2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

MY2018 is the last year of the second-generation (W906) Sprinter in the US. Mercedes dropped the 2.1L four-cylinder diesel and offered no gasoline engine, so the 188-hp OM642 V6 diesel is the only powertrain, near the bottom of the van band. The registry folds diesel into the gas class.

The diesel V6's 325 lb-ft arrives low in the rev range. It is mid-band for vans and the van's real strength next to its modest horsepower.

Mercedes publishes no 0–60 time and no instrumented 2018 test was found. W906 V6-diesel tests run from 10.5 s (2012 2500 crew van) to about 12 s, so roughly 11.5 s is the estimate, slower than the slow end of the van band.

The torquey V6 diesel launches with authority and pulls loads well low down, but it runs out of breath above about 40 mph and has the clatter of a commercial diesel. It feels dated next to the Transit's 3.5L EcoBoost.

For 2018 the V6 has only a five-speed automatic, because the seven-speed went with the four-cylinder. Its wide ratio gaps add to the lack of pull at highway speed, though shifts are smooth and predictable.

The V6 diesel is rated to tow up to 7,500 lbs when properly equipped. Many 2500 configurations are listed at 5,000 lbs.

A part-time 4x4 with a high/low transfer case is a $7,500 option on the V6 diesel 2500/3500, which is rare among 2018 full-size vans (Transit and ProMaster had none). It is expensive and not available on most configurations, and RWD is standard.

The standard RWD van has 7.9 in of ground clearance and is built for pavement. The optional 4x4 adds low range and extra ride height and handles trails well, but has no lockers or skid plates, and the 8-ft-plus body limits where it can go.

For 2018 the US Sprinter has one powertrain: the 3.0L V6 diesel with a five-speed automatic. There is no gas, four-cylinder or electrified option.

The Sprinter 2500 exceeds 8,500 lb GVWR, so the EPA gives no figure. Real-world results for the V6 diesel cluster in the high teens to about 20 MPG, so 19 MPG is the middle estimate.

There is no official city figure. The diesel's low-rpm torque helps in stop-and-go driving, and about 17 MPG is estimated from the combined figure.

The diesel cruises at about 21 MPG unladen in RWD form. TFLtruck's loaded 4x4 at 70 mph did several MPG worse.

The 24.5-gallon diesel tank at about 19 MPG gives roughly 465 miles. TFLtruck calculated about 430 miles for a loaded 4x4 at 70 mph.

There is no EPA figure, so the cost is derived: 15,000 miles at about 19 MPG is roughly 790 gallons a year. At 2018's average diesel price of about $3.18/gal that is roughly $2,500, before diesel exhaust fluid.

The only engine requires ultra-low-sulfur diesel, which costs more than regular gas in the US and is not sold at every station. The BlueTEC SCR system also needs regular DEF (AdBlue) top-ups.

NHTSA has never crash-rated the second-generation (W906) Sprinter. The SafetyRatings database lists 19 Mercedes-Benz models for 2018 and the Sprinter is not one of them.

IIHS has never tested the W906 Sprinter, so it has no crashworthiness results and no award. By 2018 this was a 12-year-old body structure, which earns a score slightly below the segment norm, though no specific structural concerns are documented.

On the facelifted W906, ESP with Crosswind Assist was standard. Collision Prevention Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and Highbeam Assist were bundled into an optional Active Safety Plus package, so the volume 2500 cargo van shipped without active driver assistance. Adaptive cruise was not offered.

Collision Prevention Assist is a radar proximity warning paired with adaptive Brake Assist, which amplifies the driver's braking rather than braking autonomously at full force. It was optional, and IIHS has never evaluated it.

Blind Spot Assist was optional on the 2018 Sprinter and gives a warning only. There was no rear cross-traffic alert, which matters on a van with a blind rear quarter.

Lane Keeping Assist on the W906 is camera-based and warns the driver through steering-wheel vibration without steering, so it is closer to lane departure warning. It was optional, and no lane centering was available.

The W906 Sprinter had conventional cruise control only. DISTRONIC adaptive cruise did not come to the US van until the third generation launched for 2019.

The 2018 Sprinter offers no hands-free or steering-assist system of any kind.

The volume cargo van has halogen headlamps, while bi-xenon lamps and Highbeam Assist (auto high beam) were options. IIHS has never rated the Sprinter's headlights.

The high seating position, tall windshield and large split mirrors give good forward and side sightlines. A windowless cargo body is blind at the rear, and on the W906 rear camera and Parktronic coverage were optional rather than standard, with no 360-degree camera available.

