First 1500 miles with a 2024 AWD Sprinter

[EbS-P]

I wanted to report back my intitial impressions owning a new 2024 AWD high roof passenger van.

It’s HUGE, I look down to drivers in super duty pickups. I can see the top of any suburban. They look so small next to me.

It drives well and parks easy enough. It’s under powered by American standards. 211 HP and 300 is for pounds out of a 2.0L twin turbo i4 diesel. Onside is the gas mileage is good. I’m averaging 21-22 at 70 mph and 19 overall (50/50 city highways).

It has giant blind spots. Blind spot assist is a a great option that should be standard.

Fit and finish is ok. Seats are comfortable. Ride is decent with 850 pounds of people.

Oil change interval is listed at 20k miles and will cost $300+ at the dealership. oil change, fuel filter, and transmission fluid change known as a B service can run $1300-$1600. So I’ve read.

I’m super excited to plan this years vacation. We will get on to some BLM roads and other places I probably wouldn’t have taken my Honda. And we will do it with more comfort and be better organized for a 3-4 week trip.

I’m upgrading rear shocks and adding some slide out storage for coolers and other equipment and adding a rack to securely strode Costco tubs and foot locker storage containers. I added a hitch.

After all my research I concluded that the AWD sprinter is the most capable AWD van in stock configuration and has the most options if you want to improve off-road performance.

 

[4x4prepper]

I never regretted having a winch on the front of a truck or in the bed. Though on more then one occasion I regretted not having a front winch on my 1985 Ford E-250 4x4 van, especially when towing a loaded dual axle trailer off road and getting stuck axle deep in the mud going uphill.

So, if I was taking my family off road in a vehicle, in a remote area, I would want at least a winch on the front bumper. Maybe a skid plate on the fuel tank.

The diesel might not make as much HP/TQ as a gasoline engine, but, it is MUCH safer to carry an extra 10 gallons of diesel then it is of gasoline.

Whatever care is required at 100k miles must be a dozy since the extended warranty for 120k is $2000 more then the 100k. So, I would certainly have at least a working passing knowledge at doing PM myself.

> G660 with 28”, 36” and 52” bars

I just bought a new Farmertec 660 with the "carbon fiber", skid plate, better carb, etc. Might not be as powerful as my modified FT 660, but, it is easier to start. On my older one, I had to replace the pretty much all the trigger setup with OEM Stihl to get it reliable. They run 32" full comp fine though I have not tested them on my sawmill, yet.

I guess yours is the 144" WB.

If you trust retread tires enough, I found a place that sells the chevon V type tread that look like they will be awesome off road. I have 5 of those (tirerecappers) tires to go on my truck and I am going to do a head to head against the treadwright "kwedge" treads. See how each deals with the GA clay mud.

I use to own 30 acres in ME and live in MA and NH, and I found keeping a set of tires for off road and/or winter was a better option then compromising with "AT" type tires for all around driving all year. Today with cordless impacts and aluminum jacks, swapping out four wheels and then torquing them to spec in your driveway is not that big of a deal anymore.

One thing I found REAL handy is having antennas on both sides about two inches taller then the roof line. When creeping under trees, or through a parking garage, or into a drive through, I rather know I do not have clearance before I hear scrapping sounds.

 

[EbS-P]

We will see where the adventure takes us. We’re headed to the Grand Canyon this summer. 2400 highway miles there.

I like the antennas. The official height is 9’8”. I just call it 10’. Its most limiting factor is its size.

Im definitely not trusting a retread at 80mph in the summer on I-40. I’m probably more risk adverse than the average person. Good tires are drop in the bucket for what this van cost's new. And I’m not hauling a spare set of tires 5-6k miles (yet).

Doing my own oil changes is something I can do. The transmission fluid requires a new pan with filter (no drain plug) and is a PITA to check the level. (There is not one dipstick on this rig)


My 660 is going to slab this oak before Christmas

 

[begreen]

I like the antennas. The official height is 9’8”. I just call it 10’. Its most limiting factor is its size.

I almost took off a camper roof vent on a Ford van in a parking garage by this reason. Fortunately I was going slow and could back up when I heard the initial contact.

 

[4x4prepper]

> Im definitely not trusting a retread at 80mph in the summer on I-40

Neither would I 🙃

When going on long trips, especially out of the country, I believe in carrying two spares. Because if you run over trash in the gutter or hit a big pothole, it is not unheard of to destroy two tires.

25+ years ago I was a vendor at a computer show in Quebec, so, I loaded up my 2x4 Ford van to the roof with two spare tires inside under the boxes. We get to the border, after driving hours from MA in a bad snowstorm, late at night, and the custom officer says he can't let me pass because ... studded tires are illegal in Quebec. So, I had to unload everything and change my two tires while customs watched. I never regretted having a floor jack in my trucks .

To be fair, it literally was like driving into another country because as soon as we crossed into Quebec the roads were free of snow and ice build up, even though it was the same storm only 300 or so feet apart. They did an amazing job, I never needed studded tires again until I crossed the border back into the USA.

Besides the diesel engine another plus for the AWD MB van is there is a ton of aftermarket support for it. Even american van carries a bunch of stuff for them now.

> It has giant blind spots. Blind spot assist is a a great option that should be standard.

I was looking through the AV site at the MB offerings, just out of mild curiosity, and this seems like a good system. Not clear if it has a RECORD function or not. Might be better them most Amazon offerings, though without recording, might not be worth the money. The birds eye view towing a trailer and backing it up might be handy if your blind spots are the C pillars.

