Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vs BYD Atto 2

What's the difference?

Given the original Sprinter was released in 1995, it’s not surprising the current third-generation model feels like it’s benefitted greatly from decades of continuous refinement. Although the list price difference between our test vehicle and its closest Chinese rival is substantial, the 417 MWB Panel Van is hard to fault in terms of driver comfort, safety and all-round competence. It really is very good.

The BYD Atto 2 isn't just the cheapest electric SUV in Australia, it's also one that doesn't feel all that cheap, which is a hell of a magic trick. If it's easy, comfortable city motoring you're after, the Atto 2 delivers in spades. But if your blood type is high octane, there are better driving EVs out there.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

The 417 MWB Panel Van rides on a 3665mm wheelbase (the shortest of three Sprinter wheelbases) and is almost 6.0 metres long (5932mm), more than 2.0 metres wide (2020mm) and stands almost 2.4 metres tall (2378mm). Its 12.4 metres kerb-to-kerb turning circle is impressively tight for a vehicle of this length.

It rides on simple and rugged MacPherson strut front suspension, with a robust live axle/leaf-spring arrangement under the tail. Steering is via rack and pinion and it has disc brakes all around.

Look beyond the optional silver metallic paint on our example and there’s extensive use of unpainted dark grey plastic on all the external surfaces where hard-working vans are most prone to wear and tear, including the hubcaps, front/rear bumpers, grille, door-handles/mirror shells and along the sides.

Its work-focused exterior styling is nicely integrated, combined with an equally neat and functional interior design that offers a visually-pleasing combination of patterned fabric seat-facings and hard surfaces that blend different shades of grey with splashes of satin chrome and piano black.

We also like the feel and response of mechanical switches (rather than touchscreen prompts) for adjusting settings like cabin temperature, fan speed and media volume.

I think it’s a sharp-looking thing, this Atto 2. Kudos to BYD for not making the design look like it’s trying too hard, or like the Atto 2 is something it isn’t. It’s just smooth, sensible small SUV with styling that looks like it will age gracefully.

I like the chunky black moulding which makes it look a bit tougher than it is, plus the LED DRLs and swept back (and spoiler-equipped) roofline add a bit of visual drama.

Inside, BYD has made two pretty good choices. The first is that the cabin feels toned down from the one in the Atto 3 (which is all chunky wheel-style controls and vents). 

This one feels far more sedate and conventional in its design, which I think is a win.

The other good decision is to equip the Atto 2 with soft plastics, rather than hard scratchy ones, in places like the door panels. In some cheaper cars, you feel your elbows constantly rubbing against cheap-feeling plastics, but that’s not the case here.

Too much stuff is still controlled through that central screen, and BYD has an awkward way of shortcutting functions. They call it a three-finger swipe, meaning that if you run three fingers across the screen horizontally you can adjust the climate-control’s fan speed, while swiping horizontally adjusts temp, but it feels like a weird movement.

With its 2215kg kerb weight and 4100kg GVM, our test vehicle has a sizeable 1885kg payload rating.

It’s also rated to tow up to 2000kg of braked trailer and with its 6100kg GCM (or how it can legally carry and tow at the same time), that means it can tow its maximum trailer weight while hauling its maximum payload to ensure optimum versatility.

The cargo bay, which offers a cave-like 9.0 cubic metres of load volume and internal lighting front and rear, has internal dimensions of 3316mm length (with bulkhead), 1732mm width and 1719mm height.

So, with 1350mm between the rear wheel-housings, it can comfortably fit two standard 1165mm-square Aussie pallets or up to four 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets, held in place by a choice of 10 floor-mounted load-anchorage points.

The cargo bay is accessed through a single kerbside sliding door with a wide 1260mm opening, or symmetrical rear barn-doors with large handles on each pillar to assist operator access.

