bill in a variety of ways from cutting a dash on the delivery run to raising the ante for any tradesman and even making the grade as a VIP transporter - though perhaps not in orange.

Mercedes is claiming 32.5mpg was the official fuel figure with emissions of 229g/km which is not far off that of the standard 2.2-litre four cylinder diesel Vito.

On our run we averaged 30.7 to the gallon - a fine performance given that we weren't sparing any horses.

The Sport-X costs from £33,130 including VAT and is joining the Mercedes van fleet at the same time as a special Effect trim is being launched in the Vito range which includes body coloured bumpers and a restyled grille as standout features. It's priced from £21,500 including VAT for a six speed manual.