2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van

Mercedes-Benz has been in the van business for over a century and has consistently been at the forefront of the passenger and cargo hauling industry. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has also become an iconic name amongst those in the travel and tourism, as well as logistics, and countless other industries where transporting large numbers of people and their stuff is of paramount importance. The 2022 Sprinter Passenger Van comes in short and long-wheelbase configurations and is powered by either a force-fed four-cylinder gas engine or a pair of turbo diesels - one a four-cylinder and one a V6. It needs all these powertrain and configuration options to keep pace with the versatile Ford Transit Passenger Van. Building refined and premium-feeling cars come naturally to this legendary manufacturer, and the Sprinter looks and feels more upmarket than its rivals.

If you've been in the van game long enough, you'll be able to spot a Sprinter from a mile away, but if you're new to this segment, we doubt that it will really matter. Vans, after all, are built to perform a single function, and that is to transport goods and people en masse, and the better it does that, the more popular it will be. Looks, therefore, rank low on the scale of importance. That's not to say that the Sprinter Passenger Van is an ugly thing to look at. Its front end looks classy and is finished off with a three-pointed star, which is never a bad thing. Available exterior features include electrically folding exterior mirrors, 16-inch alloy wheels, an electrically operated sliding door, LED high-performance headlights, and fog lamps with cornering light function. The standard wheels are 16-inch steel items.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van's dimensions vary depending on the configuration you opt for. The 144-inch wheelbase van with the low roof is 233.5 inches long, sits 102.8 inches tall, and is 92.3 inches wide including the side mirrors. The regular-wheelbase with the high roof is 114.2 inches tall. Curb weight for the SWB van is 5,467 pounds at its lightest, and 5,578 lbs with 4x4 and the six-cylinder diesel engine.

The van with the longer 170-inch wheelbase measures in with a total length of 274.3 inches and is 113.5 inches tall. In its lightest form, it weighs 5,765 lbs, going up to a maximum of 5,853 lbs for the variant with the six-cylinder diesel.

Who cares what color a van is, right? Well, Mercedes-Benz thinks it's quite important. There are over 20 colors to choose from, including no-cost options, premium colors, and premium metallic colors. After all, the Sprinter Passenger Van is transporting people with eyes, not cardboard boxes filled with facemasks. No-cost options for 2022 include Pebble Grey, Blue Grey, Steel Blue, and Arctic White, as well as more vibrant colors like Aqua Green, Velvet Red, and Jupiter Red. For an additional $697, new owners can have their van in Grey White, Silver Grey, and Vanda Blue, or more exotic colors such as Calcite Yellow or Sunset Red. For an additional $1,105, Mercedes-Benz will color your Sprinter Passenger Van in colors such as Obsidian Black Metallic, Tenorite Grey Metallic, Selenite Grey Metallic, or Cavansite Blue Metallic.

The Sprinter Passenger Van will only ever be expected to carry between 12 and 15 people and a few of their belongings, and perhaps do some light towing work, which places a lower expectation on overall performance: as long as it can carry its load at legal speeds, the job is done. Mercedes-Benz offers the Sprinter Passenger Van with three engine options. The first is a force-fed four-cylinder gas engine producing 188 horsepower, which might not sound like a lot, but it delivers its power low down in the range. In this configuration, the Sprinter Passenger Van feels plucky enough for some light work and can keep up with traffic in town without issue, even when loaded with people. Out on the highway, it's a different matter: the Sprinter takes a long time to build up speed.

The newer 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel offers a little less power but a little more torque than the gas engine and substantially better economy. The more powerful six-cylinder engine produces the same 188 hp as the gas engine, but adds a lot more torque, and in this guise feels fast enough, and has enough low-down power to get most jobs done without a hiccup. The maximum towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.

Powering the 2022 Mercedes Sprinter Passenger Van is a trio of low-power, but capable engines that get the job done. After all, when looking for a passenger van, the only thing that matters is that it can move at a reasonable pace. The base engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 188 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque between 2,500 and 3,500 rpm. This engine sends its power to the rear wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. Power is adequate, but traveling at higher speeds is an issue.

