Mercedes-Benz Sprinter wins German Commercial Vehicle Prize

• Winner is the new Sprinter
• Tested by tradesmen
• Presentation of prize on September 22 at IAA in Hanover

AUTOCHANNEL STUTTGART - July 27, 2006: Twelve testers, all master tradesmen with fleets of their own, tested the vehicles entered for the competition during an entire weekend. And they came up with a winner: the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The tradesmen, readers of Handwerkmagazin and Deutsche Handwerks Zeitung who applied to take part in the 2006/2007 Commercial Vehicle Prize organized by Holzmann Verlag publishing house, assessed a total of nine vehicles. These were vans with 3 or 3.5 tonnes permissible gross vehicle weight; like the Sprinter, several were launched in 2006. Others will follow before the end of the year.

So practically the entire current spectrum of vehicles on offer in this class was represented. As in the tests of earlier years, the first day began with the rating of the standing vehicles, assessing their cabs and load compartments. For instance, the aspects examined included the seating position, operating convenience and stowage facilities, as well as the payload, towing capacity and size of the cargo area.

The second day of testing focused on driving. Each tester drove each vehicle over a specified route and, immediately afterwards, rated its engine power, handling, safety aspects and ease of maintenance. The operating costs had been determined in advance by the independent testing organisation DEKRA and made available to the tester team. When the individual results were added up, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, entered as a 311 CDI panel van, came out on top.

The German Commercial Vehicle Prize is awarded every two years on the occasion of the Commercial Vehicle International Motor Show (IAA) by Holzmann Verlag under the patronage of the Federal Minister of Transport. The prize will be presented this year on September 22 at the IAA in Hanover by Prof. Bernd Gottschalk, President of the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry).