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N THE ROAD
Page 26
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is possible to have a 154hp engine in a 2.8)nne Sprinter—but we wouldn't recommend unless you have a nice set of blue lights on ie roof. Much as we like plenty of power, ou'd spend so much effort holding back -lose horses that you wouldn't have time to njoy the experience. At nearly six tonnes, owever, the engine is given some real work 3 do, so it's a different story—and it copes dmirably with everything you point it at. The five-pot engine officially produces its 3oNrn torque peak between 1,400 and ,400rpm, but there's at least 300N m availble from 1,200rpm to beyond 3,500rpm. ;eared at just about 20mph per L000rpm in :s overdriven fifth gear, it could probably use ne more ratio to help with motorway cruisrig. At the other end, the shortish gearing llows it to pull without complaint from as litas tomph in top if you're feeling lazy. The -,ear change delivered by the handy dashflaunted lever is light and precise.
In the congested traffic conditions that will e the norm for this type of vehicle, it's worth emembering that the body is significantly wider than the cab. The widely-spaced mountngs of the manually-adjusted mirrors help in hese conditions, and a turning circle of just 2.om is excellent for a vehicle of this size. lthough bad weather prevented full brake esting on the proving ground, the enlarged lisc brakes worked perfectly satisfactorily on the road, and seemed to show less of the long pedal travel that characterises lesser Sprinters. The rather extravagant air-operated spring parking brakes work extremely well, holding the Sprinter rock solid on the 33% (1-in-3) test hill in both directions.
The ride given by the three leaf springs (single transverse at the front) is firm but well controlled, laden and unladen, and handling is confidence-inspiring in all situations. The only chassis limitation we discovered was its inability to gain enough traction to restart on the (admittedly damp) test hills, even the relatively unchallenging 25% (I-in-4). Cab noise levels are generally quite reasonable, although we did experience a rattle from the aero kit on rough surfaces, and no easy way to sort it short of removing the body.