The barn-doors also have internal storage bins and open to a full 180-degrees to assist forklift and loading dock access. Thoughtfully, their hinge design also holds the doors firmly open at 180 degrees, to minimise the chance of wind gusts slamming them shut with potential injury to the operator.

There’s also plenty of cabin storage starting with two tiers of bins in each door, with the highest being spacious enough to hold large bottles.

There's also a deep shelf on the passenger side lower dash, a large lidded compartment in the central dash-pad and overhead shelves with lockable storage on the passenger side. Plus, the dash offers a total of eight cup/small-bottle holders.

The base cushion of the two-passenger bench seat is also hinged at the front, which allows it to tilt forward and provide access to a large hidden storage area beneath.

A crew of three can travel in relative comfort (for a commercial van that is) thanks to a central seating position that provides a sturdy hoop-handle for support, sufficient knee clearance from the dash even for tall people, and a reasonably flat and spacious floor area.

The cabin also features the latest next-gen 'MBUX' multimedia system with 10.25-inch touchscreen, which for the first time offers wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There’s also digital radio and enhanced functionality including an optional navigation upgrade with seven years of map updates.

The Atto 2 measures 4310mm in length, 1830mm in width and 1675mm in height and it rides on a 2620mm wheelbase. It also sits on BYD’s fully-flat EV platform, which helps to maximise space in the back seat.

I’m 175cm tall and could get comfortable behind my own driving position, with enough knee and headroom to ensure I didn’t feel cramped.

There are two ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back as well as USB-A and -C connection points.

Boot space is a not cavernous, but also not tiny, 380L with the rear seats in place, growing to 1320L with the rear pews folded flat. Both models also offer a V2L (Vehicle to Load) connection, too, so you can power up household devices.

This thing really is cheap. The BYD Atto 2 arrives with a two-model range kicking off with the Dynamic, at $31,990, before on-road costs, before stepping up to the Premium at $35,990 BOC. They both get the same motor and battery, by the way, so the extra money comes down to extra kit.

The Dynamic rides on 16-inch alloys wrapped in cheaper Westlake rubber, scores LED headlights and DRLs and gets rain-sensing wipers and heated wing mirrors. Inside, there’s a 10.1-inch central touchscreen, an 8.8-inch driver display, synthetic leather seats with manual adjustment up front and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto linked to a four-speaker stereo.

The Premium rides on 17-inch alloys wearing better Hankook rubber, and there’s a panoramic glass roof with a shade and roof racks. Inside, the central screen grows to 12.8 inches, and there’s an eight-speaker stereo and a wireless charge pad. Your seats are now electronically adjusted and heated and cooled. Plus there’s some extra safety stuff, but we’ll cover that off in a second.

The (OM654) 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel, which meets Euro 6 emissions standards using AdBlue, produces 125kW of power at 3800rpm with peak torque of 400Nm served between 1700-2400rpm. The nine-speed torque converter automatic offers the choice of sequential manual-shifting using the steering wheel-mounted paddles.

Both Atto 2 models share the same powertrain - a front-mounted electric motor producing 130kW/290Nm which is sent to the front tyres. It feels fairly sedate, even under flat-footed acceleration, though BYD reckons you can knock off the sprint to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds.

The dash display was claiming average combined consumption of 9.5L/100km when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 281km test, of which about one third of that distance was hauling a heavy payload (see Driving).

Our own figure of 11.7 (based on actual fuel bowser and tripmeter figures) was higher but still reasonable economy for a vehicle in this GVM class in mostly urban use.

So, based on our own figures, you could expect a ‘real world’ driving range of around 800km from its 93-litre tank, which has been enlarged from 71 litres as part of the latest upgrades.

Both models also share the same battery, a 51.1kWh LFP unit, which should unlock a WLTP driving range of 345km. AC charging is pegged at 7.0kW, so a good match for a standard home wallbox, while DC fast charging is 82kW. Using the latter, BYD says you should go from 10 to 80 per cent charged in 38 minutes.

