The multi-award-winning Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and cab-chassis range is now available in Australia with all-wheel drive. The new Sprinter 4×4 range utilises extensive all-wheel drive know-how developed by Mercedes-Benz, which boasts more than a century of experience with four-wheel drive technology. The Sprinter 4×4 also comes equipped with a low-range drive ratio to enhance versatility in difficult low-traction terrain.
When AWD is selected, an intermediate gear in the vehicle’s transfer case reduces the transmission ration by around 40 percent and with a corresponding increase in the available drive torque, thereby providing greater ability to advance in tougher, steeper and more slippery terrain.
The multi-award-winning Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and cab-chassis range is now available in Australia with all-wheel drive. This only enchances its campervan capabilities. With 4×4 the Sprinter is now ideally suited to those who want the reliability, space and flexibility of the Sprinter with the cerstility and freedom of 4×4.
The new Sprinter 4×4 range utilises extensive all-wheel drive know-how developed by Mercedes-Benz, which boasts more than a century of experience with four-wheel drive technology.
The option of all-wheel drive in the Sprinter range is designed to enhance vehicle traction in slippery, low-grip conditions. Surfaces such as snow, ice, and mud often limit the operational capacity of vehicles, and the clever all-wheel drive system fitted to the Sprinter 4×4 delivers substantially improved handling and traction in such poor road conditions, thereby extending the already-impressive capabilities of the award-winning Sprinter.
All models from the Sprinter 4×4 range feature selectable all-wheel drive, allowing the driver to engage drive to all four wheels at the touch of a button, without the need for any manual activation. When in operation, front-to-rear drive torque is divided 35:65.
When in all-wheel drive mode, the Sprinter 4×4 utilises electronic control to direct torque to the wheels with the greatest amount of grip, and to reduce wheel slip to those with less traction. Known as 4ETS, or 4-wheel Electronic Traction System, this clever system mimics the operation of mechanical differential locks, but without the penalty of their weight, cost and consequent wear.
The 4ETS system works in close cooperation with the Sprinter 4×4’s standard-fitment ADAPTIVE ESP® (Electronic Stability Control) system, which constantly monitors the vehicle’s driving status, always on standby to help correct a loss-of-control condition prior to its occurrence.
All models in the Sprinter 4×4 come equipped with the same suite of safety and comfort features that have made the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter not only an award-winner, but also popular with customers from a variety of industries.
Adding all-wheel drive capability will see the Sprinter at home in a variety of vocations, extending its already-popular reach into areas such as mining, tourism, emergency services, and telecommunications.
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4 is priced from $67,990 (excluding dealer delivery and statutory charges) and is now available from all authorised Mercedes-Benz van dealerships.
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4 Model range
Customers who opt for the Sprinter all-wheel drive range have a variety of choices to suit their needs.
Size-wise, customers can select from two body types (enclosed van or cab-chassis), two roof heights (standard- and high-roof), and two wheel-bases (mid- and long-wheelbase) which in turn give the choice of two different body lengths.
The option of all-wheel drive is available for the following Sprinter van and cab-chassis models, and has a recommended retail price of $22,000.
Selectable All-Wheel-Drive
Low-friction surfaces, gravel, mud and slush can quickly take conventional vans to the limits of their working capacity. A van is not generally confronted with severe traction-limiting driving conditions on a frequent basis and this is where the Sprinter 4×4’s selectable all-wheel drive system becomes ideal.
Under these surface conditions, Mercedes-Benz all-wheel drive delivers substantially improved traction and handling.
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4 uses rear-wheel drive for standard driving conditions, but, when road conditions require it, drive to the front axle can be engaged at the touch of a dashboard-mounted button, even whilst moving (at speeds of up to around 10km/h).
In all-wheel drive mode, drive distribution between the front and rear axles is split at a ratio of 35:65. This helps deliver an optimised quantity of torque to each end of the vehicle, enabling it to retain agility and traction in slippery conditions.
The benefits of the Sprinter 4×4’s selectable all-wheel drive system are numerous. They include:
•Improved traction on ice, snow, sand, wet and slippery road surfaces
•Improved directional stability in critical conditions
•Maintenance-free AWD design, resulting in reduced running costs
•As the weight increase with the Sprinter 4×4’s all-wheel drive hardware is only marginal a high payload capacity is retained
•Manual AWD activation reduces fuel consumption compared with vehicles fitted with permanent all-wheel drive
4ETS: Intelligent Grip
The main control system that provides the Sprinter 4×4 with superb all-wheel drive traction is called 4ETS, or 4-wheel Electronic Traction System.
The Sprinter’s 4ETS traction system permanently monitors the speeds of all driven wheels and searches for any signs of slip, or traction loss. When a slipping wheel is detected, 4ETS selectively applies braking force to limit its rate of slip and simultaneously sends drive torque to the wheels with greater grip.
The braking impulses that control the amount of wheel slip on driving wheels without traction is finely metered by sensors which constantly receive signals, thereby intervening only when needed and providing smooth progress on slippery surfaces.
The benefits of the 4ETS traction system are numerous.
Chief amongst these is it produces the same effect provided by combining traditional front, centre, and rear mechanical differential locks but without their weight or cost.
What’s more, the system is fully automatic and doesn’t require any separate activation by the driver, such as having to exit the vehicle to manually lock wheel hubs.
Low-Range Drive Ratio
The Sprinter 4×4 also comes equipped with a low-range drive ratio to enhance versatility in difficult low-traction terrain.
When AWD is selected, an intermediate gear in the vehicle’s transfer case reduces the transmission ration by around 40 percent and with a corresponding increase in the available drive torque, thereby providing greater ability to advance in tougher, steeper and more slippery terrain.
Safety: Priority Number One
The Sprinter 4×4 van and cab chassis range come comprehensively equipped with an array of safety features. These include: AAS (Start-off Assist) , ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes), ADAPTIVE ESP® (Electronic Stability Programme) , ASR (Acceleration Skid Control), – BAS (Brake Assist System) ,EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution),
Warranty: First in Class
In line with the entire Mercedes-Benz Vito and Sprinter van and cab-chassis range, the new Sprinter 4×4 range comes with a comprehensive three-year, 200,000km new vehicle warranty.
Mercedes-Benz was the first to offer such extensive warranty support for Australian vehicles in this class.