The four-cylinder diesel engine produces 161 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, the latter from only 1,400 rpm. For those who need to carry extra weight or tow goods at the back, the better option is the 3.0-liter turbodiesel six-cylinder engine which produces 188 hp, but gets 325 lb-ft of torque, available from 1,400 rpm. That adds much more pulling power. Power is sent to the rear via a seven-speed transmission on both diesel models. The SWB van can also be specified with a 4x4 system when equipped with the V6 diesel.

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van offers a suitably comfortable ride and behaves itself well on most road surfaces. Cruising around the city, the Sprinter Passenger Van will point and go where the driver wants, and the light steering makes driving through tight city streets a pleasure. On the highway, the Sprinter feels planted despite its height. Passengers in the rear should note that the rear bench sits directly atop the rear axle, and hitting bumps will see heads connect with the roof if seatbelts are not engaged. Going around fast bends reveals a bit of body roll, which is a given when looking at this van's dimensions and weight, but it never feels out of control, and the traction and stability control programs ensure that no serious spills occur.

Due to its classification as a van, the EPA doesn't offer any official gas mileage figures for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van. However, we can glean some idea of gas mileage based on real-world reports. The mid-level 2500 with the 3.0-liter diesel will return around 16 mpg, and a small sample of 2500s with the smaller gas engine only saw average consumption of 13.5 mpg. The smaller diesel can get closer to 20 mpg, but as with any van, gas mileage depends on how heavily loaded the vehicle is.

The base 1500 SWB model with the gas engine has a 22-gallon tank, so assuming it gets around 15 mpg - since it is lighter than the 2500 - that works out to a range of around 330 miles. The tank size is 24.5 gallons with the diesel engines, so the 2500 with the six-cylinder diesel could theoretically travel 392 miles between refills.

Passenger vans aren't exactly known for their luxurious accommodation; you usually get a set of basic seats, a few cupholders, and seatbelts, but the game has moved on in recent years, and people are expecting more than just the fundamentals. That is one of the biggest reasons why the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is as popular as it is. Its interior is one of the most refined in its class, and has a quality feel that is lacking in some more basic offerings such as the GMC Savana Passenger Van. The high step-in height makes getting in and out easy, especially in the back, and once inside, the Sprinter Passenger Van offers good visibility out the front and behind the A-pillars, but after that, it becomes limited. With above-average build quality and refinement, the Sprinter is a pleasure to drive over long distances and should prove to be one of the most comfortable in its class.

The Sprinter Passenger Van is all about interior space. After all, its sole purpose in life is to transport large numbers of people back and forth from the airport to four-star hotels. SWB vans offer seating for 12, while LWB models get seating for 15. The driver and front passenger won't complain about 56.4 inches of headroom and 38.9 inches of legroom. There's also 67.4 inches of shoulder room and 63.7 inches of hip room on offer. The Sprinter Passenger Van will easily swallow its allotted amount of adults with room to spare. The 2500 trim includes a four-seater bench in the third row which offers enough space for smaller adults, and in the front and in the second row it includes a three-seater bench. Getting in and out of the back of the Sprinter is taken care of via a large sliding door on the passenger side, but a driver's side door can also be selected. An optional electric sliding door on the right-hand side of the car is an option and features a soft-closing function.

While it may be one of the more refined and luxurious vehicles in its class, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van still only offers the basics when it comes to interior material choices and trims pieces. What you get is a vast swathe of black plastics that are admittedly put together well. As with its sedan and SUV siblings, this Merc features circular vents that are finished off in a brushed aluminum type plastic that adds some class to an otherwise darkened dashboard. Seat upholstery is offered in your choice of Maturin Black cloth, Caluma Black cloth ($444), or Black leatherette ($444).

The Sprinter Passenger Van was designed to carry people, but when the need arises, it can be turned into a regular cargo van with relative ease. The SWB model offers a total of 78.6 cubic-feet trunk space behind the last row of seats. That number grows to a generous 111.2 cubic feet in the LWB van. Other important cargo measurements include a cargo width between wheelhouses of 53 inches, a max floor width of 69.8 inches, and an interior standing height of 75.5 inches. Small-item storage in the front is good thanks to a large glovebox and storage nook below the air vents. Front occupants get two cupholders, as well as a set of door pockets. There's also a set of seatback pockets for the second row.

