Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends
While better known for luxury cars , Mercedes - Benz is also a prolific Almighty of commercial vans . Since it first make it in the U.S. in 2001 , the Mercedes - Benz Sprinter has become a favorite of both delivery fleets and camping enthusiasts . And with Mercedes kicking its electrification plans into high gear , we ’re finally getting an all - electric Sprinter van .
The2024 Mercedes - Benz eSprinteris an update version of a model Mercedes was already selling in Europe but was considered unsuitable for the U.S. because of its limited driving range . The updated eSprinter addresses that with a bigger battery pack and features a reengineered electric motor and other components that allow it to be built more easily alongside formal vans . That ’s happen at Mercedes ’ factory in North Charleston , South Carolina , which will begin ply electric vanguard to customers in the U.S. later this class .
Those customer will have a choice of standard ( $ 74,181 ) and high - output ( $ 77,611 ) version , but not the change of body style available for internal - burning vans , as well as the rivalFord E - Transit . For now , Mercedes is focusing on delivery services and other patronage needing mountain of cargo place , but the # VanLife crowd will likely be eyeball the eSprinter as well .
Design and interior
The eSprinter front likea stock Sprinter van , boasting the same European - trend magniloquent - and - narrow-minded look that Mercedes popularized in the U.S. The current Sprinter design has been around since the 2019 simulation year , but Mercedes has been selling Sprinters in the U.S. for just over two decades . When the Sprinter first come , It bear out among the squat Ford E - Series and Chevrolet Express vanguard of the time . But since then , other car manufacturer have travel along Mercedes ’ atomic number 82 . Ford replaced the E - Series with the Euro - mode Transit , while Stellantis currently sell the Fiat - derived Ram ProMaster .
To make a Sprinter into an eSprinter , Mercedes bolt a battery pack to the bottom of the frame , slot in a compact galvanizing motor to power the rearward axle , and stuffs adjunct hardware under the hood in the distance vacated by the burning engine . Ford follows a similar formula with its E - Transit , which shares well-nigh everything but its powertrain with internal - combustion Transit exemplar .
But there ’s more creative thinking find in the electrical van world . Rivian has a purpose - progress galvanising van , while General Motors has launched an entire electric van division telephone BrightDrop . Kia has even suggest buildingelectric vans with swappable body , allowing them to switch from hauling lading to passenger .
The interior count vaguely similar to one from a Mercedes railway car , with fewer luxuriousness .
Mercedes will offer multiple configurations in other markets , but in the U.S. , the eSprinter launches exclusively as a high - roof cargo van with a 170 - inch wheelbase . Mercedes claim 488 cubic feet of cargo volume with a maximal consignment capacity of 2,624 pounds . For comparison , Ford claims a maximal 3,553 - pound payload capacitance and 404.3 three-dimensional feet of cargo space for equivalent rendering of its E - Transit consignment van , which have a 148.0 - inch wheelbase . The two configurations currently available for Rivian ’s van land on either side of the eSprinter with a 157.5 - inch wheelbase and 2,734 - pound payload capacity and a 187.0 - column inch wheelbase and 2,513 - pound sterling payload capacity . GM claims a lower payload content but more consignment blank space for the larger of its two BrightDrop vanguard , the Zevo 600 .
The DoI also conduct over from the internal combustion adaptation of the Sprinter , intend it looks mistily similar to the cabins of Mercedes cars but without most of the fauna comforts . Some of the details , such as the steering bicycle , round air vent , and some of the dashboard controls , look like they occur straight out of aGLC - Class . But this is a body of work vehicle , so you wo n’t find any massaging seats , Burmester audio system , or fine stitched leather upholstery .
Tech, infotainment, and driver assist
Whether internal combustion or electric , Sprinter van get a version of the Mercedes - Benz User Experience ( MBUX ) infotainment organisation usedin the car manufacturer ’s passenger cars , let in wirelessApple CarPlayandAndroid Autoconnectivity . In the eSprinter , MBUX runs on a 10.25 - column inch touch screen that looks tiny in its plastic perch on the dashboard but is still more than passable for canonical functions like navigation and vehicle options .
The eSprinter features the same fantabulous voice recognition system as other Mercedes model , which is generally more reliable than tantamount organisation from other automakers . An EV - specific seafaring feature is also useable , incorporating charging point into the route . We did n’t have an opportunity to try out out the latter feature article during our short psychometric test drive , but voice control worked just as well as in the Mercedes rider car we ’ve used it in .
machine driver - assist features like automatic emergency braking , unreasoning - fleck monitoring , and a driver - tending monitoring machine are also available , but you wo n’t find the more sophisticated driver tending usable in Mercedes ’ rider car . The available rearview camera mirror seems like it should have been deploy in vans before passenger car rather than the other way around .
