Brabus Transforms Mercedes Sprinter From Workhorse to Playground

BOTTROP, Germany — Taking a page from the playbook of American tuners, German customizer Brabus has transformed the workhorse Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van into "an ideal playground for creating a multimedia studio on wheels."

The tuning program for the Sprinter puts a premium on engine upgrades, appearance makeovers, custom wheels and interior enhancements.

For the Sprinter's 2.2-liter CDI engine, Brabus offers its PowerXtra D3 III performance kit that adds some significant torque to the common-rail turbodiesel. At 2,000 rpm, it produces a peak torque of 280 pound-feet. Horsepower increases from 150 to 180. For the top-of-the-line turbodiesel Sprinter 218, 318 and 418, Brabus offers the PowerXtra D6 III performance kit that bumps power to 224 horses and produces peak torque of 354 lb-ft. The tuner has tweaked the gas V6, too, increasing displacement from 3.5 to 4.0 liters with an increase in power from 258 to 310 hp. Peak torque rises from a standard 251 to 295 lb-ft.

Exterior upgrades include fender flares, custom-made headlamp inserts and nine-spoke wheels. The interior can be configured as a conference room, office or multimedia studio with state-of-the-art entertainment technology.