Ford Escape vs Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

What's the difference?

We might have been excited to see the new generation Ford Ranger and Ford Everest models in 2022, but the real star of the show for the Blue Oval brand could well be this - its first electrified model to make it to Australia, the new Ford Escape PHEV.

If you’ve seen the letters PHEV before and not understood what it meant, don’t stress - you’re not alone. It stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. And what that means is that this car comes with a battery bank and electric motor, a port to plug it in and recharge it to drive on EV power only, and it also has a petrol engine to make sure you’re not stuck when you run out of charge.

I’ll run through all the details on the drivetrain below, but think of it this way - if you want a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid but want the possibility to drive on dedicated electric power for up to (and in excess of) 50 kilometres on a charge, this could be the right car for you…

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has long been a formidable competitor in the Light Duty (3501-8000kg GVM) division of Australia’s highly competitive Heavy Commercial vehicle market.

The popular range offers a choice of panel van, cab-chassis and minibus body styles, four turbo-diesel engine variants (plus an all-electric drivetrain), three wheelbase lengths and for panel vans plus the choice of two roof heights.

An extensive overhaul of the Sprinter range in 2024 brought extra safety technologies, new comfort and convenience features and other benefits, which Mercedes-Benz claims can help drivers work more efficiently. We recently put one of the latest models to the test.