Driving experience
All eSprinter models are rear - wheel drive , but as noted above , Mercedes put up two power levels . Buyers get 134 horsepower banner but can also specify 201 hp , with 295 British pound - feet of torque in either typeface .
While automakers often launch electric cars that are more powerful than their internal - combustion vis-a-vis to aid sell EV tech , that was n’t a priority for Mercedes with the eSprinter . The four - piston chamber diesel railway locomotive that descend standard in the non - electrical Sprinter only do 170 H.P. , but it matches the eSprinter ’s electric motor ’s torque . Mercedes extend a more brawny interlingual rendition of the diesel , give away at 211 hp and 332 lb - ft of torsion .
The eSprinter ’s top velocity is also limited to a reasonable 75 miles per hour , which is belike just as well for a vehicle that will belike spend most of its work living with a GPS speed tracker installed . Acceleration up to that speed is sound for a vanguard but at leisure for an EV . But , for what it ’s deserving , the eSprinter is overall much nicer to drive than a diesel Sprinter . It felt remarkably nimble for such a large vehicle , something Mercedes ascribe to the low - mount battery ring . And despite the lack of an national burning railway locomotive to mask farting haphazardness and reverberations from the cavernous cargo detainment , the cab was also fairly restrained .
The eSprinter is much nicer to repulse than a diesel motor Sprinter .
Mercedes supplies a excerpt of drive mode that let you bed on the button what variety of fomite you ’re driving . The only choice are Comfort , Eco , and Maximum Range . consolation mood is a bit of a misnomer , as it ’s basically the nonpayment mode , set aside full power from both the motor and climate control , as well as the most immediate accelerator answer . Eco and Maximum Range modes dial everything back to save energy , but to the degree that acceleration feel too sluggish even for sluggish dealings .
The eSprinter also has something that should be on every electrical passenger car : multiple levels of regenerative braking . Drivers can toggle through multiple options of regen strong suit , include one that turn regenerative braking completely off and lets the van slide . An automatic mode lets the van select the point of regen based on the speed of vehicles in front and the topography of the route .
Range and charging
One of the reasons Mercedes did n’t bring the original eSprinter to the U.S. was what the automaker take for to be an inadequate range , something that ’s been addressed with a enceinte shelling ring . The 113 - kW - minute pack also expend atomic number 3 iron inorganic phosphate ( LFP ) chemistry , also used in certainFord Mustang Mach - Eand Tesla models . Mercedes take it is a comfortably primed for calorie-free commercial vehicle like vans because it degrade at a slower pace .
U.S. range figures were n’t useable at press clock time , and because its maximal 9,370 - pound gross fomite weight military rank ( GVWR ) is past the cutoff for clear - duty vehicle , the eSprinter likely wo n’t undergo schematic examination for the U.S. Mercedes count on a range of about 250 miles , which would put the eSprinter well ahead of the Ford E - Transit , which can only manage 108 mile when comparably configured , as well as Rivian ’s vans , but about even with GM ’s BrightDrop vans .
DC fast charging at 115 kW can take the battery from 10 % to 80 % charge in an figure 42 minutes . A full recharge from a 240 - volt AC charger takes 12.5 hours . For public charging , Mercedes also offers connectivity that lets driver commence and pay for charge at three of the liberal networks – ChargePoint , Electrify America , and EVgo — without using each internet ’s individual app . What Mercedes has n’t included is any preparation for tapping into the battery pack to run appliances or other accessories for camper van changeover . That ’s just not a priority , as the initial rollout of the eSprinter is focus on business sector customers .
How DT would configure this car
If we were speccing an eSprinter , we ’d go with the higher - output 201 - H.P. interlingual rendition . It felt merely adequate , so we were n’t on the button eager to force back a less - brawny adaptation .
Most eSprinter number one wood wo n’t get to choose what they ’re driving , though . While some will likely make it into secret hands finally , the first emptor will be business enterprise browse these roughly $ 70,000 vans against cheaper Ford E - Transits with more configuration options but less range , and high-priced Rivians with sleeker styling and the nerveless factor of one of the hottest EV startups .
The quick ontogenesis of the electric van market could be a big win for the surroundings .
irrespective of which van wins over fleet managers , the spry growth of the electric van market could be a self-aggrandizing profits for the surroundings , reducing emissions from vehicle that cover vastly more mileage than the mediocre rider machine and lowering the carbon footprint of the product we grease one’s palms .
Even Mercedes does n’t think the eSprinter is the ultimate electrical van , though . The car manufacturer is already planning unexampled medium and large vans base on an EV - specific architecture called Van . EA . The first of these vans is scheduled to debut in 2026 . For now , the eSprinter is a great first sweat , bring fresh technical school and electric power to the humble delivery vanguard .
