My test drive was not a long one, only a few miles in the Sanibel Island area in Florida. Naturally, being a highly touristic area, speed was pretty much limited below 100 kmh (60 mph). But then, this is not a sport car! Acceleration was sufficient (it was almost impossible to do any 0-100 kmh trials) and passing was safe. The five-cylinder turbodiesel engine proved to be very quiet (and I emphasize on the word quiet) and very agile. With its low fuel consumption, it should be a hit among city users. Steering was a little hard but very precise. The brake pedal was somewhat mushy but the brakes did their job. Later on, when we returned to the airport, the Sprinter was fully loaded (10 people aboard and some luggage) and it still felt at ease on the road. The ride is pretty smooth but the suspension does hold up. There was not much lean in the curves considering the height of the body but side winds will have some influence on the van.
A further exercise proved that the Sprinter has an incredible turning radius for a vehicle its length. It did cut shorter than a base Econoline that was brought along for comparision. There was also a Chevy Express to compare with the Sprinter but I felt that both truck (powered by base six-cylinder engines) were not exactly the real competition the Sprinter would be looking for.
Nonetheless, my first driving impressions of the Sprinter are very good. If you are in the market for a big van, you might consider the Sprinter. It is well built, well adapted and powered by a surpringly quick five-cylinder diesel engine that should yield an incredible fuel economy. Oh, by the way, the Sprinter has been on the European market since 1998 where its has known quite a success. Therefore, it should be as successful here too! As far as prices are concerned, they have not been unveiled yet in Canada (and there are rumors the Sprinter might be sold by Dodge dealers too!) but in the U.S, the base price of the delivery van is around $26,000?U.S.!
