At the Dusseldorf Caravan Salon, perhaps the world’s largest annual motorhome show happening this week in Germany, Mercedes-Benz is displaying a very photogenic cut-away model of a new 2014 high-roof Mercedes-Benz Sprinter fully converted into a camper van. The right-hand side of the Sprinter has been peeled back from the middle of the front passenger door to the rear axle, revealing a living area with front swiveling seats and a large side-facing bench seat – which can be pulled out to form a double bed – a kitchen to the left of the opening and a bathroom with an integrated wardrobe in the rear.
The Sprinter camper is fitted with furniture featuring a high-pressure laminate (HPL) coating in high-gloss white, grey laminate flooring, and white leather seats. This combination gives the camper somewhat of a yacht-like feel. Side walls and ceiling are covered in Alcantara, a composite material with the texture and look of suede, and the interior has LED lighting throughout. On the outside, the Sprinter has the new tenorite grey metallic paint finish.
This year, MB is now supporting camper van upfitters with a new standard camper van package, including a front passenger airbag and a folding handbrake lever (so the lever does not collide with swiveling seats), among others. MB says that in North America they currently deliver around 4000 camper vans a year to numerous upfitters and body manufacturers, who use them to create Class B camper vans (like the ever-popular RoadTrek RS Adventurous) or Class C motorhomes (like the Winnebago View/Itasca Navion, for example). No word yet on whether the MB Sprinter camper at the show will actually be produced by Mercedes, I doubt it, it’s probably just eye-candy for the show!
This week you’ll also start seeing new 2014 Sprinters at dealers in North America. Big changes on the North American 2014 Sprinter include the four new Sprinter safety systems:
- Proximity Warning & Adaptive Brake Assist
- Blind Spot Assist
- Lane Keeping Assist
- Highbeam Assist
There are also engine changes for the Sprinter: in Europe, four engines will be available that all meet the new Euro VI emissions standards, but just two of these options will be available for North American Sprinters, the usual 188-hp 3.0-liter V6 with 5-speed, or the new 161-hp 4-cylinder engine with 7-speed transmission, which also incorporates the fuel-saving “Eco” start/stop function. The smaller Sprinter engine is claimed to achieve 33 mpg fuel consumption, a large improvement.
Some smaller, but welcome changes – the new 2014 Sprinter has two radio options:
- The stock Audio 10 is a double-DIN radio with Bluetooth, an SD card slot, a USB 2.0 port, and can play WMA, MP3, AAC and WAV files.
- The Audio 15 has a 5.5-inch color display and enables the use of iPod devices via a USB 2.0 port, and can show reversing camera images, as well as data from the optional Becker Map Pilot navigation system. The removable nav system is integrated into the glove box, with map data for the buyer’s region pre-installed.
Not that the Mercedes Sprinter is by any means MB’s only camper option – in Europe, buyers can choose between the new MB Viano FUN edition, or the MB Viano Marco Polo. The former is the Viano min-van with seats that fold down into a bed, a table, swiveling front seats and multiple sunroofs. The Mercedes Viano Marco Polo camper is a look-alike for the traditional Volkswagen camper vans, with the same layout, but with a more polished interior and exterior.
More Links to the New 2014 Mercedes Sprinter Van
The MB Passion blog also republishes a short piece about MB’s presence at the Caravan Salon, with some pictures of the other Mercedes campers displayed: http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.com/2013/08/mercedes-benz-auf-dem-caravan-salon-2013/
Forty pictures of the new 2014 Mercedes Sprinter variants here on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/upcomingvehiclesx/sets/72157633378530864/with/8727657438/
Over sixty pictures of the 2014 Sprinter van here in this German article: http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.com/2013/05/von-a-nach-b-gesprintet-testfahrt-im-neuen-sprinter-313-bluetec-und-sprinter-316-bluetec/
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