RVS inView 360° HD Quick-Install Camera System $1099

 

[30WCF]

Get some fish eyes and adjust the mirrors to where you don’t see your own vehicle unless your head is touching the drivers window, and about the same lean for the passenger side. You don’t need to see your vehicle in your mirror. If there is a car there, it’s too late, you’ve already traded paint.

 

[EbS-P]

We made the NC to ME trip in the new van. It will cruise at 70-73 and is very nice. At 80+ it had to downshift and it get louder. (We may have had a good head wind). The adaptive cruise control is really nice and worth whatever it costs. but I got stuck behind a lot of slow cars and by the time I realized how slow we were going I missed my chance to pass. We got 19.9 mpg for the drive.

Its power to weight ratio is not up to the over powered American standard. It’s gutless above 65. It’s all about compromises. Van had 3k miles now and I can say it’s a great driving van/bus. I was worried it would be more of a handful. I probably passed 100 Honda Odysseys today. I wow they look small now. It’s nice to know I don’t have to worry about payload. And all the winter clothes fit and I could still see out the back window.

All in all my initial impression is if you can’t fit into a Suburban this is probably just as good and maybe better. Would a suburban get 20 mpg setting cruise at 74 mph? (I honestly don’t know).

 

[begreen]

Would a suburban get 20 mpg setting cruise at 74 mph? (I honestly don’t know).

I don't know about the current models, but my sister's circa 2000 diesel Suburban got around 23 mpg on most east coast trips.

 

[4x4prepper]

I would say averaging 19 mpg at 60 mph with a heavy AWD vehicle is impressive.

 

[EbS-P]

We drove home yesterday. The first 400 miles was windy. It was not a fun drive. We got 17 mpg for the first 400 miles. I wouldn’t say it was a handful to keep on the road but certainly required a good grip on the wheel and all my attention over 70 mph which was most whenever traffic would allow. It has lane keeping assist and a cross wind assist that uses abs to keep you going straight and in your lane. The cross wind assist activated once and was a mild activation. I think I was already adding steering input when it activated. We ended 995 miles with an average of 18.5 mpg.

It certainly attracted more attention up north and in Conway than it does down here at the beach.

I had to add def before we left. I can’t find out when it gives the ## of starts remaining or how many that is for low def fluid. If they filled 5 gallons from factory then I got 62 gallons of def per gallon of diesel.

one kid was complaining that the seats weren’t as comfortable as the the old Odyssey. I could see that. But they also had a lot more room.

The ride is great for a 3/4 ton van. Not a lot of body roll and damping is adequate spring rate is nice for our relatively light load. We will see how it feels once loaded for a 3-4 week vacation.

The MB navigation I don’t think is as good as Apple Maps. But I know Apple will not keep me off roads with clearance less than 10’ and I don’t yet trust MB nav to do the same.

We saw lots of Ford transit passenger vans. Even one I noticed was an AWD. I didn’t see one MB AWD passenger van.

The digital oil gauge (no dip stick) shows no consumption over the first 4300 miles. That pleases me. Having tire temp and pressure as long as oil and transmission temp gauges with numbers is nice. It needs an EGT gauge. I could add an aftermarket OBD tool/screen. Might be worthwhile.

We need more organization and storage for long trips. And probably floor mats.

The only issue is the cover came off the rear parking brake handle/mechanism. It kept getting banged by big feet.
Last minor complaint. The following distance when using cruise can be set. But I find the 2 setting to close for highway speeds and the 3 is great but it allows cars to fit between you can’t the car in front and then slows down get get more separation. So you were keeping up with traffic in the passing lane until you were passed on the right then that caused you to slow down an now everyone is passing you on the right because you are now traveling 10-15 mph slower than you were.

All in all great van. Haven’t test the AWD yet.

 

[EbS-P]

Check engine light (CLE) came on with the glow plug light. Glow plug light goes off CLE stays on. Booking appointments at my local MB dealer that services commercial vans is 30 days out. I guess they have one mechanic

Ordered a ScanGuage3. Code is fault on the #3 glow plug. And done HVAC control.

4300 miles on the OD. Hope this is not a reoccurring thing.

Now that’s it’s cold I’m trying to figure out how the auxiliary diesel heater works. I know the ambient temp sensor must be below 39F for it to kick in but I can’t actually tell if it’s working.

I keep inadvertently pressing the sliding door button on the fob. Found it open this AM. I did take some trash out. Kids may have left it open. It’s happens more than 3 times now.

 

[4x4prepper]

Does MB offer an option of having to press the button twice to pop it open?

 

[EbS-P]

Does MB offer an option of having to press the button twice to pop it open?

I should look into that!!

 

[EbS-P]

I ordered a ScanGauge 3 OBD2 scan tool. It arrived an I have a fault on #3 glow plug. Hope this is just a fluke.

 

[4x4prepper]

I know on my 2013 C-Max PHEV and our new (with only 256k) 2014 F-150, you can set the passenger doors to require two clicks. Even if not offered in the MB owner's manual, it might be able to be set with a scanner.

$0.02 To prevent man in the middle attacks I store my FOBs in a metal box or small safe.

> fault on #3 glow plug

When fixing vehicles I look for chewed through harnesses. It just may be a loose connector. I do not think it would void a warranty just to pull the connector off and see if you are getting the proper voltage to the glow plug. I can not see a glow plug going bad with so few miles. I do not think I would use a test lamp, maybe a DMM.

 

[EbS-P]

It was rodent damage. 16 days to repair after waiting almost 5 weeks for an appointment. Cost was my $1500 my deductible is $1000.