Mercedes-Benz Sprinter News

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular and mainstream in Australia, however many lack a feature that limits their long-distance driving capabilities.And that's a spare wheel. For decades it has been a common-fit item that is extremely handy if you get a puncture out on the open road.What is becoming more popular now, especially in electrified vehicles, is to replace the spare wheel with an inflator kit as this space is usually being taken up by the high-voltage battery.The inflator kits typically include a 12V-powered air compressor and a 'can of goo' which plugs up minor air leaks in the deflating tyre.However, these inflator kits won’t help in every event of a puncture, especially if it’s a more significant one that compromises the tyre sidewall, for example.In these circumstances you’re typically left needing to call a tow truck, which is incredibly painful if you’re away from a town with a tyre repair shop.There aren’t many out there, but here is a rundown of all the new EVs currently available in Australia that have some form of physical spare wheel. The 2027 Chery E5 is the only new EV passenger car in Australia to feature a full-size spare wheel.There is now only one trim level of the E5 (formerly known as the Omoda E5) offered in Australia. It’s priced from $37,990, drive-away.The 2027 GWM Ora 5 has just launched in Australia and it features a space-saver spare wheel across the line-up.At launch two trim levels are on offer, Lux and Ultra, with pricing starting at $33,990, drive-away.The 2027 Hyundai Kona Electric has a space-saver spare wheel available across the line-up.The Kona Electric is offered in five trim levels now and pricing starts at $46,000, before on-road costs.The 2027 Toyota HiLux BEV is the only electric ute currently available in Australia with a spare wheel of any kind. It’s a full-size unit in this case.There are currently three versions of the HiLux BEV offered in Australia, the SR dual-cab chassis, SR dual-cab pick-up and SR5 dual-cab pick-up. Pricing starts at $74,990, before on-road costs.A number of electric commercial vans feature full-size spare wheels as standard.It’s more common for these types of vehicles to feature spare wheels, though they’re not standard in every electric van.A number of companies offer aftermarket spare wheel solutions for many popular EVs, like the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, among others.These kits typically include a space-saver spare wheel, a jack and related tools to get the wheel on and off.As there’s no dedicated spot in the car for this to be stored, this type of kit typically has to go in the boot which sacrifices space for other items.

Renault Australia has simplified its Master van line-up to just two variants but it's offering a driveaway deal to ABN holders which will see them get on the road from $57,990. 

BYD’s unbridled expansion in Australia is set to include vans, as the Chinese carmaker continues to court fleet buyers searching for affordable and hassle-free hybrid tech.

Mercedes-Benz has updated its Sprinter van range with more safety equipment and comfort features, plus the addition of an all-electric eSprinter variant. The entry price into the line-up now kicks off at almost $5000 more than before.The Sprinter range now starts at $71,740 for the medium wheel base (MWB) 311 Panel van and tops out at $121,041 for the new fully electric long wheel base (LWB) eSpinter.All variants from panel vans to cab chassis body styles come updated with a large amount of safety tech including Active Lane Keeping Assist and Traffic Sign Assist.Two new safety items specifically tailored for commercial use are Moving Off Information Assist which monitors areas around the vehicles at speed below 10km/h and Side Guard Assist which supports the blind spot warning system but at lower speeds.A leather-wrapped steering wheel with touch sensitive buttons and hands-off detection is also new.The features join the Sprinters otherwise comprehensive safety list which includes AEB, crosswind assistance, load adaptive control and roll over mitigation.  A thorax airbag has been added as well to the existing front and side airbags protecting the driver and front passenger. Cabin media technology also gets a boost with a new 10.25-inch touchscreen and “Hey Mercedes” assistant with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto.The Sprinter range has lost its front wheel drive variants as it moves exclusively to rear-wheel drive with a 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo diesel engine powering the combustion engine line-up. The four-cylinder comes in several tunes producing: 84kW/300 Nm in the 311 Panel Van; 120kW/340Nm in the 315 and 415 Panel Van; 125kW and 400Nm in the 317, 417, 517 Panel vans and 517 Cab Chassis; and 140kW and 450Nm in 319, 419, 519 Panel Vans and 519 Cab Chassis.The new electric eSprinter is also rear-wheel drive and comes in panel van form only. The eSprinter is offered in a choice of MWB with an 81kWh battery and LWB with a 113kWh battery with a range up up to 440km (WLPT). Both eSpinters have a single electric motor making 150kW and 400Nm, and have a gross vehicle weight of up to 4.25 tonnes.As for ownership costs all Sprinters including the eSprinter are covered by Mercedes-Benz's five-year/250,000km warranty, while the eSprinter's electric battery is covered by an eight-year 160,000km warranty.  

As with most things, the only constant in the Australian new car market is change. The first part of 2023 was a story of constricted supply thanks to everything from COVID-19 and a shortage of semi-conductors to cars on grass infested with seeds, snails and bugs.

Ford is counting on its commercial vans - the incoming E-Transit and E-Transit Custom - to lead its electric charge, but the Blue Oval is set to be beaten to market by the three-pointed star.

Courier deliveries and airport transfers are about to get a lot quieter and more environmentally friendly as of next year.Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia has confirmed it will add a number of new all-electric commercial vans and people-movers to its range mi

When it comes to motoring, the winds of change blow stronger with each passing day. For some people, they may have unknowingly already bought their last petrol or diesel-engined car. For the rest of us, it’s really a question of “when”, not “if” we’ll turn our back on combustion propulsion.

Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia's new Sprinter Transfer Minibus has hit local showrooms priced from $72,379 before on-road costs for the base 414 grade and $87,926 for the top-spec 416.Both 12-seat vans are powered by a 2.1-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder e

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter buses are being trialled in South Australia as part of a new on-demand service called Keoride.Similar to Uber in operation and execution, Keoride users can book a ride in the Mercedes-Benz vehicles via a smartphone application, but allows for up to 12 passengers.With the service being run in Mount Barker and Barossa – the latter location chosen to likely take advantage of wine region tour groups – the trial will make use of eight vehicles and run for six months with support from the South Australian government.Each of the Sprinter buses are long-wheelbase variants, which are also fitted with rear air-conditioning, an electric side-entrance step and rear side windows, as well as an extra fit-out of features from VQuip.All buses come with autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, reversing camera and lane-keep assist.Designed to ease congestion on roads and efficiently transport larger groups of people, the Keoride app can also match customers that are travelling in similar directions and optimise drive routes.Mercedes-Benz Vans boss Diane Tarr said the trial is a perfect halfway point between ride-sharing and public transport.“The Keoride on-demand ride-sharing service offers a way of making public transport needs-based, efficient and sustainable – especially when it involves the use of spacious, safe and comfortable Sprinter vans,” she said. “It’s the perfect collaboration.“Through our involvement in this new mobility service, we are taking a logical step in the context of bringing our global mobility strategy to life locally.”