Since we’re on the subject of current vans, this is the hot one in this part of the world these days. Sprinters, especially the 4WD version, have become a genuine status symbol, conveying a youthful, affluent-hip vibe along with the cool image that you’re about to head of to Patagonia, the long and slow way. Well, I’ve been rather lusting after a Sprinter since they first came over here, some 15 years ago, to replace my venerable ’77 Chinook, but it just keeps going, for short trips anyway. And I just don’t have the freedom to hit the road for an extended period of time and given what these go for, unless it’s going to get some serious use, I couldn’t begin to justify it.
This all-dark gray version is a bit hard to see properly on an all-dark and gray Oregon late afternoon (it’s been an exceptionally wet and cool winter). This is a medium-length version, with a high roof. The Sprinters run a bit bigger than the Transit, which in turn runs a bit bigger than the Ram Promaster.
The cab is nice; probbaly the nicest of the bunch. The Sprinter is also the priciest, not surprisingly. I “built” one like this, and it came out to some $51k (That’s before the interior conversion). That includes the 188hp V6 diesel-4WD powertrain, but no the hi-lo range version, which costs another (whopping) $6800. It’s easy to get into some serious money with these, but that’s the case with any truck these days. And this is an exceptionally versatile one. That’s about the same as the starting price of an E Class sedan, but I’d take one of these over that in a heartbeat. A lot more vehicle for the money, in my book.
The windows were tinted so dark, I couldn’t get much of a shot of the interior. This is outfitted as something I’d call a “casual camper”, with a folding table ahead of the three-seater rear seat. Sort of like a jumbo VW bus.
Obviously, this is a professional conversion, and it undoubtedly adds a whole other chunk of change to the total price. The very back appears to be a bed (duh), although I don’t know if it folds out further to the front, or one sleeps transversely. And there’s cabinets overhead. But no real cooking or bathroom facilities. We would need a bigger version, and a serious camper conversion with amenities suitable for the longer trips. These folks likely haul their kids with it too. In fact, I’m seeing more and more moms driving Sprinters as kiddie haulers.
Here’s more like what I have in mind. I’m torn about which of the three Euro-style vans I like best. The Sprinter is of course top dog, and is the only one that offers 4WD (in the US), but then the maintenance costs (never mind any possible repair costs) of the diesel are a bit scary. The Promaster is attractive, mostly for its very low floor, but its FCA powertrain is also a bit scary. The Transit is probably the safest bet.
But not the coolest.
I live in Boston and I have noticed that Sprinter vans here tend to rust a lot on the back end. It seems strange for an expensive van.
The early ones rust everywhere! At least they look a lot nicer than the Ram – that face is hideous.
The company I work for has Sprinters and they usually have rust spots by 3 years old, although we do like to batter them into things.
As far as I can tell there are very few civilian sprinters around here- they all seem to be work trucks. And the older ones rust more than any other vehicle I’ve seen in the last decade.
Yep, here in Maine too. I wonder if the other Euro vans will be as bad.
Based on what I see in Scotland, the old model Transits weren’t as bad as Sprinters, but are often very battered and any van will rust like that. The Fiat/Peugeot/Citroens are probably the best in that regard. You never see a rusty Fiat car – they went overboard on rust protection back in the 90s to try to kill that terrible reputation.
If you want one like this, you’d better be prepared to pony up more than 60k…
I’m guessing that this one would be more in the 80-90k range, depending on all the goodies.
While I haven’t driven a Sprinter, they look like beasts. I shudder to imagine trying to park this thing in a major city. I still have a thing for the low profile VW vans (as my avatar will attest to), but I concede that they’re getting older and expensive to upkeep. None of the other vans out there, though, this one included, light my fire like a Westy.
Geez, why not buy a vehicle with a brighter color if you have the money, Oregon is Grey enough as is. These Vans look neat and maybe Wilsonville Mercedes Benz has a few I can look at. I am worried about the maintenance costs so I rather have a Transit.
I like it ! Gray on gray on gray, but it certainly works. Since it’s van (conversion) sunday, here’s a Fiat Ducato 4×4 Expedition camper van.
There are plenty of 4×4 panel vans (or motorhome conversions) available, but obviously it’s a niche market. Almost all panel vans or chassis-cabs are either FWD or RWD. A tamed Unimog, that’s what comes to mind when I see a light 4×4 Euro truck.
Like I said, a tamed Unimog…
Is this the “tamed” Unimog you have in mind?
http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/off-road/extreme-rigs/building-a-unimog-truck-camper-rig/
I gotta admit it’s impressive!
That’s the real thing Halwick, I was more thinking of something like this 4×4 as a “tamed Unimog”:
My mother and her friend bought one new last year that was outfitted by Sportsmobile, last fall they took it all over the East Coast. I think Alaska is on the menu this year. They absolutely love it but the sticker was somewhere north of $100k. I have yet to see it in person buy am looking forward to checking it out.
There’s also one at my kids school, one of the moms finally had so many kids that their Suburban ran out of seats!
This is the one I’m looking forward to seeing:
https://youtu.be/Z6FQ-FD1Ma0
That said, I’d prefer a gasoline version – cheaper maintenance and better fuel availability. I read the diesel south of the border can ruin these US spec diesels. Plus Merc dealers are as scarce as hens teeth in the hinterlands.
