Efficiency, safety and dynamics promised in new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter30 April 2013

Details have been released about the new Sprinter from Mercedes-Benz, with the manufacturer claiming some major breakthroughs.

As well as five new safety systems, and engines that meet Euro 6 emissions standards, and a striking new appearance, the new van's average fuel consumption figure of 44.4mpg makes it the most efficient vehicle in its segment, according to the manufacturer.

Customers can benefit from five new safety technologies for the van segment including Crosswind Assist, which is fitted as standard, and Collision Prevention Assist and Blind Spot Assist, which are both optional. Highbeam Assist and Lane Keeping Assist are also available on the new model.

As one of the functions of the Electronic Stability Program, Crosswind Assist will be part of the vehicle's range of standard equipment. Customers will be able to order the other assistance systems as individual options or as components of logically assembled packages. This allows every customer to tailor the Sprinter to their specific area of application.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz has improved the Sprinter's handling even further. The lowering of the chassis has improved the van's drag and fuel consumption and makes it easier to load and unload cargo.

When it goes on sale in June 2013, Sprinter will be the world's first van to meet the future Euro 6 emissions standard in all of its engine variants. The Sprinter achieves the strict limits of the regulation with the help of its BlueTEC engine and SCR technology that injects AdBlue into the exhaust gas.

The performance of the diesel engines has remained unchanged, encompassing four- and six-cylinder units with outputs ranging from 95bhp to 190bhp. The developers have used the additional exhaust treatment stage to optimise the injection and combustion processes as well as the boost pressure. The results are lower fuel consumption and less combustion noise. The engineers also adjusted the drive system and the ancillary components to enhance fuel efficiency. This applies to the transmission and the rear axle as well as an intelligent generator management system.

As an alternative to the diesel engines, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is also available with a Euro 6 compliant supercharged four-cylinder natural gas engine featuring direct injection. The engine generates 156bhp from a total displacement of 1.8-litres.

Power is transmitted either by the ECO-Gear six-speed manual transmission or the 7G-TRONIC PLUS seven-speed automatic transmission with lock-up clutch, which is the only system of its kind to be found in a van.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd

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