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RUNNING CHAMP

5th October 1995, Page 30
5th October 1995
Page 30
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Page 30, 5th October 1995 — RUNNING CHAMP
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Mercedes' new Sprinter has a hard act to follow—the old Ti Transporter was well loved by big fleets and rental companies for its robust no-nonsense spec. Can the Sprinter catch it up? Stand back and watch it run.

F4 ighteen years: that's an awfully long time to keep a model in production.

', lercedes-Benz has been selling its Ti panel van since Silver Jubilee Year and though 1994 was its second-best ever year for UK sales, the Ti has been looking rather long in the tooth for most of the past decade.

Before emerging on the European market as the Sprinter, the Ti's successor was codenamed Tin (for "neu"), which made it sound like little more than a warmed-over version of its predecessor. But this really is a completely new vehicle. So does the Sprinter deserve to last until the Diamond Jubilee, or is it just a Rhine stone?

• PRODUCT PROFILE Our test vehicle, the 312D high-roof, longwheelbase model, is the biggest in the Sprinter bunch. And we do mean big: the wheelbase of 4.03m is a foot longer than the previously longest Ti option, and even longer than the massive Iveco Turbo Daily High Cube that CM tested recently.

The Sprinter van comes in three wheelbases (3.0, 3.55 and 4.03m). two roof heights and five gross weights, from 2.6 to 4.6 tonnes. We're testing a tachograph-friendly 3.5-tonne model. In keeping with the Mercedes tradition, the first digit of the 312D indicates GM; the others are derived from engine power. The "D" denotes a diesel.

The engine is the more powerful of the two diesel options, a 122hp (90kW) 2.9-litre charge-cooled turbo-diesel. The five-cylinder block is derived from the naturally aspirated Ti unit, but the direct-injection head is completely new: the idea is to cut emissions and improve efficiency at the same time. The Bosch distributor pump is controlled via EDC (Electronic Diesel Control) rather than mechanically, so the accelerator pedal is really a "drive-by-wire" control.

The Sprinter's construction is conventional enough. The integral body/chassis structure has a front-mounted, longitudinal engine, rear-wheel-drive and the sloped nose typical of a modern van. In fact, in a half-light, one could be excused for mistaking the Merc for a slightly pumped-up Transit; just a crease-line on the front wing makes it distinctive.

Under the skin, the Sprinter is a little more interesting, with a transverse leaf spring on the front giving it independent suspension. To the rear is a conventional leaf-sprung beam axle and ABD—Mercedes* "Automatic PI'

Braking Differential". This is designed to give traction control by braking whichever side of the drive axle is suffering from wheelspin.

Electronic control comes from the ABS-5 anti-lock braking system, fitted as standard to all Sprinters over 2.6 tonnes GVW. ABD gives most of the benefits of a limited-slip differential, but a conventional locking diff is available for more serious off-road use.

The brakes themselves are another innovation: discs all round, for the first time on a van. The handbrake operates a separate set of drums to the rear; this sounds complicated but the system is well proven on Mercedes cars.

The five-speed gearbox is also new and does away with the irritating dog-leg position for first gear on the old Ti.

The Sprinter isn't just a van, of course; chassis-cab and minibus versions are also available.

Other engine variants are a four-cylinder, 2.3-litre 79hp (58kW) diesel (the naturally aspirated, indirect-injection unit long established in the Ti) and a new petrol engine, derived from Merc's car range.

This 16-valve, 2.3-litre unit puts out 143hp (105kW), around 20% more than the (hardly sluggish) competition. In the UK, with its tiny market for petrol vans, the engine will only be available in minibuses and the 214 van but it might be a hit with police forces and ambulance builders.

• PRODUCTIVITY Fuel consumption, payload and load volume make up the bottom line for a van buyer, but these can conflict: a large body is easy to load— but it creates drag and cuts down payload. The trick is to come up with a

good compromise among the three.

Fuel consumption might have been a worry with such a large engine and a sizeable frontal area, but the Sprinter came through impressively. Its Kent route figure of 29.0mpg (9.72 lit/100km) is our best laden result to date in the 3.5-tonne class, knocking the Iveco Turbo Daily 35.12 off its briefly-held perch by 10%. It was the fastest, too—and, as we'll see, the fine weather had little to do with it. Unladen the Mercedes did only slightly better, but it still matched the smaller Transit 190.

The Transit wins out on payload, however, as does the front-wheel-drive Sevel van in its largest guise (the Citroen Relay 1800L,WB, or its Fiat and Peugeot siblings). But our 4.03m wheelbase Merc isn't too far behind, and an extra 140kg can be gained by opting for the 3.50m wheelbase, standard-roof model. Also, the axle ratings of the Sprinter are generous enough that the full potential payload is easily achieved.

Rear-wheel drive does little for the height of the load floor, which at 665mm unladen is greater than anything else in its class bar the massive Iveco. A step built into the rear bumper (standard on all but the smallest models) helps a little.

The loadspace itself is pretty impressive, and (if Mercedes is to be believed) it outcubes all corners except, again, the Iveco. But subjectively the Sevel feels bigger, perhaps because of its low floor and vertical side walls.