That’s quite appealing, in many ways. I’d probably prefer a somewhat larger and more comfortable dinette/sitting area, as we’re a bit older and like to spend more time sitting, reading, and eating. That table is a wee bit small.
But the general versatility is remarkable. And I have no use for a rooftop a/c, as we avoid RV “campgrounds” like the plague; or any real campground. We just head off into the boonies.
Yes, the table is small. Later in the video there is a indent in the floor by the passenger seat that looks like it might be for a table.
Roadtrek has some great stuff and is now owned by Hymer which is bringing German innovation to NA:
http://www.gohymer.com/
I saw them at the Hershey show.
Speaking of the Germans, look at this:
Hymer on the shortest Promaster:
“The promaster is attractive”
There’s something you don’t hear often 🙂
I’ve come to rather like it’s face; it reminds me of a bull dog’s or pug’s.
Regarding looks. I still like the VW Transporter (T6 now) the most. Simple, as in not overwrought, timeless. Exactly what you expect.
First-gen Transits had reliability problems. Don’t know about the current version.
I’d keep the Chinook, if it’s got a Toyota under it.
Happy Motoring, Mark
It’s a Dodge.
By chance, I was explaining the “chicken tax” to my father (career FoMoCo guy) yesterday; Google turned up the usual Ford Transit stuff, and then this about the Sprinter, which I hadn’t known:
http://www.autonews.com/article/20141124/OEM11/311249980/how-sprinter-dodges-the-chicken-tax
Yup, that’s how they’ve been doing it since the Sprinter arrived here 15 years or so ago. But Mercedes announced last year that they’re spending $500million to build a proper assembly plant: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/03/06/mercedes-benz-sprinter-vans-south-carolina-factory/24496953/
I’ve seen very, very few of the Euro vans in family service here in Maine.
I ran into this one while it was exploring AZ. Nice and purposeful.
http://www.campervagamondo.it/
I drive a Promaster , Sprinter , and Transit at work , and like the Sprinter best because it has a fully adjustable drivers seat standard , not a power seat. Diesel gets good mileage. The Transit comes in a close second, nice to drive, gets good mileage with the diesel. Seat is not as comfortable as Sprinter’s because it’s not fully adjustable. We had to take our Transits back to the dealer for a recall to replace fuel pumps. The Promaster is fun to drive with the gas 6 cyl and front wheel drive, but it’s the least reliable . We’ve had to take it to the dealer for annoying electrical problems that keep coming up, and the sliding door has failed 3 times . If you get a Sprinter, get a Dodge or Freightliner Sprinter. Same as the Mercedes Sprinter, but you’re paying less on insurance.I wouldn’t get the 4×4 unless you’re planning on taking it off road or bad dirt roads often.
Good to hear from one who has experience with all three.
Do you know what kind of mileage you’re getting with all three?
Your issues with the Promaster are exactly what I’m afraid of. Too bad.
This is probably not that relevant to what you are looking but my experience here in the EU with German/Austrian spec 5 cyl. diesel Sprinters was their capacity for cruising on the Autobahn for hours on end north of 90 MPH. Yes they do rust. If you get one without the red dust I would highly recommend sealing it inside out with rust proofing like Mike Sander’s Hohlraumversiegelung (http://www.korrosionsklinik.de/onlineshop/). It works – no idea who stokes this stuff in the US though.
I have to admit I’m very surprised the 4X4 is popular in the US – here you hardly ever see a “civilian” one; usually they are bought by government agencies for use in the Alps or someone like Ă–MV. And they are stupidly expensive.
As an alternative, would it not make sense to recondition/update the Mopar?
In the past years the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has pretty much become the standard ambulance here.
i told the wife that if we both make it to our golden years and want to go drive around and see the country, we’ll get whatever is the rough equivalent to a Lincoln Town Car at the time but no camper.
That Promaster with its high set headlights reminds me of a frog……”a face only a mother would love”. But then I noticed in the event of a front-end collision, the headlight assembly would escape damage. Maybe not so bad after all.
That dark grey medium-length-high-roofline Sprinter looks interesting. I don’t know about Dutch’s “tamed” Unimog (still a formidable beast…just the thing if I was going to travel in the South American jungles).
At one time I was musing about how I would spend my retirement years. I’d downsize to a minimalist lifestyle (wonder how I’d do that, considering I’m a packrat), sell my house, buy and live in a well-appointed Sprinter conversion and travel throughout the U.S all year, staying at various parks or campgrounds for a couple weeks before moving to the next one….like a nomad following state fairs, air shows, jazz festivals or whatever. Maybe I will. But have to figure out the logistics first. Anybody have an idea what that would entail and cost?
This Sprinter would look great with a better brush/bumper guard, check out the one made by ex-guard.com they are made from 12 gauge steel with a PVC coating so they don’t rust.
“Ready for anything”
Except a corner. 🙂
I’ve never driven a Sprinter but know an elderly couple that have a Sprinter RV conversion and she says it drives just like a car. And other Sprinter owners I’ve talked with say the same. To me, the size is intimidating. And BTW, here in the western US (I’m 600 miles south of Paul) “civilian” sprinters are very common … popular with families, outdoor types (surfers, mountain bikers etc) and of course campers. Still mostly 2wd, but considering that the 4wd has only been sold here a few years, there are quite a few of those too. Expensive, but no more than the ubiquitous Ford SuperDuty and Ram pickups.