Tag Archives: Mercedes Sprinter

Mercedes Sprinter Takes Fleet Van Honours Again

1 Reply

It’s no secret that the Mercedes Sprinter is one of the most popular vans in Europe with both drivers and operators. This week it confirmed that reputation with the award of the coveted Motor Transport Fleet Van of the Year award for 2008.

It’s the second consecutive year that the Sprinter has won the award, highlighting just how strong a grip Mercedes has on the large panel van sector. The Motor Transport judges were impressed not only by the vehicle but by the strong support available from the Mercedes-Benz dealer network and by market-leading innovations such as Eco Start, which saves fuel by automatically switching the engine off during idling without jeopardising safety or reliability.

The award was presented at the recent Motor Transport Awards in London and marked the fourth time in six years that the Sprinter has won the Fleet Van of the Year Award!

Green Van Hire, Carbon Offsetting & Hybrid Sprinter Test Drive

Rent A Van, Plant A Tree

Green Motion, one of the leading green van hire companies in the UK, has recently announced a partnership with Trees4Good, a carbon-offsetting organisation.

Trees4Good operate tree-planting campaigns in Borneo and Brazil and their partnership with Green Motion will mean that a tree is planted for every customer. The cost of this will be fully-absorbed by Green Motion; unlike some other hire companies, they will not levy an additional charge for this carbon offsetting service.

Green Motion claim that this partnership will enable them to become the world’s first carbon-neutral car and van rental company, as the carbon benefits for each tree planted will more than offset the carbon emissions of each vehicle Green Motion operates during its lifetime with the company.

New Hybrid Mercedes Sprinter Gets Early Test Drive

I’ve been touting hybrids as a way forwards (in preference to biofuels) for some time now and it is encouraging to see how many hybrid vehicles are starting to come to market – or at least get close.

The van market isn’t being left behind and Mercedes are now in the advanced stages of testing and developing a hybrid Sprinter van. Commercial Motor managed to get a test drive of a pre-production model in Germany this week and found it to be a well-developed and competent van.

You can read their first impressions review here.

Mercedes Launch LNG Sprinter With 1200km Range

Mercedes-Benz have launched a natural gas-powered version of its popular Sprinter van. The van, which Mercedes Sprinter XLWB has a supercharged 1.8 litre petrol engine, generates 156hp and can run on petrol, LNG or CNG. Drivers can switch between natural gas and petrol power and the combination of a full petrol tank and a full gas tank will give the van an impressive 1200km range, according to Mercedes.

Mercedes claim that the Euro 4-compliant, gas-powered Sprinter will have operating costs up to 30% below those of diesel-powered Sprinters and the vehicle has been successfully trialled by Deutsche Post, DHL and UPS in Germany. Compressed natural gas is especially popular in Germany, as the fuel benefits from a reduced tax rate that will last until at least 2018, offering van operators guaranted savings over diesel during that period.

Although Mercedes have offered natural gas conversions of Sprinters before, this is the first purpose built gas/petrol Sprinter van. The van should be available for sale anytime now, although I’m not sure how the price will compare to diesel models.

2008 Fleet News Awards: Which Van Manufacturers Won?

The 10th March, 2008, saw the UK fleet industry’s equivalent to the Oscars – the annual Fleet News Awards presentation evening. The turnout was strong despite the blustery conditions and all the major van manufacturers had been shortlisted for awards, so anticipation was high.

In the van section, the winners of the Manufacturers awards were:

Best Small Van: Volkswagen Caddy

Best Medium Van: Ford Transit

Best Large Van: Mercedes Sprinter

No real surprises here – the latest incarnation of the Mercedes Sprinter has retained its position as the large van of choice for courier fleets and anyone who values a high quality, prestige van. Ford’s Transit offers the perfect range of size and spec options for the middle of the market, and the VW Caddy has made strong inroads into the popularity of the Transit Connect at the small end of the market.

With these results in mind, it’s no surprise that many van hire fleets continue to purchase Transits, Sprinters and Caddies – popular and reliable choices with good resale values.