New Mercedes Sprinter due to break cover

By Martin Pretorius

If we discount its periodic facelifts, the Mercedes Sprinter has only seen two distinct generations since the first one appeared back in 1995. That makes for an average of 11 years per generation, which means that the next one is due to arrive very soon. Now, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that a new-generation Sprinter will be released in Europe in the first half of 2018, with South African availability following early in 2019.

What's new?

Being Mercedes-Benz, safety enhancements will enjoy considerable attention. Driving assistance (such as automatic emergency braking, accident avoidance systems and blind-spot monitoring) will be incorporated, spilling over from passenger car applications.

Telematics will also receive a boost, with improved connectivity helping to optimise the vehicle's efficiency, servicing and other fleet management functions. Furthermore, the range will also be expanded to cater for a wider variety of fleet requirements, thanks to a platform which can be customised to suit a wide range of applications.

What about the engines?

Details are still unclear at the moment, but it is expected that the current engine range will carry over (at least initially). As is the Sprinter tradition, newer powertrains will be introduced as they become available, eventually leading to the probable inclusion of Mercedes's latest diesel engines and 9-speed automatic gearbox.

South Africa will most likely again only see the higher-level diesels, because the entry-level market is already being served with the smaller Vito models in both front- and rear-wheel drive forms.

Where will it be made?

As with the current Sprinter, production will take place at the Ludwigsfelde- and Dusseldorf factories in Germany, but there will also be a new production line at a new factory in North Charleston in the United States. And to meet growing demand in the Far East, a new production facility in China is also on the cards, probably in partnership with a local manufacturer. No local assembly is planned for the new Sprinter, however.

It looks pretty snazzy

The styling of a van is probably the last thing you should consider (even if it is the first thing you notice), which is why we're only talking about this now. According to the released teaser images, the new Sprinter will look like, well, a Sprinter: it's a big box on wheels with a sloped nose and large headlights flanking a Mercedes grille.

However, the stylists at least tried to make the next Sprinter look reasonably palatable. There's a taller, bigger version of Mercedes' current passenger-car nose, with aggressive air intakes and wrap-around headlights incorporating LED design elements. The flanks incorporate some crease lines, but even if they tried to include some styling features down the sides, practicality has to override all other considerations: it's still a big box on wheels, as it should be.