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febbraio 06, 2020 - Mercedes-Benz

25 years of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter: The champion of its class

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

  • Market launch on 23 January 1995 with a big rally
  • It gave its name to an entire vehicle category – the “Sprinter class”
  • World’s most successful transporter with a large variety
  • eSprinter with battery-electric drive: The next milestone

Stuttgart. The #MercedesBenz Sprinter made its debut 25 years ago. To mark its premiere on 23 January 1995, the brand sent 500 units of the completely newly constructed transporter from the Düsseldorf factory on a rally to the sales offices. This was the beginning of a new era in light commercial vehicles with 2.6 to 4.6 tonnes gross vehicle weight: thanks to the consistently great success of this transporter with a Mercedes star, the market segment has long since been known as the “Sprinter class”.

Digital transporter: The #MercedesBenz Sprinter pre-empted a revolutionary transformation of digitisation in the mid-1990s. At a time when hardly anyone could imagine the future dimensions of package logistics resulting from the boom in online trade, the Stuttgart brand introduced a completely newly developed, state-of-the-art transporter. With disc brakes on the front and rear wheels, ABS anti-lock braking system including ABD automatic brake differential, streamlined body, low consumption and many other properties, the Sprinter set standards in terms of safety, efficiency and comfort. This made it the “best in its class and namesake” of the “Sprinter class”. So wrote “Die Welt” newspaper in September 2019.

Load performance: The Sprinter replaced the #MercedesBenz T 1 series, also known as the “Bremer Transporter”. The internal designation of the first generation of the Sprinter (model series 901 to 903) serves as a reminder of this, as it was internally known as the T 1 N. From January 1995, the Sprinter was available as models 208 D / 308 D, 212 D / 312 D and 214 / 314, powered by diesel engines OM 601 D 23 and OM 602 DE 29 LA as well as the four-cylinder petrol engine M 111 E 23. The turbocharged 2.9-litre five-cylinder engine with direct injection, intercooler and 90 kW (122 hp) power output in particular caused quite a stir.

Multitalented: The variety was great from the start. This meant the new transporter model series positioned itself as truly multitalented. The design variants included the chassis, the platform truck or tipper, each with a crewcab or simple cab, the cargo van as well as the estate with five seats or nine seats, each with a flat or high roof. Wheelbases of 3,000, 3,350 and 4,025 millimetres were available. The permissible gross weights were initially 2,590, 2,800 or 3,500 kilograms.

All-rounder: The Sprinter not only proved its abilities in logistics, but also in many other areas of application. These included use on building sites and in trade, in municipal services and in passenger transportation, as well as for fire and emergency services. This transporter also cut a good figure as a camper van and as the basis for countless special structures. For example, the #MercedesBenz Sprinter 313 CDI rescue vehicle is exhibited at the #MercedesBenz Museum in Collection 3: Gallery of helpers for this versatility.

Premiere price: The Sprinter received an exceptionally positive reception from the experts on its debut in 1995. In a benchmark test by German trade magazine “lastauto und omnibus”, it was ranked as the vehicle with the most economical engine. And in an individual test by the magazine, it was considered to be “the quietest transporter currently available”. It was no surprise then that the Sprinter was crowned “Van of the Year 1995” in the same year of its debut.

Payload: At the Paris commercial vehicle show “Mondial du Transport Routier” in September 1995, the Sprinter premiered with an increased permissible gross weight of 4,600 kilograms. The 4.6-tonne 408 D, 412 D and 414 with double tyres on the rear axle meant the weight class previously reserved for #MercedesBenz large transporters was now also available in the more compact Sprinter. At the same time, #MercedesBenz also presented the electrically driven Sprinter version 308 E with a 33 kW (45 hp) three-phase asynchronous motor in Paris. In following years, #MercedesBenz also researched Sprinters with plug-in hybrid drive and fuel cell drive.

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