Truck Topics
New Millenium, New Van
"With the introduction of the Sprinter, Freightliner is once again changing the status quo in the commercial vehicles industry," said Freightliner President Jim Hebe during the unveiling of the product at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY, this past week.
The Freightliner Sprinter represents the first new Class 2 or 3 vehicle option that cargo van owner/operators in expediting have enjoyed in many years.
Introduced in 1995 in Europe by Mercedes-Benz, the Sprinter has since become the top selling commercial van in that overseas market.
Scheduled for an assembly startup in May, the Freightliner Sprinter will be assembled at its custom chassis facility in a recently completed 54,000-square-foot, $11.4 million expansion.
Displayed at the Mid-American Trucking Show in Louisville were three cargo vans of different body lengths and one passenger van. The cargo vans are scheduled for a early summer release date with the passenger van available towards early autumn. A cab/chassis "cutaway" version will be available in 2002.
The wheelbase options on this new series of vans include 118", 140" and 158." What should be of special interest to potential buyers in the expediting market is the increased inside height of these vans - a standard height of 64" and the high roof version offering 73" of inside height.
"With exceptional height direct from the factory," Hebe said, "the Sprinter is the only commercial van that allows standing room and increased cargo space without converting the roof height after the vehicle is completed." The standard roof height version provides nearly 12 more inches of interior standing room than it's competitors.
The van bodies also feature full-height rear doors which swing all the way forward, parallel to the body as in a straight truck's barn doors. Lower floor height at the door openings result in easier loading/unloading.
A sliding side door is standard in place of the usual 60/40 doors on the conventional cargo vans used in expediting. An optional driver side sliding side door is available.
The new vans utilize a unibody design and engine forward cockpit arrangement resulting in more interior space.
Freightliner also points out that the sidewalls of the body are nearly vertical from the floor of the van to the window line, resulting in increased cargo area.
Two GVW/Payload packages are available: 8550/4000lbs.and 9990/5100 lbs.
The powerplant in the Sprinter series is the new Mercedes-Benz CDI engine. This motor is an inline 2.7L 5 cylinder diesel producing 156 HP and 244 ft. lbs. of torque.
Jim Hebe states, "The Mercedes engine technology allows the Sprinter to perform like a V-8 gasoline engine, yet provides customers with a smooth running van with greater fuel economy."
Utilizing direct injection with common-rail technology, it features 4 valves per cylinder and an exhaust turbocharger with Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) which translates into no turbo lag.
Coupled with a 5-speed automatic transmission w/overdrive and 3.73 rear axle ratio, the estimated fuel mileage in this package is 22 miles per gallon(highway).
Freightliner tells us that this engine technology provides even power development and a smoother running, less noisy motor than other diesels. Oil change intervals are at 10,000 miles.
The Sprinter offers 4 wheel disc brakes w/ABS and rack and pinion steering with power assist. driver/passenger air bags.
The Sprinter comes standard with 15 inch wheels, with optional 16 inch wheels available.The Sprinter comes standard with a 25 gallon fuel tank. A full range of cabin options are available including power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, heated mirrors, sidewall windows, left-hand sliding door and other items.
Freightliner asserts that the turning radius of the Sprinter is a full 6 feet smaller than that of a Ford E-350 extended van.
Freightliner tells us that it will distribute the Sprinter throughout the United States and Canada through a dedicated Freightliner light commercial vehicle dealer network now being established in large metropolitan markets.
The standard warranty for the Sprinter is 3yrs./36,000 miles bumper to bumper, and a 5 yr./60,000 mile engine warranty. It also comes with a 5 year unlimited mile rust-through warranty.
For the all-important question: How much? Freightliner tells us that the 118" wheelbase with low roof will start around $26, 000, with the 158" wheelbase with tall roof in the $31-$32,000 price range.
Andrew Harris, Sprinter Marketing Manager says, "This has been a great show. We've been very pleased with the acceptance of the Sprinter by the expediters who have stopped by. They seem to be particularly impressed by the headroom, bed length and cargo capacity of our vans."
Patrick Byrnes, Freightliner Product Manager for the Sprinter tells us, "We've had nothing but positive response and comments about the Sprinters. We've had some folks looking at the passenger vans for personal use."
Some personal observations and notes from the trucking show:
I'm taking a guess here, but I think the most popular body length model for the expediting market will turn out to be the 158" wheelbase, tall roof model of the Sprinter. It offers enough room to build a nice, sizeable sleeper in the front of the cargo area while still leaving room for two full-size skids.
In a Freightliner comparison specification sheet, the Sprinter is shown to have 473 cubic feet of cargo space in the model mentioned above compared to 308 cubic feet available in a Ford E-350 extended van.
There are rumors of certain aftermarket sleeper manufacturers already taking a look at the possibility of some custom sleeper upfits for the Sprinter.
I liked the sharply sloping hood, it offers great visibility. Interior-wise, it seems to be nicely arranged, with the automatic's gear selector lever situated on the dash. On the passenger side, it appears that there is a wider footroom area than the conventional vans I'm accustomed to.
The van has nice, big side mirrors, too.
Two of the vans displayed had a factory installed sheet metal bulkhead which completely sealed off the cargo area. One of the vans had a deluxe cloth covering on the cabin side of the bulkhead; very nice appearance. It shouldn't require major reconstruction to cut a walk-through opening in the wall while still retaining it's structural integrity.
Regarding performance: I admit that when I first saw the horsepower rating on the motor, it seemed to be a little underpowered. After consultation with a couple of my mechanic buddies however, they informed me that the substantial torque rating of these motors should provide more than adequate pulling power, even under load.
Andrew Harris related to me that on the trip from Gaffney, SC to the Louisville show, and with a cargo load of 2,000 lbs, their Sprinter was more than able to keep up with a Ford E-350 that was traveling with them, even through the hills and mountains on their route.
With all of the Sprinters being on display, unfortunately there was no opportunity for a test-drive. I have been told however, that when one of these units is available for testing, I'll be on the list, so keep checking the pages of Expediters Online.com
My ovverall impression is quite favorable; we finally have a van straight from a manufacturer with an extended roof, plenty of cargo room and living space, offered by manufacturers with the reputation for quality; Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner.
The Sprinter, a welcome addition to the short list of vehicle choices for the cargo van expediter!
Portland, Ore., March 27, 2001 — FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company, has placed the first order for 1,900 new Freightliner Sprinter vans. The first Sprinter Cargo van for FedEx Express is scheduled for delivery in August.
The FedEx Express units will be built in two configurations. Both will feature the high-roof option at 73 inches. The 140-inch wheelbase units have 367 cubic feet of cargo space with a payload capacity of approximately 3,800 lbs. The 158-inch wheelbase units have 473 cubic feet of cargo space with approximately 3,500 lbs. of payload capacity.