Sprinter Owners Report - In Their Own Words

Without a doubt, the introduction of the Freightliner Sprinter van in 2001 has offered an interesting alternative to the GM, Ford and Dodge vans that have been the traditional choices of cargo van owners in the emergency freight business.

The Sprinter has generated a great deal of interest among expediting owner/operators. With the popular 158" wheelbase and 73" tall roof options, the Sprinter features more living and cargo room than any of the standard choices of the Big 3 of Detroit. The Sprinter's fuel mileage has also been a selling point, with the estimated mileage of the 2.7L, 5-cylinder diesel somewhere in the 22-25 mpg range.

Add to that the Sprinter's Mercedes-Benz heritage and Freightliner nameplate, and it's easy to see why this van with its European roots has caught the eye of many "B" unit owners.

This is not to say that this Daimler/Chrysler product has not had its critics. The Sprinter is pricey in comparison with the typical Detroit offerings of the past - 32,500 to 35,500 dollars at some dealers, depending upon setup and options

The small diesel engine has also been a question mark for many. How can a motor that develops 156 horsepower hope to carry the same loads as the large displacement V-8's from Ford and GM?

In Their Own Words

Karen Huggins is a Michigan-based expediter leased to Landstar Express America. She purchased her Sprinter at Freightliner of Knoxville and put it on the road around February 1st of this year.

In spite of some down time caused by family medical problems, she's been able to put 52,000 miles on the odometer and she says she's very pleased with the van: "The Sprinter is extremely comfortable and I can haul what a small cube van does and run for better rates. I really appreciate the cargo capacity in the van (158" wheelbase, 73" tall roof.")

"I don't sleep in the van very often, so I've never put a bunk in it which takes up cargo space. The full-opening rear doors are a real advantage."

"It has plenty of power and I don't baby it. I've been getting 25 miles per gallon with the a/c running and at 70 mph. I've carried as much as 4200 pounds, but I don't like to overload the van too much.

My only real complaint about the Sprinter has been that oil changes and maintenance are supposed to be done at an authorized Sprinter dealer, and sometimes those are hard to find."

Stacy Green is contracted to Tri-State Expedited Service and the Philadelphia-based expediter purchased his Sprinter this past June. He selected what appears to be the most popular expediting version of the van - the long wheelbase with the tall roof and has put 15,000 miles on the vehicle.

Stacy also outfitted his Sprinter with the 60" sleeper available through Freightliner of Knoxville. The sleeper comes equipped with TV, VCR, microwave and inverter and Stacy says he's very comfortable in his new van: "The fit and finish of both the van and the sleeper is excellent," says the expediter, "I did a lot of research through the Internet and basically, ordered the van, sight unseen."

"The first time I drove one of these vans was when I picked it up, and from the first, I was impressed by the handling and the power of that little motor. It drives like a car and the motor is so peppy that it wants to run 70 mph. It handles very well in crosswinds and it will carry the same size loads like my previous vehicle - a Ford E350 with the big powerstroke engine. With the Sprinter, I'm averaging 22 mpg."

He tells us that the only problem he's had so far with his new van was an issue with the keyless entry system, but says that the local Freightliner dealer took care of it to his satisfaction.

Stacy does feel that the van could benefit from the addition of oil and transmission coolers. He is aware of the idling questions, but it hasn't affected him because he seldom idles when parked.

"I've got good feelings about the van and the dealer I bought it from," Stacy tells us. "Dan Tilley at Freightliner of Knoxville went out of his way to take care of me and get me the van I wanted. As far as service, I've been taking it to a Dodge dealer in my part of the country and I'm looking forward to when more Dodge dealers are selling and servicing the van."

"I used to drive a big Peterbilt, but this van is just as comfortable. I can put a lot of miles in this seat at one time and it doesn't wear me out."

Mitch Moore is the General Manager of the Products Division of Metron, a Grand Rapids, MI-based medical supply company. His company provides regional delivery of its products with his trucks running 200-300 miles a day.

