30 years ago, the brand with the three-pointed star launched a van that was to make history: the Sprinter. As the first Mercedes-Benz van with a resounding name, it revolutionized the light commercial vehicle segment in 1995 - and quickly became the namesake for the entire vehicle class.
Then as now, it stands for quality and innovation. The Sprinter impresses customers worldwide and has a high repurchase rate, also thanks to its popularity among body and conversion manufacturers, who continue to upgrade it for a wide range of applications. 75 percent of all Sprinters worldwide are converted.
1995: The beginning of a new van era
In spring 1995, the Sprinter celebrated its premiere, making the first Spinter 2025 vintage vans. 1995 was a milestone in many respects. The Sprinter follows on from the legendary T1/TN and is the first van with a star that bears a name instead of sober number and letter codes.
It only inherits the basic technical concept from its predecessor, everything else has been redesigned from scratch. The combination of a self-supporting body and high-traction rear-wheel drive, modern chassis with independent front suspension and powerful engines is unique at the time.
What's more, no other van at the time offered more safety features: even the first Sprinter had disc brakes all round, ABS anti-lock braking system, automatic brake differential, height-adjustable three-point seat belts and seat belt buckles attached to the seat as standard. A driver airbag is available as an option.
The first Sprinter generation was launched in 1995 as a chassis, platform van or tipper, each with a crew cab or single cab, as a panel van or estate with five or nine seats, with a flat or high roof. The wheelbases ranged from 3,000 to 4,025 millimetres. The permissible gross vehicle weight was initially 2,590, 2,800 or 3,500 kilograms.
Mercedes-Benz also pushed the issue of safety in the extensive update in 2000: the driver's airbag was now also included as standard equipment, and a front passenger airbag was added as an option, which also protected passengers on the inside of a double front passenger seat. Windowbags and traction control ASR are also available from mid-2000. With the introduction of the ESP® electronic stability program in 2002, the Sprinter once again sets new standards in active safety.
2006/2018: Second and third generation
The second generation followed in 2006, followed by the third in 2018 with an even greater range of variants. The success story continues and is celebrated in 2025 with a special model and a special presentation at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
