Published: Commercial Motor, 14 Sep 2000
A Van Too Far?by: Colin Barnett
The shattering performance of Merc's range-topping Sprinter 416 is bound to appeal to the blue-light brigade, but is it over the top for general deliveries?
We put this 154hp flyer to the test in the less glamorous world of workaday cargo carrying and found that if you've got the load, the Sprinter has the capacity.
Verdict
As well as presenting a second chance to appraise the new Sprinter, this test covers three new facets of the breed: the big engine, the automated transmission and the 4.6-tonne chassis. Overall, the latest Sprinter is something of a puzzle. A basically intelligently designed package is prevented from being the perfect van by a few silly ergonomic oversights, such as the out-of-reach handbrake and the too-basic mirrors - but its dynamic abilities are above approach.
If you plan to buy a 154hp Sprinter for some macho desire to be King of the Road, and no doubt some of you will, you deserve all yoyu get. Either your licence will be at risk if you let it have its head, or your nerves will suffer from holding it back. Sprintshift does everything it says on the can, and is well worth its £770 cost if you spend any amount of time on the mean city streets. And of course, that top GVW gives a top payload if you can use it.
We received the Sprinter 416 wondering if 154hp was really necessary in a van, and the answers for most commercial operators is a resounding now. But, like Viagra, it's rassuring to know that it's there if you need it.
Vehicle Specifications
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 416
| Fuel Consumption: | 22.8mpg(12.4lit/100km) |
| Average speed: | 64.9km/h |
| Gross weight as tested: | 4,600kg |
| Net payload: | 2,385kg |
| Price as tested: | £26,138(ex-VAT) |
