Typically, what Motor Trend or any of the other magazines add to their long-term fleet is not new outside their own pages, but the Sprinter Van is such an unusual choice that Mercedes-Benz of Plano finds it newsworthy.
A Van to Do a Truck’s Job
The choice is unusual for a few reasons. To start, Motor Trend rarely includes what are generally considered commercial vehicles in their long-term test fleet. In addition, the vehicle is expected to take on pickup truck duty. The vehicle's primary caretaker raises mules, which brings quite a bit of pickup truck tasks. But as the author notes, in Europe, there is no shortage of agriculture and animal raising, but you rarely see a full-size pickup truck. “...instead you’ll find vans like the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, and Fiat Ducato (the Italian cousin of America’s Ram ProMaster) parked behind horse barns. Could boxes be better than beds? Spending a year with a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter outfitted like a 4x4 pickup was the only way to find out.”
It’s Big
Motor Trend selected the Sprinter in part because it offered seating for five, thus more closely approximating the utility of a full-size pickup. Only the Ram Pro Master offers the same. They went for a big one. A Sprinter 2500 with AWD has a 170-inch wheelbase, is 274.3 inches long, and 111.0 inches (9.5 feet) high. They also went with the 2.0-liter inline-4 turbodiesel, which produces 208 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque and is combined with a 9-speed transmission. That is a smaller engine than you will find on any full-size pickup truck. However, the van has a payload rating of 2,988 pounds, which they describe as right up in Ford F-250 territory. On the other hand, the towing capacity of 5,000 pounds is much less than that of the pickup truck alternative, and Motor Trend wants to see if this will be an issue.
As the author points out, the Sprinter's towing capacity is sound even when its payload is at capacity, and with 11 feet of cargo floor behind the rear seats, that is a lot of space to fill.
…And Well-Equipped
As often is the case with long-term loaners, the Sprinter is quite well-equipped. Here is Motor Trend’s list of the highlights: “Upgraded ‘comfort’ seats with fake-leather upholstery, a big-screen stereo with MBUX infotainment, LED head- and tail lights, a chrome grille, electric-folding mirrors, a 360-degree parking camera, lane keeping and blind-spot assistance, and all-weather floor mats (which no ranch truck should be without). The cargo area has optional protective paneling and a wood floor with D-rings, important for securing cargo since the van doesn’t have a partition.” That added $10K to the Sprinter 2500 AWD’s approximate $71,000* starting price, which, as they note, is about what a well-equipped heavy-duty pickup will go for.
Motor Trend bills this as a test to see which Europeans or Americans do the rural cargo hauling thing better. We will monitor Motor Trend for periodic updates and report anything newsworthy. If a Sprinter fits your business or home needs, Mercedes-Benz of Plano is ready for you with almost 60 Sprinter 2500s as of this writing, among even more heavy-duty Sprinter vans and chassis.
*Base MSRP excludes transportation and handling charges, destination charges, taxes, title, registration, preparation and documentary fees, tags, labor and installation charges, insurance, optional equipment, products, packages, and accessories. Options, model availability, and actual dealer price may vary. See the dealer for details, costs, and terms.
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