2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4

Now in its second model year after a 2014 refresh, the new Sprinter leads a pack of domestic copycats with features like Active ESP, the new Crosswind Assist feature and – for the first time – a 4×4 option. While both Ford and Ram have ditched their decades-old full-size van platforms in favor of Sprinter-like European designs, neither offers four-wheel drive.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4

The Sprinter has always been exceptionally easy to drive given its oversized proportions, but these systems add to its ease of use and its capability. We sampled a variety of Sprinter configurations, from passenger and cargo models to up-fitted campers finished by Airstream and Winnebago. Even drivers used to small cars will find the Sprinter easy to handle.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4

Although the Sprinter driver sits behind the front wheels, the feel is bus-like. That’s a compliment, not a dig: a high seating position and excellent forward and side visibility make the relatively large van surprisingly easy to drive, even for someone with little big-vehicle experience.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4

Finding a comfortable driving position is simple, too, thanks to a supportive, eight-way adjustable seat and tilt-telescope steering wheel. Large side mirrors with convex secondary mirrors make positioning the Sprinter easy despite the lack of a standard backup camera.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4

Also bus-like is a relatively tight turning radius that masks the vehicle’s length. At speed, steering is nicely weighted and communicative. Brakes are commendable, too, easy to modulate and powerful when you need them to be.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4

The base four-cylinder diesel is far from mighty, making 161 horsepower and 265 pound-feet. But the small turbocharged motor is a hard worker, and the seven-speed automatic does a good job of keeping it in its sweet spot.

Automakers are not required to rate fuel economy for heavy-weights like the Sprinter, but the base four is the choice for efficiency. 

The optional diesel V6 is significantly more powerful, with 188 hp and 325 lb-ft. It’s paired with a five-speed automatic and is the sole engine offered with the 4×4 drivetrain. Off-road capability is not the only reason to choose the V6. Drivers that choose larger, heavier versions of the Sprinter or who plan to carry significant weight will prefer the more robust performance of the bigger motor.

More impressive than the drivability of the new Sprinter is the off-road capability of the 4×4 version. The agile van made easy work of a technical dirt course fraught with deep gullies and steep ridges. High ground clearance improves the Sprinter’s approach, departure, and break-over angles. Torque is split 35 percent at the front axle and 65 percent at the rear. Low-range gearing is available as an option.

Mercedes ships Sprinters as incomplete units to avoid the ludicrous so-called Chicken Tax, a 25-percent tariff on French and German commercial vehicles that dates back to the Johnson administration. The Sprinter is built in Germany, but U.S.-bound cargo vans (passenger vans are exempt) are separated from their drivetrains for the trans-Atlantic journey.

The 350,000 square-foot facility in South Carolina is the reassembly point. It gives Mercedes plenty of room to grow its U.S. van operation.
Representatives of the automaker suggested they are considering U.S. assembly and even hinted that they will soon bring the Vito, a smaller van Mercedes sells in Europe, to the U.S. If it is anywhere near as good as the Sprinter, we welcome its arrival.