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CVS ON TEST: MERCEDES-BENZ e SPRINTER
eSprinter: The discerning delivery driver’s choice Given the renowed reputation of the Mercedes-Benz brand, it’s no surprise that the eSprinter is regarded as the premium urban delivery vehicle. Andrew Walker takes one for a spin
We first drove the latest iteration of the best-selling Mercedes-Benz Sprinter back in 2018 and came away, as you would expect, mightily impressed. The brand spent a couple of years working on the technology before adding an electric version to the line-up in 2020. It’s an obvious stablemate to its conventionally powered sibling. The eSprinter shares its running gear with the smaller eVito electric van, which we also drove back in 2020 and like its smaller electric brethren, it’s quite a bit more expensive than the diesel variant, with prices starting at £51,950 for the eSprinter Progressive L2 H2 FWD. This price excludes VAT and the OLEV grant, which is currently a
maximum of £6,000. Customers should note that where the diesel range feature three specs – Pure, Progressive and Premium – the eSprinter is only offered in Progressive trim and with one size of battery, at just over 55kWh in capacity, which equates to a range of up to 96 miles. The big question, of course, what is it like compared to a diesel Sprinter? From the outside, there’s not a lot to distinguish the eSprinter from any other Sprinters. There’s a lower case blue ‘e’ in front of Sprinter on the rear left door and hidden underneath the Benz badge located in the centre of the front grille, is the EV charging port. Even inside it’s almost identical to an auto diesel Sprinter, featuring the same steering wheel stalk gear lever, an identical dashboard and offers the same cabin storage. There’s also a top quality finish to the dash and the neat and tidy matt black interior. The main difference is that underneath the Start button is a Drive Mode selector, which allows you to select from three electric driving modes, C, E and E+. C stands for Comfort and is the default mode, delivering the full power and torque of the van. E is for Economy and limits the power and torque, while E+ lowers the power further and also deactivates the climate control. Furthermore, like many current EVs, eSprinter also comes with brake regeneration. You can adjust the level of this via steeringwheel-mounted paddles. The default is D- , offering the most regen, and you can also opt for D or D+, which both reduce the braking force. There’s also the option to choose D++, which turns the regen braking off. All of these settings can be viewed in the instrument cluster located in front of the driver. How well equipped is it? You get a heated seat for the driver with armrest, dual passenger seat, comfort overhead control panel, a full-width partition, height and rake adjustable steering wheel, TEMPMATIC air-con, a wooden floor, a mode 3 type 2 eight-metre charging cable, linear speed limiter 120km/h, headlight assistant, heatinsulating glass, and 270-degree double-wing rear-end doors. In addition to DAB radio, the Mercedes-Benz audio system comes with a Bluetooth interface with hands-free function and a USB port. Safety features include Active Brake ASSIST, Attention ASSIST, Crosswind ASSIST and Emergency eCall. There is also a Thatcham Category 1 approved alarm. Continued on page 28
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Company Car & Van | April 2022 | 27