Passenger and Crew Sprinters have rear benches with child-seat anchors, and the wide sliding door and tall cabin make installing a seat easy. The volume 2500 cargo van has front seats only, so it has no LATCH positions.

MY2018 is the last year of the second-generation (W906) Sprinter. The 2500 Passenger Van seats 12 on both wheelbases, and the volume Cargo Van seats two or three up front.

The high roof found on most Sprinters gives standing-height headroom, well beyond the top of the van band. Even the standard roof is generous.

The W906's upright, forward-set cab has short front legroom. It trails the Transit's 41.3 in and falls below the bottom of the van band.

The 2018 Passenger Van is high-roof only, and the flat roof carries close to standing height back through the seating rows. Mercedes publishes no second-row figure, so this is an estimate.

Bench spacing in the 12-passenger layout leaves a usable 39 in of second-row legroom, more than the Transit wagon's 33.7 in.

The 12-passenger van's third and fourth rows are full benches under the high roof, with a walk-through aisle and a wide sliding door, so adults can fit. The step-in is tall, and rear climate and amenities are basic shuttle fare.

With every row in place, the 144-inch Passenger keeps only modest space behind the last bench. The 170-inch body more than doubles it.

The 170-inch high-roof cargo body is the volume Sprinter configuration and holds nearly 490 cu ft. The extended body tops the 2018 full-size van class at 530 cu ft.

The cab has a full-width overhead shelf above the windshield, large door pockets, dash cubbies and 12V outlets. The cargo box has floor tie-downs and a large factory and upfitter shelving catalog. There is no onboard AC power or clever console.

The front buckets are firm, upright and supportive for a work van, and Comfort seats with lumbar and armrests were optional. Short legroom and flat passenger benches limit long-trip comfort.

Reviewers long credited the W906 with car-like composure for a large van. It rides firmly and jiggles when empty, but it is more settled than the front-drive ProMaster.

The V6 diesel's clatter, the boxy body's wind noise and the drum effect of the cargo area make it loud at highway speed, as in most vans of its era. Passenger trims with headliners are somewhat quieter.

Heated seats, a heated windshield, rear auxiliary A/C on Passenger vans and a fuel-fired auxiliary heater were all options. Ventilated seats, a heated wheel and remote pre-conditioning were not offered.

The cheapest 2018 Sprinter is the de-contented Worker 2500 cargo van on the 144-inch wheelbase. Every 2018 US Sprinter uses the 3.0L V6 diesel, the only engine offered in the W906's final year. The regular 2500 144-inch cargo van starts at $39,415 delivered.

The high-roof 170-inch 2500 cargo van is the usual fleet and upfit spec, at $44,285 delivered. Typical options such as a partition, safety packages and upgraded audio bring it to about $46.5K. That is about $11K more than a comparably specced Ford Transit 250.

CarEdge projects about $6,200 over five years for the Sprinter 2500 at the model level. The W906 V6 diesel adds DEF/SCR service, NOx-sensor and EGR repairs, and Mercedes dealer labor rates, so it is estimated somewhat higher. It is well above the gas-V6 Transit (~$3,700).

KBB shows this van at $21,300 resale after losing 38% ($13,543) over three years, which puts it near $34.8K at the 5-year mark (2023). That figure is inflated by the 2021–23 used-van shortage, so it was moderated to ~62% against the ~$46.5K typical sticker. Sprinters hold value far better than the 2018 Transit (~42%).

The standard Mercedes-Benz Vans basic limited warranty sits at the bottom of the band, level with the Transit and ProMaster.

Mercedes-Benz Vans covered the turbo-diesel engine for 5 years / 100,000 miles. Some spec aggregators list drivetrain coverage at only 3 yr / 36,000 mi. Either way the term sits at the bottom of the band.

No scheduled maintenance is included; prepaid maintenance and extended warranties cost extra. The only perk is roadside assistance for the 3-year/36,000-mile basic term, and there is no connected-service trial (Mercedes PRO connect arrived with the 2019 VS30).

$46,500 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (62% retained, or about $28,830) leaves about $17,670 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $24,170 in total.

Neither Consumer Reports nor J.D. Power publishes a model-level prediction for the 2018 Sprinter, so this score rests on indirect signals. MY2018 is the last year of the mature W906 second generation, which avoids the launch-year problems of the 2019 VS30. RepairPal still rates it only average, and its owners make above-average unscheduled shop visits, so it lands at the bottom of the average band.

