Dodge Sprinter

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle, built by Daimler AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a van, chassis cab and minibus, and sold as a Mercedes model, except in the U.S. where it is built from complete knock down (CKD) kits and sold by Freightliner. Their automobile platform and bodyshell is also used in a joint venture with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles who made the Volkswagen LT and the Volkswagen Crafter.

History

Europe

The first generation Sprinter was launched in Europe in 1995 to replace the famous but outdated Mercedes-Benz T1 van (dating from 1977).

The second generation Sprinter was introduced in Europe in 2006. It was voted Van of the Year 2007 by Professional Van and Light Truck Magazine.

North America

The first generation (VA Chassis) North American Sprinter was launched in 2001 in the U.S., and originally branded as a Freightliner. Units sold to the rest of North America were badged as Mercedes until 2004 when they received Dodge branding. Units in the United States and Canada, but not in Mexico, could be purchased as a Dodge or Freightliner brand from 2004. The product was launched and supported by DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC, a small division based out of Huntersville, North Carolina. Key individuals from DaimlerChrysler Commercial Vehicle Division and Freightliner were selected to spearhead the effort and made up the bulk of the division. DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC retained sole responsibility for the North American Sprinter market until the sales, service and parts support responsibilities were absorbed by Chrysler Commercial Vehicle Division in 2004. Nearly all of the original staff were retained, though the base of operations shifted from North Carolina to Auburn Hills, Michigan. The remainder of DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC remained active in Huntersville as an engineering, upfitter certification and safety compliance resource in support of the Sprinter.

For 2004, DaimlerChrysler introduced a Dodge-branded version of the Sprinter to the North American market. It was identical to the Freightliner Trucks version except for minor styling details and badging. Rather than redesign the aging Dodge Ram Van which used the same basic body and layout since the 1970s and was discontinued in 2003, DaimlerChrysler chose to replace it with the Sprinter. The Sprinter offered many advantages over the Ram Van; in particular it was a more fuel efficient alternative and available with a factory-built tall roof.

From 2001 through 2006, the cargo van versions of the Sprinter were manufactured in Dusseldorf Germany, partially disassembled and shipped to a facility in Gaffney, South Carolina where they were reassembled. The cargo versions, classified as light trucks, are subject to the 25% chicken tax if imported as a complete unit, which is avoided by the disassembly and subsequent reassembly. Passenger vans were not subject to the same tax classifications, and were imported as an assembled unit through Mercedes at the Port of Jacksonville, Florida.

The second generation (VB Chassis) Sprinter debuted in early 2007.^{[citation needed]} The cargo version of this model is re-assembled at a plant in Ladson, South Carolina which was previously used as an American LaFrance factory. Like its predecessor, the passenger version is brought in as a complete unit. The previous reassembly facility in Gaffney, South Carolina continues to be used by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. The second (North American) generation Sprinter is a complete redesign from the prior model, with the WA380 transmission being the only significant carryover part from the earlier generation.

Dodge Branded North American sales

Uses

The Sprinter is designed primarily for business, not private users, although Recreational Vehicle (RV) conversions are available. In the US, the first generation Sprinters (2001•2006) were offered solely with the Mercedes-Benz 2.7 litre straight five cylinder turbodiesel.

Companies such as Microsoft are replacing van conversions with wide bus bodies - with Sprinters with side-facing benches and tall right-side doors - as campus shuttle buses. Limited numbers of complete "wagons" (passenger vans) are being produced in Germany and shipped complete to the U.S. market for mostly individual and church van uses. Typical Sprinter Wagons are 8•10 passengers, and have glass in all of the normal positions that windows can be factory installed. Vans shipped to the U.S. on-spec (speculation to sell by dealer/distributor) are mostly sent in Arctic White color, but many standard and a few special colors are available on these passenger vans. The Dodge dealer network for Sprinters is limited to certified locations (known as "Business Link" certified dealers, usually only awarded to "Five Star" certified dealers), and dealer knowledge is still limited in both sales and service. Special orders typically take one to three months for delivery, and make stretch out even longer, due to the assembly and disassembly in Germany, exporting of parts to South Carolina for re-assembly, the exception being passenger van models which are assembled in Germany and exported assembled: mid•late 2006 orders are probably going to be for 2007 models and delayed further for production to catch up to demand.^{[citation needed]}

In North America, most Sprinters are sold as cargo vans to expediters in the United States. Such expediters are similar to truck drivers, except they take smaller loads and will wait in a town indefinitely after unloading, until dispatchers find another customer nearby to transport goods. The advent of the Sprinter van with its cargo space of 13-1/2 feet (4.1 m) has allowed van expediters to take three 48 x 48 in (1.22 x 1.22 m) skids or pallets where previously they were confined to two. A Sprinter driver is capable of hauling approximately 3000 lb (1360 kg) of cargo. The pool of Sprinter drivers gives more choice, efficiency and flexibility to trucking companies and their customers. They have become popular delivery and supply vans, with DHL and FedEx moving their fleets away from trucks and more and more towards smaller, more aerodynamic and more fuel-efficient Sprinters.^{[citation needed]} Trade workers and others who spend time in the cargo bed of the Sprinter find the added roof height, an option on all Sprinters, a more comfortable alternative to traditional North American vans; even a six-footer can stand upright inside. It has been noted that Sprinters are substantially more expensive to buy, but less expensive to maintain than their American counterparts, which is an important consideration for small business operators. The base price of current Sprinter models is USD $39,405 versus USD $27,470 for a Ford Econoline, as of 11/09. This has made them less viable as an owner-operated vehicle in the US market where margins have been declining for years in the expediting business.