Large handles on the doors and overhead shelves assist climbing aboard and there’s enough adjustment in the well-bolstered seat and leather-rimmed steering wheel to find a comfortable position.

Driver views from all angles are excellent thanks to well-designed mirrors along with cameras supported by active aids like blind-spot monitoring etc.

The cabin, with its high roof relative to seat height, has a spacious and airy feel and all controls are reasonably intuitive and easy to reach.

Unladen ride quality is surprisingly supple for a vehicle with a 6.0-tonne-plus GCM rating, combined with excellent steering feel that strikes a fine balance between minimal turning effort at low speeds (for loading etc) and firm handling response at higher speeds.

The drivetrain is also energetic, pulling strongly and cleanly from 1000rpm even though its maximum torque is tapped higher in the 1700-2400rpm zone. The automatic transmission has admirable refinement, with near-seamless shifting between its nine ratios.

The Sprinter is also impressively quiet at speeds up to 80km/h. Tyre and wind noise (the latter mainly around the large door mirrors) naturally increase at highway speeds, but remain far from intrusive. And with the engine requiring less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h, it’s well-suited to highway work.

To test its load-carrying ability, we forklifted 1.3 tonnes into the cargo bay which with driver equalled a payload of 1.4 tonnes. That's still almost half a tonne less than its limit.

Not surprisingly, it handled this load with ease, as handling and braking were largely unaffected and the ride quality became smoother thanks to such a big increase in sprung weight. Even so, the rear springs only compressed about 30mm.

It easily conquered our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h with this load onboard, as the auto downshifted to fourth gear to tap maximum torque when hauling this load to the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, wasn’t as robust but not unexpected given a 2.0-litre engine trying to restrain 1.4 tonnes of payload on a steep descent. Even so, the quartet of disc brakes efficiently kept speeds in check.

Overall, it was an impressive performance. However, we did note that the speed sign recognition function was not working for the duration of our test. And some welcome enhancements would be a driver’s left footrest and a fold-down inboard armrest for the driver’s seat, as fitted to its smaller Vito sibling.

Your drive experience in the Atto 2 very much depends on what you ask of it.

Or to put it another way, the first half of my drive route was a breezy run through the city and suburbs, then onto the freeway, before arriving at our destination. 

It was probably 60 kays or so, and across it all the Atto 2 felt quiet and comfortable, with enough power at its disposal to easily get up to speed and stay there. 

In the second half, though, I hunted down some twisting roads and cracks started to appear. The ride is pretty solid and there isn't huge amounts of body roll during more enthusiastic cornering. 

But the steering is vague and there's plenty of slack – you can turn the wheel a fair bit without eliciting much response from the tyres.

Interestingly, turning the wheel with a bit of aggression also produced a weird sound up front, like you could hear the mechanicals shifting the tyres.

The tyres make a difference, too, with the Premium's more expensive Hankook rubber far happier to hang on without squealing than the Dynamic's Westlake tyres. 

But context is key here. The Atto 2 is an accessible, affordable city-focused EV, and it performs those duties admirably. But if you're sold on a car-driver connection, there isn't much of that on offer here.

The Atto 2 is yet to be assessed by ANCAP but there’s no shortage of stuff. The entry-level car gets six airbags, rear parking sensors and all the usual traction tech. Then there’s active cruise, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert in both directions - the list goes on. In fact, the only things the Premium adds on top are a 360-degree camera and front parking sensors. 

Warranty is five years/250,000km whichever occurs first and includes a roadside assist support package.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/40,000km. Pay-as-you-go capped-pricing for the first five scheduled services totals $5905, or a pricey average of $1181 per year. Service plans are also available.

BYD’s warranty is an okay six years but just 150,000km, which is underwhelming compared to the best in the business. The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.

BYD vehicles typically have 12 month, 20,000km service intervals with capped price servicing, but the details are yet to be confirmed for the Atto 2.