Mercedes Sprinter Review
The Mercedes Sprinter van first arrived on the van scene in 1995. Since then over 2 million vans have been produced.
The Sprinters are the best-selling light commercial vehicle across Europe.
In 2014 the Mercedes Sprinter van was the world’s first van to meet the Euro 5 emissions standard.
All sprinter vans are rear-wheel drive. The power comes from four and six-cylinder CDI common-rail diesel engines.
All types of Sprinter vans have the Mercedes Blue-Efficiency package of eco tweaks. This includes:
Stop-Start - this stops the engine when the van is put into neutral and stopped. The engine then restarts when the clutch is pressed or you lift your foot off the brake pedal if you have an automatic model.
A low-energy power steering pump and a gear shifting indicator in the dash to signal when to change gear to minimise fuel consumption.
Load Space and Practicality
The Mercedes Sprinter vans are available in nine body sizes and three wheelbases, four body lengths and three roof heights.
The Long Wheel Base vans have an impressive 17 cubic metres of space.
Mercedes Sprinter dimensions
Body style | Height | Width | Length |
SWB standard roof van | 2,435mm | 2,426mm | 5,245mm |
SWB high roof van | 2,720mm | 2,426mm | 5,245mm |
MWB standard roof van | 2,530mm | 2,426mm | 5,910mm |
MWB high roof van | 2,820mm | 2,426mm | 5,910mm |
MWB super-high roof van | 3,050mm | 2,426mm | 5,910mm |
LWB high roof van | 2,815mm | 2,426mm | 6,945mm |
LWB super-high roof van | 3,045mm | 2,426mm | 6,945mm |
XLWB high roof van | 2,820mm | 2,426mm | 7,345mm |
XLWB super-high roof van | 3,055mm | 2,426mm | 7,345mm |
(Van body width is 1,993mm, rising to 2,426mm if including mirrors)
Load area dimensions
Body style | Height | Width | Length | Volume |
SWB standard roof van | 1,650mm | 1,780mm | 2,600mm | 7.5m3 |
SWB high roof van | 1,940mm | 1,780mm | 2,600mm | 8.5m3 |
MWB standard roof van | 1,650mm | 1,780mm | 3,265mm | 9.0m3 |
MWB high roof van | 1,940mm | 1,780mm | 3,265mm | 10.5m3 |
MWB super-high roof van | 2,140mm | 1,780mm | 3,265mm | 11.5m3 |
LWB high roof van | 1,940mm | 1,780mm | 4,300mm | 14.0m3 |
LWB super-high roof van | 2,140mm | 1,780mm | 4,300mm | 15.5m3 |
XLWB high roof van | 1,940mm | 1,780mm | 4,700mm | 15.5m3 |
XLWB super-high roof van | 2,140mm | 1,780mm | 4,700mm | 17.0m3 |
(Maximum width figure of 1,780mm. This is reduced to 1,350mm between wheel arches)
Specifications
· Power: 95bhp – 190bhp
· Weight (GVW): 3,000kg – 5,000kg
· Payload: 734kg – 2,515kg
· Loading height (approx, unladen) : 585mm – 790mm
Safety and Reliability
The Mercedes Sprinter van is renowned for its reliability, safety and durability.
These vans have lots of standard safety technology like brake assist (BAS), acceleration skid control (ASR) and adaptive ESP trailer stabilisation to assist the driver.
The Sprinter vans have adaptive brake lights, this is a great safety feature whereby the brake lights flash in the event of severe braking in order to warn drivers behind them.
The Mercedes Sprinter van comes with a full-width factory fitted steel bulkhead. Load rings fitted in the cargo floor come as standard too.
Performance and Driving
The Mercedes Sprinter vans are great vans to drive. They are safe and secure on the road. This makes them a great choice of van if you clock up the miles.
Official MPG’s range from 22.4 – 38.7 mpg.
The engine is a 2.2 litre four-cylinder diesel engine in most models and has outputs of 95 PS, 130 PS and 163 PS.
Interior and Cab
The cab of the Sprinter van is spacious and well placed. The cab is light and airy with a great driving position and handy wide angle door mirrors fitted as standard which is good for blind spots.
The storage inside the cab is adequate for the size of the vehicle.
Similar vans: Renault Master, Vauxhall Movano, Volkswagen Crafter, Fiat Ducato, Citroen Relay and Ford Transit.
Sources: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/Mercedes/sprinter
https://vans.honestjohn.co.uk/van-reviews/mercedes-benz/sprinter-2013/