One should be reminded that the Sprinter is a humble people transporter before anything else, and while it may be one of the more refined and luxurious passenger vans out there, it still can't hold a candle to even the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. With that being said, the 2022 Sprinter Passenger Van does include a few handy tools and tricks that make life a bit easier. Standard interior features include a 12V power outlet in the rear compartment, a rear window defroster, air conditioning, heat insulation for the front compartment, a warm/cool air duct to the rear compartment, coat hooks in the passenger compartment, as well as a weight-optimized plastic floor, and illuminated front exits. Optional extras include a phone charging pad in the front, a color display instrument cluster, and a leather steering wheel. Driver assistance features include a standard rearview camera and optional active distance assist and blind-spot assist.

Unless you're operating a party-bus type business, you will most likely not need a massively technical infotainment system. As with its contemporaries, the Sprinter Passenger van only offers the bare essentials in base form. What you get is a small LCD screen with AM/FM radio, Bluetooth streaming, and a single USB charging port. Sound is channeled through a standard sound system with five front speakers and eight speakers at the back. For those who are looking for more, Mercedes-Benz offers optional navigation, satellite radio, and a seven-inch infotainment display. The Premium Plus Package adds on top of that an intelligent navigation system, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, wireless phone charging, and free map updates for three years.

No recalls have been published for the 2022 model at the time of writing, but the 2021 Sprinter Passenger Van was recalled 10 times. A disabled emergency call system is one of the more recent recalls, and it was joined by the following problems: an inoperable rearview camera display, an incorrectly assembled torsion bar, the wrong GVWR on the tire and loading label, a fender liner that may damage the brake hose, bolt fasteners on the rear step that were improperly tightened, a starter-generator wiring harness that may short, an automatic locking retractor malfunction, MBUX software malfunctions, and a front seat wiring harness that was incorrectly routed. For 2020 models, there were a disappointing 16 recalls.

Mercedes will cover its Sprinter Passenger Van with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, a five-year/100,000-mile corrosion and drivetrain warranty, as well as three years or 36,000 miles of roadside assistance.

As a van, the Sprinter misses out on the opportunity to prove itself on the crash test course, and so neither the NHTSA or IIHS has put one through its paces. This seems mighty odd when you consider the fact that it was designed for the pure and simple reason of transporting up to 15 humans at a time. The good news here is that Mercedes-Benz has upped the Sprinter's safety game by quite a substantial margin thanks to the addition of several optional driver assistance tech. With Mercedes-Benz's reputation for building ultra-safe cars, we wouldn't worry too much about the Sprinter Passenger Van.

For a simple box on wheels designed as a human sardine can, the Sprinter Passenger Van does come with its fair share of safety systems and equipment, both traditional and modern. All Sprinter Passenger Vans come with standard longitudinal member reinforcement to protect its precious cargo in the event of a side-on collision, and there's also a set of ABS-equipped brakes, crosswind assistance, and a traction and stability control system onboard. A rearview camera and tire pressure monitoring are included, too. You'll have to look at the options list if you're serious about safety, however: optional safety features include blind-spot assist and attention assist as part of the Driver Convenience Package, active lane-keep assist contained in the Premium Package, as well as intelligent navigation and traffic assist as part of the Premium Plus Package. A Parking Package with a 360-degree camera system is another option.

Let's be honest here; we don't think that anyone truly gets excited when shopping around for a passenger van. They might get excited about the possibilities the van will unlock for their business, but the physical act of owning and driving one doesn't stir the soul in quite the same way as buying a two-seater sports car does. This, however, does not detract from the fact that the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van is one of the best vehicles in its class for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's one of the better-looking vans out there and makes most American offerings look drab, to say the least. Secondly, its range of gas and diesel engines offer good power and acceptable gas mileage figures. When it comes to the interior, the Sprinter can't be beaten; it is more refined and comfortable than most. It drives well, and there's lots of space inside, so what more could you need?

