They say that moving house can be one of the most stressful things in life, and I always brushed that aside as an exaggeration. However, weeks of packing, organisation, arguments, phone calls, E-Mails, unforeseen costs, and I was beginning to wonder when my hair would turn white. But those tasks pail in comparison to the monumental operation of the physical move! You don’t really realise how much rubbish you horde over the years until that moment, nor how awkwardly shaped a sofa actually is, but thank fully I had the perfect moving partner. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a familiar face, but in behemoth specification, it was the only one I wanted to see.
Extended wheel base, high top, and plenty of torque from a 2.1 litre diesel engine, it was well equipped for the task. Open the 180 degree rear doors to reveal a gargantuan amount of space. I could sit here and tell you how many cubic metres this and pallet size that, but to us laymen the best example is that aforementioned awkward sofa. Sat nose to tail, you can fit a large two and three seat sofas with a little bit of room to spare! And then you have the hight of the van of which will keep your fridge freezer upright and healthy no problem at all. Better than simply fitting oversized items, tie-down points enable some piece of mind that your priceless Ming vase won’t meet your wardrobe.
Taking your pew high up in the cabin, you would be forgiven for thinking that the journey ahead would be pretty daunting. There is a lot of van back there after all! Thankfully our Sprinter was endowed with blind spot monitors and a reversing camera. Safe in the knowledge that I was unlikely to pancake a pension in her Rover Metro, I set off.
Whilst under load the diesel engine makes itself known, but it pulls cleanly and once underway refinement levels are better than you might expect. The steering is light making it an easy vehicle to work with and its surprising turning circle further adds to its approachability. Whilst empty the suspension may be a little over-sprung, yet fully laden with the furnishings of a house, the ride was rather good.
Just 3 trips in the Sprinter and the process of transporting all of my worldly belongings from point A to point B was over. It was certainly less painful thanks to the big ‘Benz. Slightly more painful is the argument I am currently having about where that damned sofa should go!
Great Review of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van