Mercedes-Benz Sprinter review

It’s… not like an S-Class. The problem with having a Mercedes badge on the nose is that it comes with certain expectations for interior quality. But this is still a van, and a van needs to be built tough. So you’ll have to excuse the lack of walnut panelling and massage seats in here.

That’s not to say there aren’t flourishes of luxury inside. The touchscreen is a 10.25in item (bigger than the one pictured above) that’s complemented by a digital readout between a pair of analogue dials behind the steering wheel. The three-spoke steering wheel can be clad in leather, and features haptic buttons (ugh) that look like they’ve been lifted straight out of any Merc saloon you care to think of. Leather upholstery is an inexpensive option, and you can add comfort heated seats if you wish too. Tick.

Otherwise there’s little flair in here, with a lot of hard-wearing plastic and some nasty gloss-black stuff around the screen. Hmm. Wisely Mercedes has chosen function over form, with proper switchgear for the climate controls and media volume, while the MBUX screen is easy to operate while driving because the icons are nice and large. Punching postcodes into the sat nav is fiddly though – maybe give the voice assistant a go and hope it doesn’t send you to the wrong end of the country.

The drive selector is a stalk behind the wheel. You have to be deliberate with your inputs for that, or you might get neutral when you wanted reverse. But in something this size, you’re not going to be attempting a Guinness World Record for a three-point turn lest you back into someone’s gate.

The driving position is upright (duh), with good forward visibility. The lack of rear-view mirror is a pain though, so forking out £795 on a digital one will be money well spent. Storage is plentiful, with cubbies and cupholders galore. An armrest helps with those longer stints at the wheel.

How much stuff can I get in the back?

Buckle up, it’s Numbers Time. In Standard length you can fit 10,500 litres of matter into the back of a Sprinter, with the load compartment measuring 3,375mm long by 1,787mm wide. The Long version accommodates 14,000 litres at 4,410mm x 2,345mm, and the Extra Long manages 15,500 litres at 4,810mm x 2,345mm. Standard load bay compartment height is a smidge over two metres, but you can opt for more with the taller roof.

As mentioned, payload figures range from 965 kilos to 2,479kg. The 3.5-tonner – i.e. the one you can drive on a standard driving licence – easily clears a tonne in standard length but doesn’t in Long or Extra Long forms; going manual over auto also eats into your allowance. Once again, a Ford Transit has a little bit more to offer in this department.