What's the difference?
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter range of vans and cab-chassis models competes for buyers in the Light Duty (3501-8000kg GVM) segment of Australia’s highly competitive Heavy Commercial vehicle market.
In 2024 the German manufacturer expanded its diverse turbo-diesel van range by launching a full-electric variant called the eSprinter, which for the first time offered local buyers the opportunity to drive with zero tailpipe emissions.
We recently spent a working week with this unique offering to assess how competently it could fulfil the diverse job requirements of private tradie buyers and fleet operators.
In light of the large volume of dirt-road-friendly camper-trailers being seen on bush tracks of late you’d be safe in assuming that they are the flavor of the month.
Sure, lots of people buy into the idea of the off-road-camping lifestyle and may get a surprise when faced with the reality of it, but the number of those who swiftly grow to love the camper-trailer way, far out-weigh the number of those who don’t.
We took a Hawk Outback into the bush to check it out.
With the convenience of back-to-base charging the eSprinter would be well suited to last-mile logistics or other urban delivery roles, as its driving range is ample for many of these urban tasks with the added benefit of zero tailpipe emissions. However, at more than $100K it is a big spend (like its full-electric rivals) so only a thorough cost-benefit analysis can decide if itβs the right choice for your business.
The Jayco Hawk Outback is a solid, feature-packed camper-trailer without being flash about it. It looks good β checker plate is always a nice touch β and it is easy to tow and set up. Sure, it may not be as gung-ho an off-road unit as its name suggests, but it is more than capable of handling gravel or dirt tracks on the way to your campsite and will be a comfortable camper when you actually arrive there.