What's the news?
Launched back in 1995, the Mercedes Sprinter van has always won plaudits for its performance and its car-like driving experience, and the new third-generation model promises to build on that with 'progressive design plus comfort and safety features at passenger car level'. It also has comprehensive internet connectivity via Mercedes Pro Connect, featuring completely new Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) multimedia systems. Mercedes Pro Connect is particularly clever, in that it links the fleet manager with all the vehicles and drivers in a fleet, allowing assignments to be managed online, and vehicle information such as location, fuel level or maintenance intervals to be retrieved in almost real-time.
Like any good commercial vehicle (CV), the Sprinter is available in a variety of body styles - including panel van, Tourer, pick-up, chassis, bus or traction head - with three each for drive configurations, cab designs, body lengths, tonnages, load compartment heights and trim specifications. Thus, more than 1,700 different versions of Sprinter can be configured as a result.
Technical highlights include front-wheel-drive versions joining the rear- and four-wheel-drive models that have been seen previously, while two new transmissions are also offered - a nine-speed torque converter automatic (a first in the large vans segment) and a six-speed manual. Safety features include a self-cleaning reversing camera that displays its image in the rear-view mirror, a Parking Package with a 360-degree monitor and a rain sensor with an integrated 'Wet Wiper' system for maximum visibility, even during the wiper sweeps.
The third-generation Sprinter will be available across the Mercedes-Benz Vans dealer network from summer, with an electrified eSprinter joining the line-up in 2019.
Anything else?
Mercedes chose to unveil this crucial CV in the newly-constructed Mercedes-Benz logistics centre on the Mercator island in Duisburg, Germany, and Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said: "The inland port in Duisburg stands for globality and modern logistics at the highest level. It is therefore the perfect environment in which to present the new Sprinter. The Sprinter continues to embody the traditional attributes that have made it so successful worldwide since its market launch - flexibility, robustness and economy. At the same time, it impresses with unrivalled modernity, for example with its connectivity and incomparable variability. This makes it the first end-to-end system solution for commercial fleets, both for Mercedes-Benz Vans and for the entire industry."