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Old 09-28-2018, 12:12 AM   #1
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Mercedes Sprinter GVWR Upgrade

It’s been known for a while that an upgrade was coming, but now it’s official. The maximum Sprinter chassis GVWR will be going from 11,030 to 12,125 pounds. For those who think those are unusual numbers, they represent nice round 5.0 and 5.5 tonnes (metric ).

This 10% Sprinter improvement (1,100 pounds) may not seem like much, but places the highest 2019 Sprinter GVWR nearly a US ton above the Ford Transit’s maximum of 10,360 pounds, its nearest competitor.

Just sharing this info in case some of you are looking at compact Class As or Cs but would prefer more load capacity.
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Old 09-28-2018, 06:22 AM   #2
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E450 is 14,500
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Old 09-28-2018, 02:43 PM   #3
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That’s correct. Because E-Series are body-on-frame construction, I haven’t thought of Sprinters as direct competitors; so I’ve compared them more to Ford’s Transit. Sprinter and Transit also have similar size Diesel engines, which are quite different than Ford gasoline V10.

Since they are all vans, I suppose your comparison is applicable.

If comparing to E-Series as far as GVWR, that would place the new Sprinter closer to E-350; which come in 10,050-, 11,500-, and 12,500-pound GVWR.



That 2019 Sprinter are now built in US is an improvent — should at least lower cost some.
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Old 09-28-2018, 10:37 PM   #4
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Have you heard anything about power-train upgrades, to handle the extra poundage?
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Old 09-29-2018, 12:41 AM   #5
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I haven’t seen much official data yet. As important as GVWR is Gross Combined Weight Rating. Just because chassis can haul more weight it doesn’t mean that they have upgraded total combined weight, which affects power.

Having said that, the 3.0L diesel V6 will have a 7-speed. I believe present Sprinters have 5-speed. The new gasoline Sprinters with small turbo engines will have a 9-speed. I’d guess these transmission upgrades are more for fuel economy than increasing GVWR to 12,125 pounds. I also haven’t seen whether 4-cyl turbo gasoline goes up to 12,125 pounds or not.
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Old 09-29-2018, 03:12 AM   #6
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Talked to Ford at RV show and the Transits Low cargo capacity. They claim that the Transit is going to get Heavy Duty upgrades . Not sure when.



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Originally Posted by Chance View Post
That’s correct. Because E-Series are body-on-frame construction, I haven’t thought of Sprinters as direct competitors; so I’ve compared them more to Ford’s Transit. Sprinter and Transit also have similar size Diesel engines, which are quite different than Ford gasoline V10.

Since they are all vans, I suppose your comparison is applicable.

If comparing to E-Series as far as GVWR, that would place the new Sprinter closer to E-350; which come in 10,050-, 11,500-, and 12,500-pound GVWR.



That 2019 Sprinter are now built in US is an improvent — should at least lower cost some.
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Old 09-29-2018, 02:32 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by carlgorski View Post
Talked to Ford at RV show and the Transits Low cargo capacity. They claim that the Transit is going to get Heavy Duty upgrades . Not sure when.

Based on anticipated exterior revisions for 2020 Model Year, I expect any significant cargo capacity upgrades would be done at same time. There have already been many pictures posted on Internet of camouflaged Transit mules with front end covered up.

It’s interesting that when Ford came out with Transit 5 years ago, they announced it would replace the heavier-duty E-Series, which was being phased out. However, for RV use, Ford got the demand very wrong. The E-Series remains the #1 RV chassis.

More recently Ford officially announced that the E-Series would remain into the 2020’s, and would receive upgrades.

For me personally, even if GVWR wasn’t a factor, I’d prefer the E-Series over the Transit for a Class C. The cab area feels a lot more open, and also easier to get in and out of seats towards the back.
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