Mercedes-Benz can trace its history right back to the dawn of motoring, with Karl Benz producing what is accepted to be the first recognised car in 1886. What many people don’t realise is that its commercial vehicle history stretches back almost as far.
Benz and his rival automotive pioneer Gottlieb Daimler both produced their first commercial vehicles in the final few years of the 19th century and, by the time they merged in 1926, both had significant markets in the commercial sector. In fact, Mercedes-Benz can be credited with pioneering not just the world’s first-ever car, but also the first motorcycle, first van, first lorry, and first bus. Not bad, eh?
In the years that followed, Mercedes-Benz vans improved with each generation, gaining a strong following worldwide. The T1 Transporter became a very familiar vehicle in the 1960s and ’70s, while a major turning point was the launch of the first named van in 1995, the Sprinter – a vehicle that has sold more than five million to date.
While Ford has dominated the light commercial vehicle market for decades with its all-conquering Transit, Mercedes-Benz quietly maintains an impressive market share, with its Sprinter routinely being the closest challenger to the Ford market leader.
So who or what is Mercedes-Benz vans?
The first commercial vehicle produced by what would one day become Mercedes-Benz appeared just ten years after the first car, when in 1896 the pioneering Benz company took its Victoria passenger vehicle and fitted it with a removable box body. They also produced the first bus at around the same time.
The catchily named ‘Combinations-Lieferungs-Wagen’ was powered by a 2.5hp single-cylinder engine and could carry a 300kg load. A year later, Daimler launched its own delivery vehicle, the ‘Daimler-Geschäftswagen’, with various payload options ranging from 500 to 2,000 kg.
From 1911, Benz offered a new vehicle called the Lieferungswagen, which for the first time offered a proper steering wheel rather than a tiller, and a folding cab roof that provided some shelter for the driver in bad weather.
By 1926 both Benz and Daimler (which since 1902 had badged its products as Mercedes) were struggling financially and merged, an immediate result being the first Mercedes-Benz LCV, the L1. While early commercial models had been more akin to trucks than vans (and Mercedes-Benz is still a major player in the heavy goods vehicle business today), the L1 could be supplied as either a truck or with a covered body, forming the marque’s first true panel van. It was also the company’s first LCV fitted with an enclosed cabin, in which the front window folded forward to provide ‘air conditioning’.
Close to three decades passed before the next significant model, the L 319, which was very different to its predecessors – placing the engine under the windscreen, as is the norm today, rather than in front of it, produced a much more compact vehicle. The L 319 is widely regarded as the direct predecessor of today’s Sprinter design.
The L 406 D or ‘Düsseldorfer’ (because it was built in Düsseldorf), launched in 1967 and proved very long-lived, with numerous updates seeing it last well into the 1980s. A short bonnet was added, freeing up much more room in the cab and, for the first time, the driver had a proper gear lever mounted on the floor instead of the steering wheel.
From 1977, Mercedes-Benz decided to offer what was then regarded as a smaller van, though today it would be seen as the largest option between LCV and HGV – its gross vehicle weights ranged from 2.5 to 4.6 tonnes. Initially called the TN – ‘Transporter Neu’ it was quickly dubbed the Bremer, again because it was built in Bremen. Later, it became known as the T1 Transporter.
Notable in the T1’s design was a less obvious bonnet than the Düsseldorfer, allowing the front axle to be placed even further forward and making the van easier to get in and out of. The van was generally marketed as offering comfort levels much closer to those of a car.
The T1 became an iconic vehicle and more than a million had been sold by 1995, when it was replaced by the first incarnation of the vehicle that still forms the core of the Mercedes-Benz LCV range today, the Sprinter.
The Sprinter was the first Mercedes van to bear an official name rather than letters and numbers, and offered in four vehicle weights, a wide range of powertrains and plenty of versions. It proved an instant hit, and some three decades later, the line is now in its third generation and has gained an electric version.
While developing its vans, Mercedes-Benz was also ensuring they were as safe as possible – many safety technologies patented for the car range, such as anti-lock brakes and airbags, soon found their way into the LCV line-up.
In 1996, Mercedes-Benz launched a smaller sister to the Sprinter, which it dubbed the Vito – this van is now also in its third incarnation. Then the smallest member, the Citan, arrived in 2012 as part of a collaboration between Mercedes and Renault – both the first Citans and the Mk2 model launched in 2021 are badge-engineered versions of the Renault Kangoo.
The first electric Sprinter was revealed in 2019, but at the end of the following year Mercedes-Benz announced a successor to be launched in late 2023. A brand-new chassis designed specifically for EVs allowed a much greater variety of models, while the achievable range between charges was doubled. Both the Vito and Citan have also since gained electric versions.
What models does Mercedes-Benz vans have and what else is coming?
Today’s Mercedes-Benz van range is beautifully symmetrical, with three models according to size, all three available in diesel or electric versions.
The Sprinter remains the core of the LCV range – now in its third generation first launched in 2018 and updated in 2024, it is today offered as a panel van, a chassis cab for customers to build their own bespoke body requirement onto, a crew cab with an extra row of seats and a dropside truck.
