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Van Reviews » Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter: Safety van special
Verdict Manufacturers RRP £
With vans being currently manufactured with the same power as a mid-sized car, it’s imperative that the safety features in a van are of the highest standard providing the maximum in protection for drivers and road users. Mercedes have claimed they build the “safest vans in the world”, so we felt obliged to check out the latest Sprinter Safety van, to see just how many safety features were available to the van driver.
The sprinter certainly delivered the level of cabin comfort that you’d expect from a Mercedes van, with plenty of cabin storage and an array of drinks holders and compartments available, you’d be spoilt for space when travelling in this van. The large wing mirrors and windows all add to the ease of the drive, with a smooth non-growling engine that glides you gently about town, or powerfully along the open country road. Our model came with an automatic gear box which I felt was the only blip in an otherwise sound vehicle. When changing gear, the van seemed to hold back rather than push forward with eagerness, and beyond 40 mph, the van did seem to struggle with maintaining a gathering speed. Great if a speed limitation is what you’re after, but not so great if you’re in a hurry.
 
Cabin safety
With today’s van users spending increasingly longer amounts of time in vehicles, Mercedes design their cabins with the stress levels of vans drivers in mind, to minimise the risk of potential accidents. As such, the Sprinter comes with a driver’s airbag, seat belt tensioners and belt force limiters as standard, with a low intrusion dashboard to boot. Additional extras include a passenger airbag, thorax bags contained in the seats which protect occupants from severe side impact, a first aid kit, fire extinguisher and a warning triangle. Mercedes present a cabin layout that is logical with controls that are within easy reach and windows that are large so as not to obscure vision. Some of the additional functions included are steering wheel height adjustment, steering wheel controls, mobile phone integration, electronically operated mirrors, automatic transmission, tinted glass, air conditioning and a command audio navigation unit. All of these devices have been put in place to ensure that the driver is able to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their eyes on the road at all times.
  
Body Safety
Adaptive Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is a recent development that takes the van’s load into account and helps the driver stabilise the van in critical situations. The Anti-lock Braking System monitors the speed of each wheel and can prevent a wheel from locking in the event of an emergency. Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) prevents ‘overbraking’ of the rear wheel by dividing the braking force between the front and rear wheels. We particularly liked the ‘Parktronic’ device designed to assist van drivers with parking in small spaces – visual and audible signals guide the driver into the space at speeds of up to 10mph, making life easier for parking in urban areas.
Load Safety
The steel bulkhead serves a multi-purpose as it not only protects the driver from shifting loads, it also has the capability of heating up the cabin faster in cold weather – something we found very welcoming when test driving in February! And if central locking isn’t enough, there is the option of an alarm system to keep thieves at bay. High level sidewall load securing rails are an option restrict the movement of tall bulky objects, with a rear grab handle provided as standard to ease access to the load compartment.
 
Mercedes have proved in our eyes that they have safety solutions to suit a multitude of business needs. Their careful attention to detail and focus on driver comfort coupled with smooth but powerful engines that handle any load set a president in the van world, one that is hard to rival.
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