MERCEDES - ON APPROACH TO CREW (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Is the Mercedes Sprinter Crew Van the ultimate LCV of its kind? Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 42

The Mercedes of large crew vans as this one, the Sprinter Crew Van. It's big, in every respect - exterior size, cargo capacity, payload - and price. But after looking at what's on offer here, you might just feel it's worth it.

Backgroundword count: 122

Large jobs usually require not only large amounts of cargo but also plenty of people power. Which might conceivably leave you needing a large crew van. Here's one of the very biggest; the Crew Van version of the Mercedes Sprinter. The Sprinter line-up's changed quite a bit in recent times with the introduction of a completely redesigned EV powertrain. We can't imagine many crew van customers choosing that (if it ever becomes available in this form); anyway, it's the diesel version we're testing here - in simply enormous L3 H2 form. In principle, everything you need from a large crew van is on offer in this instance. But how will it work in practice? Let's put this tough LCV to the test.

Driving Experienceword count: 211

The Sprinter Crew Van we tried was a 317 L3 'Progressive' model with a 2.0-litre 170hp diesel offering a useful 400Nm of torque. Our test vehicle was front wheel drive, but the Sprinter can also be had in rear wheel drive or all-wheel drive forms and can therefore be optimally configured for the relevant transport requirement and operating profile. The front wheel drive format especially shows its inherent advantages when the vehicle is lightly loaded or in slippery conditions. Front-driven variants get either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 9-speed automatic 'box. In the rear-wheel drive variants, thanks to separation of the drive and steering, the classic advantages lie in optimum ride comfort, a smaller turning circle and more agile handling. Rear-wheel drive also allows more control when towing a trailer and at the limits of the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight. The optional all-wheel drive system improves traction, particularly in difficult weather conditions or poor road conditions, thus enhancing driving safety and driving dynamics. Gear reduction is additionally available for demanding operations. As for other engines, well two other versions of the brand's four cylinder 2.0-litre diesel powerplant are available, with either 150hp or 190hp and available with either 6-speed manual transmission with tried or a 9G-TRONIC 9-speed auto gearbox.

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