Metron had used a variety of Ford cube and extended vans and modified pickup trucks before taking delivery of two Sprinter vans in June of this year. The vans were purchased from Hoekstra Specialty Vehicles, also of Grand Rapids and have already clocked around 10,000 miles so far. Mitch says that his representative from Hoekstra had previous experience in the medical supply field and knew just what Metron needed in a delivery vehicle.

Mitch is enthusiastic about his new vehicles: "These vans are great! They have a fantastic turning radius, great headroom and sight lines and awesome engine performance. We think the seating is very comfortable and the vans seem to offer real driver safety and convenience."

"The Sprinters beat our previous delivery vehicles hands down!"

The vans that Metron selected are the Sprinters with the medium wheelbase and tall roof, but Mitch says that the company is considering adding 6 more of the vans to their fleet, possibly the long wheelbase model.

Mitch tells us that even with the typical 1,000 lbs load the vans usually haul, mileage is still in the estimated range of 23-25 mpg, and his company is very satisfied with its purchase.

Sprinter owner Diane Benjamin of Rockford, IL is leased to Landstar Express America. She put her Sprinter on the road around the first of December 2001 and now has 86,000 miles on the clock

Diane's Sprinter is typical of the popular setup of the Sprinter owners contacted; they chose the long wheelbase and the 73" tall roof model.

"I love the Sprinter!" Diane exclaims. "It's got great fuel mileage (21 mpg), it handles well, it's not top heavy and it's very resistant to cross winds. I've had loads of up to 3700 pounds in it with no problems. I've also had some bulk loads - not as much weight, but the freight filled the van from front to back and up to the roof. It all fits fine."

"I'm very surprised with this little motor; it pulls very well with a heavy load, even up the hills. My old Chevy van with a 350 didn't have the power this motor has."

"This has to be the quietest diesel out there; most of the time, I can't even hear it running."

The fit and finish of the van is exceptional, says Diane, and she enjoys the comfort inside the cab and the highly adjustable seats. She says that she likes her bunk that folds up flush against the van's wall, but she does wish that a tilt wheel option were available.

Diane qualifies her enthusiasm about the Sprinter by telling of some problems she's had with the van: " I've had to replace two EGR valves and also a bad injector at 85,000 miles."

"I've been told by Freightliner technicians that I shouldn't idle the van -they said that's what was causing the EGR valve failures, so I'm quite disappointed to hear that."

Fortunately, Diane says, all of these problems were covered under warranty and are the only problems she has experienced with the van. "I will say that the mechanics and the tech people have been great and have been very helpful."

Despite those mechanical failures, Diane says that she is a "real salesperson for the Sprinter! I have many people in the truck stops asking me about the van and I tell them how pleased I am with it.

Diane's future truck modifications include the installation of opening side and back windows, and possibly a generator or small heater to eliminate idling.

Larry Pickles, Maintenance Manager for Express-1 of Buchanan, MI says, "We have one Sprinter company van and we're very pleased with it. We have it running on a dedicated run through Chicago to Milwaukee and we've been averaging 25 mpg on the highway with that van."

"Our driver likes the van and I have to agree. I've driven our Sprinter and I'm impressed with the instantaneous acceleration from that motor; it seems like there's no turbo lag at all. I like the layout in the cab because everything is user friendly and it's very comfortable to drive. Great turn radius."

"In addition to our company van, we have five owner/operators with Sprinters. All of them are the long wheelbase, tall roof vans. The owners tell me that they're very happy with the truck. They like the fuel mileage, the large cargo capacity, etc."

"One of the owners has had some trouble with drive train components; he's had the torque converter replaced a few times and he's also experience some rear axle noise. As far as our company van goes, no trouble yet except for a battery with a bad cell which was replaced under warranty."

Expediter Alan Gordy of Georgia took delivery of his Sprinter in late fall last year and drove the van until July of this year.

He now has a subcontractor in the Sprinter that has racked up around 65,000 miles to date. Alan leases the van to Panther II.

Alan wasn't content with the stock interior of the van, so he took the Sprinter to Van Depot of Atlanta and had them do some major customizing. This included wall and ceiling carpeting over insulation, in addition to the bed liner he used to protect the van floor.

In addition to the OEM lighting, the cargo area is illuminated with a total of ten neon tubes set in recessed fixtures with Plexiglas mirror backing - 4 on one wall, and six on the other wall.

