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Test driving the 2019 Sprinter van in Charleston.
ibility. The vehicle recognizes objects in its path and will come to a halt when another vehicle passes by when it’s backing out of a parking space.
Distronic cruise control main- tains a safe traveling distance from other vehicles while in cruise control – approximately four vehicle lengths during our demo, but depends on speed. This helps take some of the stress away from driving, as the driver will always know the Sprinter will maintain a safe distance from the vehicle
in front.
The standard brake assist
feature is useful when driving in urban or heavy traffic areas, par- ticularly when a driver is looking for an address or business and may not be paying full atten- tion to the road. The feature will recognize a vehicle in front and brake or stop to avoid a collision.
From a technology standpoint, the Sprinter is fully equipped.
In addition to the features men- tioned above, the vehicle boasts assistance with blind spots, parking, traffic signs, crosswind, driver attention, and offers internet in the car.
I’m well aware how all of these functions are intended to increase safety, but for me, it does take some getting used to. As I men- tioned, the lane keeping assist function felt strange, as did the crosswind assist. Driving over several bridges in the Charleston area, when a crosswind blew, I could feel the Sprinter make a correction. Experienced drivers are used to making these kinds of adjustments on their own, and it is still strange to feel the vehicle do it for you.
But this is the way of the future. TW
final assembly, autonomous trans- port systems, paperless documen- tation with RFID technology, and onsite training.
New features
In addition to the gasoline option for 1500 and 2500 cargo, crew, and passenger vans, the 2019 Sprinter offers several new features, includ- ing an increased GVWR on the 2500 and 4500 models, a seven-gear transmission standard on six-cylin- der diesel models, increased cargo space and usability with loadable wheel arches, interior roof rack, and shelf above roof rim, and the Mercedes-Benz User Experience with optional seven- or 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia display.
“Building a
full-scale
production
plant in this
market makes
perfect sense.”
– Volker Mornhinweg, Mercedes-Benz
Another optional piece of tech- nology is Mercedes Pro Connect with three bundles available – opti- mized assistance, efficient fleet management, and data interfaces for vans.
Test drive
Two years ago, I was in Charleston for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Sprinter plant. Late last year, I was invited to Germany
to learn about what Mercedes- Benz had in store for the 2019 Sprinter. And now, I’ve revisited South Carolina to finally test drive a vehicle the company has been touting for some time.
As you would imagine, driving a Mercedes-Benz vehicle is a joy for someone more used to less costly makes. It is a smooth ride, and a comfortable one at that.
The navigation system – from what I have heard from those
who test drove the vehicle in Amsterdam a few months back – has been improved. My drive was just shy of an hour-and-a-half, and the navigation system was respon- sive and gave fair warning when I needed to make a turn.
The turning radius on the van is impressive, which makes it easier to maneuver around corners and fit into parking spaces.
If I could change something on the 2019 Sprinter, it would be the distance the dashboard gauges are from the driver. I am just over six feet tall and still had to stretch out to reach the on-board display to use the map and adjust the air temperature.
The interior also seemed to lack an obvious place to rest your phone while driving. Several vehicles these days have a rubber, no-slip spot on the dash where cellphones can be charged or used as a naviga- tion device.
On the driving side of things, though the ride was smooth, on two occasions the active lane keeping assist kicked in – and I really don’t think it needed to, as
I was well within my lane at all times, but I digress – which felt strange on the steering wheel. The best way to describe it is that it vibrates when activated and made me feel like I had lost traction with the road, which was not to my liking. Almost like driving on icy roads and starting to slip...not fun.
I’m sure this is something you would get used to, however.
Other than that, the new Sprinter really focuses on driver comfort,
as well as versatility for various applications.
The particular model I was driving was the six-cylinder diesel offering, set up as a passenger van. With a top speed of 90 mph, it had 190 hp, 324 lb-ft of torque, a max GVWR between 9,050-9,480 lbs, and a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs.
Following the test drive, we were given a safety demo that high- lighted three key features – rear cross-traffic assist and distronic cruise control, both optional fea- tures, and brake assist, a standard on all new Sprinters.
Rear cross-traffic assist comes in handy when backing out of a parking space with limited vis-
October 2018 • Truck West 25