The three-pointed star on the front of the Sprinter Passenger Van not only brings with it class-leading quality, but also an increase in asking price. When compared to rivals such as the GMC Savana Passenger Van, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van starts at over $7,000 more. The base model of the Sprinter Passenger range is the 1500 SWB van powered by the 2.0-liter four-pot gas engine. This van starts off with an MSRP of $45,300, which excludes registration, tax, and a destination fee of $1,695. The more capable, higher-payload 2500 increases the price to $46,600. The LWB Sprinter starts at $57,940, and the SWB 4x4 with the six-cylinder diesel tops things off with an asking price of $60,420; add a high roof, and this model costs $63,420.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger van is available in 1500 and 2500 trims. The available body styles include SWB, LWB, and a low and high roof with each wheelbase, as well as a SWB 4x4 model. The base engine on the SWB models is a 188-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine that drives the rear wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission. All diesel models use a seven-speed automatic transmission. The 4x4 option is only offered in conjunction with the V6 diesel engine. The LWB models are only offered with the diesel engines.

Standard equipment across the board includes illuminated front exits, a weight-optimized plastic floor, 16-inch steel wheels, a rear window defroster, air conditioning, and a 12V power outlet in the rear. The basic infotainment system includes AM/FM radio with Bluetooth streaming, but a more impressive 10.25-inch touchscreen interface is available.

The 2500 trim has an additional fourth row of seating, the rearmost being a four-seat bench and the second and third rows a three-seat bench. It also boasts a fire-fueled heater booster.

It may be on the basic side in base form, but the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van can be kitted out with all sorts of packages to create the perfect people carrier for every occasion. There are too many packages to mention, so we will only focus on a few of the more impressive ones.

Firstly, there's the Driver Convenience Package, which, for $785, adds features such as blind-spot assist, attention assist, a 12V power socket in the driver's seat base, two additional keys, and power-folding exterior mirrors. The $1,015 Premium Package consists of a wet wiper system, active lane-keeping assist, as well as a seven-inch MBUX touchscreen display. On top of that, the Premium Plus Package adds features such as navigation, an acoustic package, traffic sign assist, as well as wireless charging and free map updates for three years, all for $1,852.

There are numerous other comfort packages on offer, such as the Passenger Accessibility Package, which adds an electric sliding step, and an electronic right sliding door.

How long is a piece of string? This choice will depend on what you want to use the Sprinter Passenger Van for. If you're only planning on transporting around ten people at a time, get the SWB van. If it's more than ten, then go for the LWB Van. If you're planning on taking 12 or fewer people on an off-road safari, then you should definitely go for the SWB 4x4 option. If we had the money, we would most certainly go for the SWB 4x4 version with the turbo-diesel six-cylinder under the hood.

The 2022 Ford Transit Passenger Van forms part of the fifth generation first introduced in 2013 and has proven to be a wildly popular choice, not only amongst business owners but for large families looking for basic transport as well. The Transit Passenger Van is powered by two powerplant options, a naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 and a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 engine. The Transit is a bare-bones thing in base form, which makes sense when you consider its simple goal of transporting people around. We appreciate the Transit's powerful engines, high levels of customizability, and impressive driving dynamics. Its infotainment system is also one of the better ones we've tested. On the downside, the Transit Passenger Van lacks the more refined feel of the German and is susceptible to strong crosswinds. Get the Merc.

The GMC Savana has been around longer than the Toy Story franchise, and boy does it show it. This ancient but capable platform has seen continuous small improvements, but at the end of the day is still one of the most basic people carriers on the market today. Power is supplied by a wide range of engines, including a 276-horsepower 4.3-liter V6, a 2.8-liter turbo inline-four diesel, and a 6.6-liter V8. On the road, the Savanna feels stable, and that's about it; the Merc offers a far more refined ride. The interior is as basic as they come; you get a few seats, a steering wheel, and windows. Obviously, there's more to the interior, but you get the point. Plus points include its low asking price, tried and trusted platform, and good towing capabilities. If it were up to us, we'd go with the Mercedes-Benz every day of the week.