The panel van is available in three lengths and two roof heights, taking a maximum payload of 2,479 kg – the gross vehicle weight (GVW) rated at up to 5 tonnes with a 3.5-tonne towing load) and a load volume of up to 15.5 m3.
The 1.9-litre diesel engine is available with 150, 170 and 190 hp power outputs and in Euro 6 and Euro 7 emissions variants. While rear-wheel-drive is standard, all-wheel-drive can be specified.
The second-generation electric version of the Sprinter is the most recent addition to the range. Now on a bespoke electric platform it can be had as a panel van or chassis cab.
The eSprinter is supplied with a choice of 81 or 113 kWh and has an official range rated at up to 272 miles. Both batteries will take 115kW rapid charging going from 10 to 80% in 34 and 42 minutes respectively.
Customers can have their electric Sprinter in 5.9 or 7-metre lengths, again with either a standard or high roof, and dependent on battery chosen a GVW of up to 4,250 kg, with a two-tonne towing capacity.
The Vito is the Sprinter’s smaller sister and in its third generation, dating back to 2014 but having undergone a mild facelift in 2020. It comes as a panel van, crew van or a ‘Tourer’ – effectively a large-capacity MPV.
Buyers can choose from two vehicle lengths with a maximum load volume of 6.6 m3 and a payload rating of up to 903 kg. GVT is rated at three tonnes with a towing capacity of up to two tonnes – this can be uprated to 2.5 tonnes.
The powertrains are similar to those of the Sprinter, a 1.95-litre diesel rated at 136, 163 or 190 hp, put through a rear-wheel-drive transmission.
The eVito can be had in the same two lengths as its diesel-engined sister and will take payloads of up to 794kg. Combined cycle range is quoted at 160 miles with recharging to 80% in 35 minutes.
The smallest member of the Mercedes-Benz LCV family is the Citan, the latest-second generation model launched in 2021 and based on the third-generation Renault Kangoo.
Also offered in two lengths the Citan panel van has a maximum 3.62m3 load compartment and payload rating of 854kg. There are two diesel engine options, both of 1.5 litres with either 94 or 114hp.
Finally the eCitan has all of the same size options as its diesel sibling. There is one battery option of 45 kWh and the electric hardware drops the payload to a maximum of 616 kg. The van is rated at a maximum combined cycle range of 176 miles, with a rapid charger restoring the battery in 38 minutes.
What’s coming next in the Mercedes LCV range is yet to be revealed. Van designs tend to be long-lasting and while expanding and improving the electric offerings is likely, taking advantage of technology updates, one can assume the brand will follow its previous mantra of evolution rather than revolution.
Where can I try a Mercedes-Benz van?
Mercedes-Benz has an extensive UK dealer network dedicated to its LCV operations, with some 95 outlets generally widely spread throughout the country. Welsh operators may have some distance to travel, with the only outlets in the far south or across the border in England.
The brand also maintains an extensive network of service locations as well as a team of mobile engineers.
What services does Mercedes-Benz offer the van operator?
Like most LCV manufacturers Mercedes-Benz provides operators of its vehicles with a full suite of back-up services, which the brand states are designed to cover every aspect of the van’s life and ensure an operator’s business never stops. These include a choice of service plans, dubbed ServiceCare and helping with future planning and spreading costs.
Van services are carried out at maintenance facilities located across the UK while a team of mobile workshops offer maintenance, repairs and software updates at a customer’s business or at roadside locations across Europe. A 24-hour service and repair hotline is also available to van customers.
Fleet managers can make use of a number of digital tools helping them to tailor maintenance to their operational needs – the connectivity between vans and base and remote diagnostic tools ensure they always have the latest data on their vans and can plan accordingly.
The digital extras, part of the standard equipment package, can be connected to existing telematics programmes used by fleets, while Mercedes-Benz also offers its own management system based on a central dashboard.
A Mercedes-Benz vans fact to impress your friends
US president Donald Trump’s tariff war on the rest of the world isn’t the first to rock the automotive industry.
In 1964, the ‘chicken tax’ – imposed initially as a result of a war with Europe over the US exporting cheap chicken – somehow expanded to include slapping a 25% levy on various imports to America, including commercial vehicles. This prompted Mercedes-Benz into a novel solution when first trying to sell the Sprinter in the US.
US-market Sprinters were built in Dussledorf, Germany. But they were then taken to another German facility, which disassembled them again. The bodies headed across the Atlantic on one ship, the engines, gearboxes and various components on another, and were then reunited at a ‘small kit assembly building’ in South Carolina.
Because they did not arrive in the States as complete vehicles, the Sprinters avoided the tax. Other manufacturers took similar action, Ford building versions of its Transit in Turkey as passenger vehicles and then, once they arrived in the US, stripping out the rear seats.
This circuitous process eventually ended when Mercedes-Benz built a Sprinter plant in South Carolina, though many of the components still come from Germany today.
Summary
The reputation of Mercedes-Benz as a van manufacturer is perhaps underrated. But with a consistently much-admired range over many years, led by the top-rated Sprinter, the German brand has amassed a customer base that is as wedded to its vans as many premium buyers are to its cars.
With a van offering for all the major markets and electric versions of all its model lines, Mercedes-Benz is a significant player in the LCV market.
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