"I love the van; it rides smooth and I'm surprised at the pickup and power out of that small motor. With the carpeting, it's extremely quiet inside."

"I've been very satisfied with the Sprinter. I drove it on a regular basis for 6-7 months and was impressed. I haven't been driving the van on a regular basis since my driver took it over, but she's reported no problems with the Sprinter."

Pat Hinnegan with Tri-State Expedited Service, Inc. has mixed emotions about his Sprinter: "Maybe it's because that with my sleeper installed, I need to carry skids more towards the back of the van, but when I put the load in, the truck squats down. I think this suspension is too weak; it seems like it's better suited to package delivery."

"On the other hand though, this motor is the best I've ever run. For it's size, it runs like a scalded dog; I've had up to 2100 pounds in the van and the motor pulls it like there's no weight on board. The transmission is great; it's a smooth shifter and I've had no problems with it. I've started using Howe's fuel additive and I'm getting right around 22 mpg."

After accumulating 40,000 miles on the van, Pat has developed some definite dislikes about his Sprinter: "I have a number of issues with the lack of comfort in the van. I'm unable to find the right position for the seat and my right leg is continually going to sleep. There's no right arm rest for the driver's seat."

"I've also been told by a Daimler/Chrysler Vans technician not to idle the van; he told me that it "carbons up" the EGR valve. I've also been experiencing surface rust on back door along with some rust on the drip rail."

"I have no complaints about Freightliner of Knoxville - where I bought the van - but I haven't been happy with the service from other Freightliner dealers out on the road. I've been overcharged for service at other dealers, with the exception of Stoops Freightliner in Ft Wayne; they've been decent folks to work with."

"I guess I would sum up my feelings about the van by saying that when it comes to the price vs. the value - I question whether it's worth it."

Pam Slone of Etna Green, IN, is leased to Express-1 and purchased her long wheelbase, tall roof Sprinter through Freightliner of Knoxville.

"First of all, I have to say that Dan Tilley was excellent to work with; I would recommend him to anyone. I tried to get through to other dealers about buying a Sprinter, but they wouldn't even return my calls."

Pam says that although she only signed on with Express-1 this past summer, she's already accumulated 23,000 miles on her van and she declares, "I love it!"

"I used to drive for another company out of Warsaw, IN, and for a number of years, used a Ford Club Wagon - the extended body window van. With that gas engine, my fuel mileage was only between 12-15 miles per gallon. It had extremely uncomfortable seats and my leg and back would frequently hurt."

"What a change with the Sprinter," she says. "It's very comfortable without the problems I experienced in the Ford. The handling is car-like with a very short turning radius. I do wish that the side mirrors were a little taller, for a short person like me, there are some blind spots."

Pam states that the Sprinter engine has plenty of power; she says that she can't even tell when she has a load of 2500 pounds in the van. She adds that she is looking forward to when 16-inch tires are available so she can take even heavier loads.

"I check my fuel mileage every day," this expediter tells us, "and it has run between 21.7-26.1mpg, depending on how much I idle and the quality of the fuel. Even with no insulation on the walls, the van is relatively quiet."

"I would definitely buy another one."

Idling issues

Two of the Sprinter owners interviewed for this article had been told by service technicians that extended idling would present problems and recommended against it. This seemed to be a serious fault if true, so DaimlerChrysler Vans of Huntersville, NC was contacted.

Wolf-Dieter Kleimeier, Vice-President of Engineering and Compliance, says that extended periods of idling by the diesel engine in the Sprinter, while not environmentally-friendly or fuel-efficient, presents no more problems of carbon buildup than any other typical diesel engine. Idling should pose no problems to either EGR valves or fuel injectors.

Kleimeier went on to say that the EGR valves in Diane Benjamin's case were an obsolete part that has since been replaced by new designs.

Service

At the outset, the availability of service locations was an area of concern, with only Freightliner dealers being authorized for service work. It would appear however, that this issue has been resolved with the announcement that Dodge dealers will soon be selling and servicing the van.

Lisa Brooks and Lee Kurtzmann contributed to this article