Top of the morning to you. Most of you are off to work this morning and some of you would actually prefer to get a business off the ground. We recognise this desire and this morning we are driving a vehicle that is an engine to most businesses. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has sold over 3 million units since launch 1995. The 2018 Sprinter has been given a new front grille with narrower headlights. The inside gains an all-new dash layout. The new Sprinter gets new engines and is available for the first time in front wheel drive. An all electric Sprinter is on the cars for 2019. #mercedesbenzsprinter #newsprinter #mercedes #benz #mercedesbenz #spirnter #business #transport #logistics #travel #carlaunch #lightcommercial #commercial #vans #city #amsterdam #holland #dutch

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Amsterdam – The Sprinter forms part of the economies of many nations. South Africa is no exception. To meet the demand and address the varying business needs of consumers, Mercedes Benz says that it will offer 1700 variants due to the Sprinter’s flexible modular system.

At the international launch in Amsterdam, we were introduced to the Tourer, the Panel Van and the Pick-up Van. The Tourer has been elegantly improved. The seats are extremely comfortable and we hope these make it into the mini-bus taxi industry in South Africa. The top of the range versions have pressure seats which monitor your weight to give you the best ride comfort as possible. They feel bouncy at first but, you get used to them quite quickly. The difference is noticeable when you hop into the driver’s seat of an ordinary Sprinter.

Upper models of the Sprinter will benefit from Merc’s next generation Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX). Apart from a touchscreen infotainment, MBUX introduces Mercedes Benz’s own version of a voice controlled system that works like Siri on iPhones. The voice control feature goes a step further and through artificial intelligence, can begin to predict your instructions and give intelligible feedback and suggestions. We are possibly looking at having a chat with our Mercs in the not so distant future. The infotainment system also offers Apple Car Play and Android Auto. MBUX system features a decent navigation with extremely clear graphics that saw us navigating through the Netherlands with relative ease.

The Sprinter will be offered for the first time in front wheel drive. This configuration is aimed at making the vehicle more affordable. Noticeably front wheel drive versions will benefit with some 50 litres of extra load space.

Safety and convenience features have not been forgotten in the Sprinter. Optional blind spot monitor, lane-departure warning and a parking system that is paired with a number of cameras for a 360° view is also on offer.

The Sprinter arrives in South Africa in 2019.