Mercedes jacks within the 4×4’s suspension by 4.3 inches in-front and 3.1 inside back, but apart from the raised ride height and a switch to the best for the tyre to interact four-wheel drive, there’s small indicator the 265-pound 4WD system is there anyway. The steering is precise, the major van tracks right and true, and also the brand-new Crosswind Assist function held things regarding the straight and thin even though oncoming tractor-trailers drove atmosphere straight into the van’s flank. (dealing with the standard stability-control system, Crosswind help brakes specific tires to mitigate wandering because of high winds or abrupt gusts.) The braking system pedal is firm and its own response linear, and Sprinter exhibits shockingly great human body control for one thing therefore tall.
Traction Action
The 4×4’s distinct capabilities had been made obvious, but using one of Mica Creek’s logging roads, in which we had radios at your fingertips to notify united states of any logging vehicles coming one other means. Bumpy, cragged, and slashed with deep ruts made by gargantuan equipment, the trail would have made a Jeep Wrangler blush. Portions were snow-covered, although some showcased a peatlike dirt into that the Sprinters sank around their hubs; occasionally, the logging road bundled all this together in a single spot—and put in a steep, almost 30-degree quality for fun.
With the Sprinter 4×4’s standard 188-hp diesel V-6—the base Sprinter’s 161-hp four-cylinder diesel can’t be combined with 4WD—a decently sorted five-speed automatic, while the part-time four-wheel-drive setup (on dry roads, you need to operate the van in two-wheel-drive mode to prevent driveline binding), churning through the quagmire instead amazingly believed like light work. Our Sprinters had been built with cold temperatures tires, that are needed legally between October 1 and March 31 in British Columbia; the vehicles usually were totally stock.