- 30 years of quality, innovation, and variety: successful since 1995, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Milestone of five million Sprinter sold will be reached in 2025
- Attractive anniversary offer: The “30 years of Sprinter” special edition for the Sprinter and eSprinter panel van
- Mercedes-Benz Museum welcomes visitors with a special presentation of the first-generation Sprinter as well as the current Sprinter and eSprinter
Thirty years ago, the brand with the star launched a van that was to make history: the Sprinter. As the first Mercedes-Benz van with a resonant name, it revolutionised the light commercial vehicle segment in 1995 – and quickly became the namesake for an entire vehicle class.
Then as now, it stands for quality and innovation. The Sprinter impresses customers worldwide and has a high repurchase rate, also thanks to its popularity among bodybuilders and conversion specialists, which continue to customise it for a wide range of applications. Seventy-five percent of all Sprinter worldwide are converted.
Mercedes-Benz is kicking off the celebrations for the Sprinter anniversary year with an attractive special edition and a special presentation of the first-generation Sprinter as well as the current Sprinter and its battery-electric equivalent, the eSprinter, at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The activations are accompanied by a marketing campaign under the motto “An Icon for 30 Years,” highlighting the segment-defining influence of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
“With the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, we have had an iconic van in our portfolio for 30 years now. During this time, the Sprinter has written an unprecedented success story and has been sold many times worldwide. We expect to crack the five million mark of sold vehicles before the end of this year. For three decades, it has been shaping people’s lives and keeping the world running. Whether in emergency services, delivery services, in the trades or on construction sites – the Sprinter has established itself as the perfect business partner. For about five years now, it has also been available as a fully electric vehicle, operating locally CO₂ emission-free.”
Klaus Rehkugler, Head of Sales & Marketing Mercedes-Benz Vans
30 years of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
For 30 years, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has shaped the streetscape worldwide. It is built on three continents – North America, South America, and Europe. Its most important milestones include:
- 1995: The beginning of a new van era
The Sprinter celebrated its premiere in spring 1995 and thus qualifies for an H number plate in Germany.
1995 was a milestone in many respects. The Sprinter succeeded the legendary T1/TN and was the first van with a star that had a name instead of sober number and letter codes. It only took over the basic technical concept from its predecessor, everything else was engineered and designed from scratch. The combination of a self-supporting body and high-traction rear-wheel drive, modern chassis with independent front suspension and powerful engines was unique back then.
What’s more, no other van offered more safety features at the time: Already the first Sprinter had disc brakes all round, ABS anti-lock braking system, automatic brake differential, height-adjustable three-point seat belts and seat belt buckles attached to the seat as standard. A driver airbag was optionally available. The first Sprinter generation was launched in 1995 as a chassis, flatbed, or tipper, each with a crewcab or single cab, as a panel van or crewbus with five or nine seats, with a flat or high roof. The wheelbases ranged from 3000 to 4025 millimetres. The permissible gross mass was initially 2590, 2800 or 3500 kilograms.
Mercedes-Benz also emphasised the topic of safety in the extensive update in 2000: The driver’s airbag was now also part of the standard equipment, with an optional front passenger airbag that also protected passengers on the inside of a front passenger double bench seat. Windowbags and traction control ASR were also available from mid-2000. With the introduction of the ESP® electronic stability programme, the Sprinter set new standards in active safety from 2002.
- 2006: Technology and safety upgrade for the second Sprinter generation
The second generation of the Sprinter was launched at the beginning of 2006. Customers could welcome additional variance: They could choose between three wheelbases, four lengths, three roof heights and a total weight from 3.0 to 5.0 tonnes. In addition, the Electronic Stability Program ESP® was introduced as standard in the closed versions up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight.
Two years later, it was standard on all body variants up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight. An optional air suspension system to increase comfort and safety was added to the range from 2008. Another milestone followed in 2009 with the introduction of BlueEFFICIENCY: The technology with the new six-speed manual gearbox and automatic start-stop system increased dynamics and noticeably reduced fuel consumption. 2013 saw the introduction of Crosswind Assist, a completely new safety system in a van. From 2016, the Sprinter was available with 5.5 tonnes.
- 2018/2019: Connectivity and variety at the centre of the third Sprinter generation
The third generation of the Sprinter was launched in 2018. The Sprinter not only retained its existing range of variants, but expanded it, thanks in part to the introduction of front-wheel drive and thus the new traction head variant. The 2018 Sprinter set new standards, particularly in terms of infotainment and connectivity, thanks to the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) multimedia system, which was available for the first time in a commercial vehicle. Since then, the Sprinter has been obeying spoken commands and enabled the use of central fleet, vehicle, driver, and location-based services. In terms of safety features, Mercedes-Benz once again raised the vehicle to a new level, for example with DISTRONIC Active Distance Assist.
The next milestone came in 2019: The first production-ready eSprinter panel van was launched, offering the possibility of locally CO₂-emission-free mobility for trade, logistics, and business with its battery-electric drive.
- 2024: More versatile than ever
The triad of efficiency, range and load volume makes the current Mercedes Benz eSprinter a versatile all-rounder. The eSprinter has been available in its current form since last year; now in two body styles and lengths as well as with three battery sizes and a range of up to 478 kilometres (WLTP) It is based on a new concept consisting of three modules that allow the platform to be easily adapted to further vehicle variants. This also opens up completely new possibilities for bodybuilders and conversion specialists to develop industry-specific solutions based on the eSprinter. With a load volume of up to 14 cubic metres and a gross weight of up to 4.25 tonnes, the eSprinter also proves to be just as functional as its counterpart with a combustion engine.
Updates in terms of connectivity and safety have also been available for the eSprinter – as well as for the conventionally powered Sprinter – since last year. Both models benefit from an updated MBUX multimedia system – which is on board as standard now – and new Digital Extras. The safety and assistance systems have also been upgraded with additional and, in some cases, new functions that are already on board for the most part in the standard equipment. For example, the standard Active Brake Assist now includes the cross-traffic function.
With the latest changes, a 22 kW AC charger and a driving assistance package[2] can be ordered as special equipment. The latter includes, for example, additional functions of the Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC (among others Route Based Speed Adaptation and Active Speed Limit Assist ).
Attractive special edition for the 30th anniversary
Mercedes-Benz is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its iconic van with the special edition “30 Years Sprinter,” which will be sold from early February. The special edition showcases everything the Sprinter can do with its extensive equipment and emphasizes the premium aspects of the van. Building on the SELECT line (with e.g. comfort seat including lumbar support for the driver, comfort overhead control panel and LED High-Performance headlights including the Adaptive High Beam Assist), the package includes the new driver assistance package and additional comfort features as integrated special equipment with a significant price advantage. The special edition “30 Years Sprinter” starts in Germany at 58.055,27 Euro[3] for purchase.
Special presentation at the Mercedes-Benz Museum
From 4 February to 30 March, visitors at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart can learn about the history of the Sprinter family. On display: the first-generation Sprinter as well as the current Sprinter and eSprinter. The first visitors can look forward to a special anniversary present when buying their tickets. There will also be a pop-up corner in the museum shop with Sprinter fan merchandise.