The load space is practical, with a resin-coated wooden floor and the most massive tie-down points you've ever seen. Anyone care to moor an iceberg? The rear and side doors are similarly impressive, though the optional ply wood lining fitted to our test vehicle meant that there were no upper lashing points.

Another factor in productivity is the amount of time a vehicle spends in the workshop, and Mercedes claims to have slashed major servicing times by 37%. Daily checks, too, are more easily accomplished than with the old Ti. More importantly, service intervals have gone up to 45,000km (28,000 miles), with oil-change intervals for the turbo-diesel at half this distance, beating even the Daily's 20,000km intervals.

• ON THE ROAD

The new turbo-diesel is one of the best power units in any commercial vehicle. From 2,000 to 2,300rpm it delivers 2061bft (280Nm) of torque (more than 10% better than the Iveco) with no sign of the turbo lag that afflicts the electronically controlled Ford Transit turbo-diesel.

The Ti's driveline could be a bit clunky at low speeds, but a two-piece torsional damper in the flywheel helps the Sprinter take off from as little as 700rpm. The Merc is the only roadgoing panel van we've tested that's ever managed a restart up Chobham's 1-in-3 test hill—and it did it with no complaint.

Next it was time for the standing-start acceleration test, to see if the Merc could put down its power as well on the level as it had on the hill. We didn't feel the ABD traction control come into play (on warm, dry tarmac we didn't expect it to) but without a chirp from the tyres, without any drama at all, the Sprinter posted CNI's fastest-ever times for a panel van. The Merc's 0-50mph time of 15.2 seconds wouldn't disgrace a car: it's just a tenth of a second slower than Vauxhall's Astra 1.7D Van, and clearly outdrags Ford's 1.8-litre Escort Van. To put this figure fairly into perspective, it is almost 30% quicker than any other 3.5-tonne van.

On the Kent test route this van managed a class-leading M20 hill-climb time despite being baulked, and the Sprinter's in-gear acceleration is similarly amazing. Express parcel deliveries just got, er, expresser. The brakes work just as well as the engine, posting excellent stopping distances (a full car's length less than the impressive Iveco from 40mph) without a hint of lockup. Our only reservation is that brake travel was excessive; this was also true of the low-mounted handbrake lever.

The Sprinter comes with power steering as standard, and the system is as direct and positive as any in its class. High-speed stability was OK too; perhaps not as exemplary as the Sevel but good considering its considerable side area.

The gearbox is a revelation, and a relief after the Ti's trial of strength, which only became acceptable once the van (and driver) had run-in for at least 20,000 miles. The Sprinter's change was sweet and fast, though the huge, black plastic gear lever still looks rather disconcerting. You'll get no Linford Christie jokes from CM.

• CAB COMFORT

This is the area in which vans have progressed most over the past decade: perhaps as owner-drivers come to regard their van as also a substitute for a car, they demand more refinement and better features. The new Mercedes is certainly good, but it does not set the standard here. The cabin trim is substan

tial, the upholstery is comfortable and there is plenty of storage space, but the whole is not quite as welcoming as the Transit.

The truck-style driver's seat offers a good variety of adjustments, and legroom enough for the lankiest driver-though the typically Germanic upholstery looks like a colourblindness test. However the seating position is good, with a clear view of the instruments, and we were glad to see the back of Mercedes' traditional single control stalk, dropped in favour of a conventional pair of stalks.

No other van can offer as much in the way of storage space in the cab: there's the usual glove-box and door pockets, but the seat supports also act as a useful space for tools and clothes, and there are even spaces in the bottom of each doors, handy for keeping valuables away from unwelcome eyes.

Noise levels in the cabs were well up to the standards of the best in the class-this combines. with the high driving position and the excellent heating and ventilation to make long journeys very tolerable.

One feature is conspicuous by its absence: an air bag. While a driver's-side bag is optional, Mercedes has yet to produce the "air bar" suitable for use with a dual passenger seat-that is reportedly under development for the Sprinter.

II SUMMARY

There is an excellent choice for the van buyer at the moment: the latest Ford Transit has set new standards for cabin equipment, finish and safety, while the Sevel vans offer an excellent combination of payload and volume. The Iveco Daily is ideal for the operator who wants a van that's built like a brick-er, truck. So where does the Sprinter fit in

Very comfortably. It's big, accommodating, very well built, well equipped and economical. Mercedes' excellent new turbo-diesel gives it traffic-eating acceleration (with impressively long service intervals) while refinement, handling and braking are equally good-the price isn't bad, either.

It isn't the van for Everyman, though: its sheer size will put off some who might consider a smaller panel van. For them, Mercedes is soon to introduce the TO, a Spanish-built van with a nominal 800kg payload.

Mercedes has managed to build a van to keep its existing customer base happy while being much more tempting to buyers of the Transit, Sevel and other models.

It may not look quite so impressive in eighteen years' time, but for now, the Sprinter sets a high standard. Your move, Ford-and Sevel, and Volkswagen, and Iveco, and,..

L by Toby Clark


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