Another market in which Sprinters are gaining ground is as van conversions and Recreational Vehicles. Conversions include RV's, limousines, family and luxury vans, office vans, wheelchair accessible vans, and golf vans. Sprinter RV conversions can also be called Sprinter campervans. RV converted Sprinters have been produced by Airstream (Interstate, Parkway, and imported Westfalia), Coach House (Platinum II), Coachmen (Prism), Fleetwood (Pulse, Icon), Forest River (Solera, MB Cruiser), Four Winds (Ventura, Dutchman Dorado, Chateau Citation, Siesta), Great West Vans (Sprinter Legend), Gulf Stream (Vista Cruiser), Jayco (Precept), Leisure Travel Vans (Freedom II, Serenity, Free Spirit), Midwest (Sprinter RV Camper Van), Phoenix (Cruiser 2350 and 2400), Pleasure-Way (Ascent, Plateau), Roadtrek (RS Adventurous, SS Agile, SS Ideal), and Winnebago (View, Navion, Era).

Despite not being marketed as a family vehicle, a custom-modified version of the Dodge-branded version of the van is used by the ten-member Gosselin family, the subjects of the TLC reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8.^[5]

A Mercedes Sprinter is also the vehicle used by Mike and Frank on The History Channel reality series American Pickers.^[6]

Engines

For its internal combustion engine choices, the Sprinter is currently offered with inline four and inline six cylinder diesel engines; inline six cylinder petrol/gasoline; or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) engines in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. In North America, only the six cylinder 3.0 litre turbodiesel and six cylinder 3.5 litre gasoline engines are offered.

An electric hybrid version has been tested, but is not currently officially part of the Sprinter range.^{[7][8][9][10]}

2000•present (2002•2006 USA)

Currently the T1N Mk. Ⅱ generation is still manufactured by the Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles in Brazil for the local market.^[11]

2006•present (2007•2010 USA)

According to the Mercedes-Benz German website, the Sprinter is also available as the 316/416/516 NGT - Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

In 2010^[when?], Dodge lost its contract to sell Sprinters in USA/Canada and a subset of Mercedes-Benz dealers gained that franchise, and the OM646 4-cylinder diesel engine replaced by more powerful OM651 4-cylinder diesel engine.^{[citation needed]} Sprinters sold in the United States still lack many popular options that are available in Europe, including 4 wheel drive, Command Navigation System, 4-cylinder OM651 diesel (which should give 27 miles per US gallon), electric sliding doors, and keyless entry (which senses the presence of the key fob and automatically opens a sliding door).

Sprinter model range

The model designations for the first generation Sprinter are W901, W902, W903, W904 and W905, depending on the gross weight rating.

• Passenger van
• Conversion van
• Cargo van
• Minibus
• Cab-chassis

See also

• Mercedes-Benz - Worldwide of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
• Dodge - USA & Canada of Dodge Sprinter
• Freightliner Trucks - USA & Canada of Freightliner Sprinter

References

1. ^ http://www.db-forum.de/forum/grossraumlimousinen-nutzfahrzeuge/13966-sprinter-fertigung-china.html
2. ^ Mercedes-Benz UK Sprinter Details
3. ^ "December 2008 Sales: Chrysler LLC". CheersandGears.com. 2009-01-05. http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/27526-december-2008-sales-chrysler-llc/. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
4. ^ "Chrysler Group LLC December 2009 Sales". CheersandGears.com. 2010-01-05. http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/50556-chrysler-group-llc-december-2009/. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
5. ^ "Really Big Vans for Really Big Families". MotherProof.com. http://www.motherproof.com/advice-safety/story/really-big-vans-for-really-big-families/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
6. ^ "The American Pickers Van". History.com. http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers/videos/the-van#the-van/. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
7. ^ The greening of the city bus | CNET News.com
8. ^ Freightliner Sprinter website
9. ^ UK Sprinter website
10. ^ Dodge Sprinter website
11. ^ http://www.mercedes-benz.com.br/HomeInterna.aspx?categoria=2

External links

• UK Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
• Mercedes Sprinter dealer in UK
• USA Official Mercedes-Benz Sprinter website
• USA Official Freightliner Sprinter website
• Mercedes Sprinter UK Models
• English language German market operating guide
• Sprinter specific wiki including Sprinter RVs
• 2010 UK fuel economy figures

Categories: Mercedes-Benz vehicles | Buses | Trucks | Vans | Rear wheel drive vehicles | Hybrid vans | Plug-in hybrid vehicles | 1990s automobiles | 2000s automobiles | 2010s automobiles