My neighbors are always confused by what I have sitting in my driveway. Sometimes there are three different vehicles there in just a week. I have people who tell me they go out of the way to drive by and see what I am driving. One day it might be a $300,000 luxury car, the next a Kia Soul. However, there was mass confusion this week as people saw a massive van sitting where a beautiful 2025 Genesis GV80 sat just a few days ago. Oh, the life of a car reviewer and talk radio show host.
Was this vehicle on my radar? No. Would I have sent a special request to the Mercedes press people begging to get one? No. However, when they asked if I would, I said absolutely. I’ve had many beautiful Benzs through the years, and I wasn’t going to say no. After all, I get a fair number of questions on the Car Pro Show about Sprinter vans, just not the electric version, but here go.
This is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter Cargo Van. The big van is 23-feet long, almost 9-feet high, and has a gross vehicle weight rating of over 11,000 pounds. So, who is the customer for this vehicle? Companies who use their vans to work out of and for deliveries. Amazon for instance, has a ton of electric Rivian vans you’ve probably noticed. The electric Sprinter version doesn’t have the capability, towing, or range of the Sprinter diesel, but it is more environmentally friendly and over time, it is potentially more economical to operate. Like its diesel sibling, there is a total of 488-cubic feet of cargo area behind the driver.
The eSprinter is new to the U.S. but has been available in Germany for quite a while. For now, these only come to our shores in this long wheelbase version with the hightop roof. Later we could see more versions for passenger vans, but given the EV climate in America, I’m not sure that will happen.
Performance
Powering the big van is a usable 113-kWh battery that drives a 150-kWh motor that puts out around 201-horsepower going to only the rear wheels. There is also the smaller 100-kWh motor available but it only puts out 134-horses. Regardless of the standard- or high-output like I am testing, all eSprinters feature the same peak 295 pound-feet of torque and a 2,624-pound payload, and a 4,277-pound towing capability.
In a first for yours truly, Mercedes loaded the cargo area with a 440-pound box that is secured in the cargo area. Being the inquisitive soul I am, it’s driving me nuts to know what is in there. Could it be pure gold bricks, or perhaps spare parts, or even rocks? Likely I’ll never know.
Interior
The cabin, believe it or not, is done in normal Mercedes-Benz style and is very nice, but remember, this is a work van. Lots of hard plastics cover the dash and door panels which looks very durable and easy to clean. Storage nooks, pockets, and a set of cupholders by the front windshield reinforce its functional design. There is a large glove box center dash that houses USB and USB-C ports, and a power outlet.
Soft armrests add additional comfort, as do the seats, which offer a lot of adjustments. A 10.25” colorful Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) screen has clear and colorful graphics that are easy to read. Audible prompts by saying HEY MERCEDES works well, especially during navigation or when tuning into your favorite radio station or automotive talk show. Primary controls for temperature and fan speeds are buttons and toggle switches and everything is easy to operate.
The MBUX screen is operated with the steering wheel controls, the touchscreen, or voice controls. This is also where you can activate the Mercedes Me connect, a subscription service offering features like remote access to charging data, climate control preconditioning, navigation route adjustments based on current battery range, and a prepaid charge card for in-network EV chargers.
The charging page of MBUX shows you battery life that is left in terms of a percentage, and how many miles of range you have. It will also tell you how long it will take to get a 100% charge. In this screen shot, you’ll see at 10:31 AM I have 81% of battery capacity left, had 149-miles of driving range, and it would take 2 hours 30-minutes to get to a full charge from the Level 2 EV charger in my garage. It also warns me the big Mercedes star in the grill that houses the charge port was open. It appears to be accurate; I went back 2 hours and 10-minutes later and the van was at 98% charged.
The eSprinter has five settings of brake regeneration from paddles on the steering wheel so the driver has options as to how much assistance the van offers. In its most aggressive level, Auto, the eSprinter will dynamically react to traffic and road conditions using radar. There are also three drive mode options: Comfort, Eco, and Maximum Range. Comfort offers all 201- horses. Eco mode cuts drive power to 67%, about 134-horses, and limits climate control use. Maximum Range goes full power-saving mode, dropping power to 53% and limits you to about 107-horses. I tried Max and got right out of it, but I do enjoy one-pedal driving in the electric vehicles I review. I also discovered, somewhat the hard way, that the speed is limited to 75-miles per hour.
Behind the driver is a very well-insulated partition that separates the driver compartment from the cargo area. The eSprinter is whisper quiet inside, a bit of a shocker to me. I’ve driven a ton of cargo vans over the years and typically they are loud, rattly, and you get a lot of road noise. Absolutely not the case with this one
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Mercedes provides the eSprinter with a lot of standard driver-assistance technology, including blind-spot monitoring, crosswind assist, and automated emergency braking. It also warns the driver if it detects signs of drowsiness or inattention.
Available options include: heated and pivoting front seats, a heated windshield, electric folding exterior mirrors, air-conditioning, an electric sliding door and step, heated steering wheel, and a digital rearview camera mirror, a must have. Without it, you’d just be looking at the driver partition. The camera mirror clearly shows you what is behind you by way of a rear mounted wide angle camera.
I can’t stress how enjoyable the eSprinter is to drive. I expected to fight it when parking or making U-turns, but reality is it is not cumbersome in the least. If you own a business that uses vans, your drivers will love you for getting the Sprinter. You’ll need patience due to the 75-mile per hour limit, and 0-to-60 is sometime tomorrow, but this van isn’t built for speed.
How does it compare to the Sprinter diesel? As I mentioned less towing and cargo capacity, and it appears the cost is about $12,000 more for the electric version. Diesel fuel is expensive, so I could see you coming out ahead over time, but there are still many unknowns.
The Ford Transit electric van will cost you fewer dollars upfront than this Mercedes, but honestly, I’ve heard horror stories from listeners and dealers about the lack of range in the Transit EV. Some report that with a pretty light load, range is under 100-miles in the real world.
This eSprinter will get you 248-miles of range empty and my 440-pound cargo box in back doesn’t seem to make a big difference, but I’d imagine 2000-pounds probably would. Charging times with a fast charger is 42 minutes to 80%, which is very good. With a Level 2 charger like mine, from 0-to-100% will be around 12 hours, but you’ll likely never take it all the way to 0%. Forget it with a 110-volt power cord.
I am glad to have had the opportunity to test this vehicle, and I thank the Mercedes folks for inviting me to do so. The eSprinter is not for everyone, but for some, you’ll enjoy the driving experience in spite of the large size.