As luck would have it, I obtained scheduled right into a weekend with the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter precisely after I wanted it.
The third wettest Spring on document in Southeastern Wisconsin flooded my mother’s basement. Previous to transferring from a condominium to a home three years in the past, I stashed a number of my very own litter downstairs at her place to streamline my life, and three years earlier than the loss of life of my niece’s father had already stockpiled different possessions down there.
The flooding meant the time had come to maneuver all that crap out to clear room for contractors to work.
I took possession of the eSprinter with a 99% cost on the battery and an indicated 199 miles of estimated vary. An official vary hasn’t been launched, however the 2024 eSprinter has 273 miles of vary on the extra lenient European WLTP cycle.
I need to admit to having just a little vary anxiousness. I figured the roundtrip could be about 140 miles, and I didn’t need to danger working out of cost mid-trip. Seems I didn’t have to fret. My mother’s home is 42 miles away to the north and west, whereas my niece’s home is a bit more than 14 miles away to the south and east, which might account for about 112 miles for the day. That left a number of wiggle room between the precise effectivity and the eSprinter’s real-world vary, which seems to be at the least 200 miles.
My tester was the identical as all 2024s: a high-roof mannequin with the 170-inch wheelbase and bigger 113-kwh (usable) battery (the 2025 eSprinter additionally provides a brief roof, a shorter 144-inch wheelbase, and a smaller 81-kwh battery). The tester additionally had the more-powerful 201-hp motor that spins up the identical 295 lb-ft of torque because the 151-hp base model.
2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
As a giant empty field with a really beneficiant 488.1 cubic ft of cargo quantity, the eSprinter arrived with a 48x48x28-inch picket field mounted in the course of its cargo flooring, in addition to a pair of spare tires mounted in entrance of it. The field contained 440 kilos of weight that mixed with the spare tires to assist settle the trip when empty the identical approach pickup house owners use sand baggage in an unladen mattress. That massive field of nothing was going to rob me of probably very important house to maneuver a life and a half.
Properly, it wasn’t precisely a full life and half. It was extra just like the leftovers of two lives, the stuff that you simply need to maintain however don’t want common entry to. The field supplied a pure divider between my mannequin vehicles, magazines, and automotive books and his guitars, amps, and survivalist gear. With every part loaded, there was nonetheless loads of room left over.
2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
The load didn’t have a noticeable impact on the eSprinter’s vary or restricted energy. The 83.9-mile journey to mother’s and again, half loaded and half not, used 48% of the vary, and the journey laptop indicated I had between 85 and 98 miles of vary remaining, relying on driving model and local weather management utilization. With the A/C working and most of these miles on the freeway at 70 mph to the highest velocity of 75 mph, I perceive why it barely underperformed its anticipated vary.
The van had no downside maintaining with site visitors within the metropolis or getting as much as freeway speeds. Nonetheless, laden or not, freeway passing proved a problem. This powertrain is tuned to work as wanted in the actual world and supply little past that.
One other 28.7 miles to my niece’s and again, once more totally on the freeway, took the journey whole to 112.6 miles and left the eSprinter with 73-85 miles of estimated remaining vary and the battery with 37% of remaining cost. All informed, the van averaged 1.7 miles per kwh for the journey, which appears completely cheap given it quantities to a giant beast reducing via the wind like a brick wouldn’t.
2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
After I recharged the van in a single day on my Degree 2 dwelling charger the journey laptop indicated 192 miles of vary with a 100% cost. The system clearly learns how the van is being pushed and adjusts its vary estimate primarily based on the latest miles. A lighter load and slower speeds will surely enhance the vary estimate.
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter strikes me as a wise alternative for fleet consumers. Priced at $77,611 with $3,430 for the bigger motor, it’s about $16,000 greater than a gasoline mannequin. It has sufficient vary for a full day on the job and its electrical energy will make it less expensive to function, although it is going to take fairly a while and plenty of miles to up for that value premium. Will probably be lots cleaner to make use of, too.
It is particularly useful when one is obtainable to you simply when mother wants your crap moved out of her basement.
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2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
Base value: $74,181, together with $2,295 vacation spot
Value as examined: $77,611
Powertrain: 201-hp motor, 113-kwh battery, rear-wheel drive
EPA effectivity: Estimated 200-220 miles of vary
The hits: Simply sufficient energy, a number of cargo room, environment friendly for a fleet
The misses: Energy ends the place the velocity restrict ends, massive and cumbersome, a lot pricier than gasoline model