Mercedes-Benz has landed below the industry average in recent J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Studies, and Consumer Reports ranks it in the lower half of brands. Mercedes vans do better in European fleet surveys, which keeps the brand mid-pack rather than at the bottom.

The feed lists 10 campaigns covering MY2018, a fraction of the 2019 count. Several of the '2018–2019' campaigns (hood catch, airbag activation, side glass, skipped final inspection) appear to cover early-built VS30 units, so they say little about the W906. The broad recalls that do reach the W906 are two hydraulic campaigns: power-steering return-hose detachment and ESC disablement on camper-upfitted 3500s. That is ordinary recall activity with nothing systemic in the powertrain.

The gas Sprinter 2500 used the 3.5L M276 V6 (about 247 hp) with the 7G-TRONIC PLUS seven-speed automatic, a pairing shared with Mercedes passenger cars. It avoids the diesel's DPF, EGR and DEF problems and shows no catastrophic failure pattern. It sold in small numbers, though, so it lacks the diesel's high-mileage fleet record, and the 7G-TRONIC carries a known history of conductor-plate and valve-body faults.

The 2014-refreshed W906 cab has a thicker steering wheel, new upholstery and Mercedes switchgear, which feel sturdy and a little more premium than the ProMaster. It is plainly a work-van interior of hard plastics, dated next to the 2015-on Transit's cab and well short of the later VS30's MBUX cabin.

As a late-cycle W906 built from CKD kits in Ladson, SC, MY2018 has few assembly-error recalls; the door-latch campaign covers only 76 vans. The generation is known for body corrosion (wheel arches, door bottoms, sliding-door tracks) in salted regions, which costs it against the class.

Service runs through a dedicated Mercedes-Benz Vans network of a few hundred US locations. That covers metro areas adequately but is far thinner than the thousands of Ford and Ram dealers servicing the Transit and ProMaster, so rural fleets face longer trips and waits.

Parts come largely from dealers at premium prices. The W906's long production run gives it a deeper aftermarket than the newer VS30, helped by camper upfitters, but it is still smaller than the Transit's or ProMaster's, and unscheduled repair costs run above the class average.

The 2018 W906 has a small, non-touch display on the Audio 15 head unit. MBUX touchscreens arrived only with the 2019 VS30.

Audio 15 is a button-and-knob unit from the early-2010s Mercedes parts bin. Its menus are simple but slow and cramped, and owners describe the factory navigation as mediocre.

No version of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, wired or wireless, was offered from the factory on the 2018 W906. Owners fitted aftermarket units to get it.

Native navigation was the optional Becker MAP PILOT, a plug-in module shown on the small Audio 15 display. Voice control was limited to basic Bluetooth phone commands.

Cargo vans get a basic two- to four-speaker setup. Passenger vans add more speakers through the long cabin, but there is no branded premium system.

The cluster has analog gauges with a small monochrome/basic multifunction display between them. No configurable digital cluster was available.

The 2018 Sprinter has no over-the-air update capability, and navigation maps are updated by dealer or media.

There is no factory companion app or remote lock, start or locate function. Fleet telematics were aftermarket only.

There are 12V outlets in the dash, plus a USB/iPod connection through the Audio 15 interface. There is no USB-C, wireless charging or household AC outlet.

The van uses a traditional turn key with remote keyless entry. Proximity entry, push-button start, factory remote start and phone-as-key were not available.

The rear-view camera (shown on the Audio 15 display or a mirror screen) and PARKTRONIC sensors were extra-cost options. Surround view and parking automation were not offered.

No head-up display was offered on any 2018 Sprinter.

The Passenger Van's wide sliding door, high roof and aisle make it easy to reach car seats, and it has child-seat anchors. The tall step-in, commercial bench seats and long body make it clumsy for school runs, and the volume cargo van has no rear seats at all.

There are no NHTSA or IIHS crash ratings. Collision Prevention Assist, Blind Spot Assist and Lane Keeping Assist were options, and adaptive cruise was not offered. Families get Crosswind Assist and stability control as standard and little else.

There is huge headroom and decent second-row legroom, with rear auxiliary A/C available. The 144-inch van leaves only about 81 cu ft for luggage with all seats up, and it is noisy with no rear entertainment.

The V6 diesel pulls smoothly from low revs, but the 5-speed automatic, slow acceleration, size and noise make daily traffic tiring. Driver-assist features are minimal.

About 17–19 MPG for a van is decent, but diesel cost premium, DEF and Mercedes service rates push per-mile costs up.

