Comfort, Convenience Come to Commercial Vans

A few years back I loaded up about one-quarter of a high school drumline in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter passenger van for a trip to a national competition in a neighboring state. Though the teenagers initially weren’t too thrilled with the idea, once we painted the windows and got on the road, the “Mega-van” became the place to be.

But it certainly was not for its amenities and creature comforts. Early on in the Sprinter’s U.S. lifecycle, no one really considered it more than a glorified airport shuttle bus or, sans rows of seats, a semi-luxury U-Haul with a tri-pointed star prominently affixed to its beak.

As the designated driver for the drumline expedition, I can assure you the entertainment system provided zero relief, while the add-on navigation system was as useful as a map from a distant province. I recall not finding a truly comfortable seating position in five days of travel and commuting, but the 11 passengers on board never seemed to complain. My co-pilot loved his spot.

Sprinter as drumline hauler.

With a load of high-schoolers and a ton of cargo on board, we recorded 19.9 mpg (11.8 L/100 km) on that trip –surprising considering it would’ve taken three cars each getting in excess of 50 mpg to haul the same load.

Fast-forward to 2016 when I had the opportunity to check out the latest Sprinter, in this case a mongo 2500 Passenger Van 170 with seating for a dozen passengers and enough room to load in a queen-sized bed or hot tub in the rear cargo area. Huge doesn’t begin to describe this vehicle, which also came with a roof-mounted rear air-conditioning unit and power-deploying side step to assist entrance and exit.

Like the Sprinter from that 2013 trip, this new model came with the same powerful, smooth and efficient 3.0L V-6 Bluetec diesel producing 188 hp and 325 lb.-ft. (441 Nm) of torque. Notable for both vans, despite their gargantuan size, height and load capacity, was easy drivability, whether at highway speed (even in gusty winds with the latest model, thanks to Crosswind Assist) or when trying to back into a parking space (thanks to the rear-view camera).

Consumer Appeal Standard

Those common traits aside, it’s clear that Mercedes now is putting extra emphasis on the pilot seat in these big rigs. Seat comfort, while never perfect in a high perch like this, is acceptable and supportive for a long drive, while myriad upgrades provided connectivity for phone and entertainment, along with handy navigational assistance.

Sprinter command center upgraded.

And huge? This high-roof, extended-wheelbase model (the “170” refers to wheelbase in inches) had more than enough room to haul four kayaks and camping gear north, while providing the aforementioned shuttle bus space for a dozen or more to a river landing once emptied of gear.

For those who simply need to haul stuff, not a whole staff, consider the competition. We drove a Ford Transit HR (for High Roof) cargo carrier during the same period and found it even more driver-friendly with a driver-centric cockpit fitted with options such as the Sync 3 interface with built-in navigation. Our tester was powered by a 3.2L, 185-hp, 350-lb.-ft. (475-Nm) 5-cyl. turbodiesel, but a 3.5L V-6 gas turbo also is available.

Transit Connect’s big brother, the Transit.

This is the big Ford hauler, not the already popular smaller Transit Connect van that has replaced the minivan in the Ford portfolio. The Transit is aimed at tradespeople and fleet customers who need a big van with the kind of versatility available in these readily reconfigurable commercial vehicles.

Sync 3 part of driver-centric Transit cockpit.

None of these vehicles is cheap. The big Benz we tested checked in at $63,150, including nearly $17,000 in options, while the Transit was a steal at $46,415 with $12,000 in options.

[email protected] @bobgritzinger