Sprinter Van's 4x4 Off-Road Test
We followed the Columbia River north toward the Monashee Mountains, best known for the Mica Dam and "some of the best heli-skiing on earth."
The Sprinter crew van accommodates five passengers (or five happy campers) while leaving 144 cubic feet of cargo room to haul gear, supplies, firewood and s'mores.
Four wheel drive is activated by putting the van in neutral or park and pushing this button to the right of the steering column.
While this region of the Canadian Rockies averages nearly 20 feet of snow a year, we didn't find much in our tracks.
Instead we got mud, a substantial challenge for any four-wheel-drive vehicle.
First stop: the Sutton Place Hotel at Revelstoke Mountain in British Columbia. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 passenger van is poised to shuttle skiers to the hotel, mountain and into town.
On sale now, the Sprinter 4x4 is available in the Cargo Van, Passenger Van and Crew Van versions, low and high roof configurations, two gross-vehicle weights (8,550 and 11,030 pounds) and both the 144" and 170" wheelbases. Any 4x4 configuration can only be pared with the V6 diesel powertrain.
The premium for the 4x4 version is $6,400. A low-range gear option is available for $400 more.
Now the fun really starts. As the only factory-option four-wheel-drive system on the market for a commercial van in the U.S., the mission of the Sprinter 4x4 is to deliver crew and materials to places other vans dare not tread. Mercedes-Benz does not "officially" consider the 4x4 an off-roader, though the four-wheel drive package adds 4.3" in the front and 3.1" in the rear for better climbing ability.
The yellow triangle in the side-view mirror notifies the driver of a passing vehicle. Blind Spot Assist, Collision
Prevention Assist, Highbeam Assist and Lane Keeping Assist are new available features on the 2015 MY Sprinter. Crosswind Assist is standard on 2500 models.
Our Sprinter caravan negotiated mud channels at times a foot deep. As the Sprinter 4x4 system raises the van's clearance to 24", the 4x4 can also handle two feet of water.
Our off-road driving skills were put to the test. After some coaching and jockeying, all vans made it through.
Heli-skiing was not on the agenda. We'll save that for another trip.