It is 233 in long even on the 144-inch wheelbase, with a 44.6 ft turning circle that grows to 51.5 ft on the 170-inch. Cameras and sensors cost extra.

It offers the class's largest cargo volume (up to 530 cu ft), 2500/3500/3500XD weight classes, a towing rating of up to 7,500 lbs and low-rev diesel torque. The 188 hp and 5-speed feel strained when fully loaded at highway speed.

The W906 body is fleet-proven worldwide and commonly runs very high mileage. Below-average reliability, diesel emissions-system faults and costly Mercedes parts temper that.

It has one of the deepest upfit ecosystems of any van, with cab-chassis, crew, cargo and passenger bodies, plus ambulance, RV and shuttle conversions, shelving and rack partners. It lacks onboard AC power.

A range of roughly 465 miles and a composed highway ride help. Diesel and wind noise, short legroom and the lack of adaptive cruise or lane centering make it tiring over long days.

The optional 4x4 with low range was unique among 2018 full-size vans, and the Sprinter is the go-to base for adventure and camper builds. 4x4 is a costly, limited-availability option, and the RWD volume van is pavement-bound.

The stand-up high-roof box, rear doors that swing up to 270°, a wide sliding door and a cargo floor of nearly 490 cu ft swallow bikes, boards and camping gear upright. Roof rails and a hitch are available.

Reviewers consistently called the W906 car-like for a full-size van, with steady body control and Crosswind Assist on the tall high-roof body. It still leans and feels top-heavy in quick changes of direction.

The hydraulic power steering is accurate and steady on the highway but slow-geared and numb at low speed, which is typical of the class.

Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and Brake Assist give predictable stops and good resistance to fade when loaded. No 2018 instrumented stopping-distance test was found.

The V6 diesel delivers its torque smoothly and shifts predictably, but the 5-speed automatic's wide gaps and turbo lag leave it breathless above 40 mph.

The OM642 diesel clatters at idle and drones when worked, and the noise carries through an uninsulated cargo box. A V6 is smoother than the rivals' four-cylinder diesels.

Even the shorter 144-inch wheelbase turns wider than the van band's limit, and the popular 170-inch is far wider again.

The commanding, upright seat and tall glass give good sightlines, with a tilt/telescoping wheel and a dash-mounted shifter. Short legroom, a bus-like wheel angle and a high step-in limit comfort for tall drivers.

It is a capable workhorse with tidy manners for its size, but slow acceleration and diesel clatter make it an appliance to drive. The fun comes from where a camper build can take it, not from the drive itself.

Standard equipment on the 2018 Sprinter covers the V6 diesel, a 5-speed automatic, stability control with Crosswind Assist, and a basic radio. Collision Prevention Assist, blind-spot and lane-keeping aids, a backup camera, navigation and comfort features are all extra-cost options. The cheaper Transit and ProMaster match or beat that base content.

At about $44.3K delivered for the 170-inch high-roof 2500, it costs roughly $8–11K more than a comparable Transit or ProMaster. For that money it delivers only 188 hp, an aging cabin and option-dependent safety tech. Diesel torque, interior height, available 4x4 and strong resale recover some of the gap.

The lineup is very broad. It spans the low-cost Worker, 2500, 3500 and 3500XD weight classes; cargo, crew, passenger and cab-chassis bodies; standard and high roofs; 144-inch, 170-inch and extended wheelbases; and a 4x4 option that no gas rival offered. The one gap is a single engine.

It was a steady seller in the final W906 year, boosted by fleet and conversion demand. It still ran a distant second tier behind the Transit, which sold several times as many full-size vans in 2018. The Amazon order for 20,000 vans (announced September 2018) went to the new VS30 generation.

The three-pointed star and the Sprinter's status as the default base for camper and luxury-shuttle conversions give it an image no other van matches, and that helps its strong resale. A commercial-grade cargo version trades less on the badge than the passenger and conversion builds do.

As the outgoing generation in its final model year, the 2018 W906 was a run-out model. Mercedes-Benz Vans commercial lease and finance programs plus dealer clearance discounting were common ahead of the VS30's arrival. Invoice sits about 7% below MSRP, which gives room to negotiate.

MY2018 is the final year of a W906 generation that launched in 2006 and was last facelifted for MY2014. An all-new VS30 replaced it for 2019, so buyers faced an outdated platform with the replacement imminent.

Reviewers long praised the W906 for its cavernous high-roof cargo space, diesel torque and car-like handling. By 2018 they flagged it as dated, slow (an 11-second-plus 0–60) and expensive, with below-average reliability. The Transit was more often the pick of the class.