2025 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Passenger

Available in two wheelbase lengths, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter comes as a cargo van, crew van, passenger van, and a customizable chassis cab. The Sprinter remains popular despite being about 14 years into its current lifecycle, with its truck-based GMC Savana and Chevy Express rivals even deeper into their runs. The Sprinter’s truer competitors are the Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster. Although the full-size van segment is small, it is crammed with talent. Even so, the Sprinter shines. Whether your van needs include light work, people hauling, or recreation, there is a Sprinter for you.

Mercedes did a little deck-chair rearranging for 2025, shifting some Sprinter content from the option column to the standard features column. For example, rain-sensing wipers are now included on all Sprinter models. Also, the Comfort Plus package gains a heated steering wheel. Furthermore, Mercedes enhanced a couple of its advanced safety technologies. The updated blind-spot monitoring system now recognizes and alerts drivers of a cyclist on the right when making a right turn. Likewise, the surround-view camera system now warns the driver of a pedestrian or cyclist immediately in front of the Sprinter when accelerating away from a stop.

The Sprinter sits at the top of the full-size van pricing structure. Its base cargo van is roughly $3K more than that of the Ford Transit and nearly $6K more than the base Ram ProMaster entry.

Before buying the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has an average track record for retaining its value. Recouping more money when you sell a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on your next one.

Mercedes offers two Sprinter engine choices, both of them 4-cylinder turbodiesels. The entry-level turbodiesel has a single turbocharger. It delivers 170 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. Its payload capacity in the Sprinter 2500 is 4,211 pounds.

Upgrading the engine gets you a high-output twin-turbo 4-cylinder engine generating 211 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque.  And with the twin-turbo diesel, you can add all-wheel drive for roughly $7K.

For a van engineered for hauling loads — be it cargo or people — the Sprinter is comfortable and quiet. We find the steering responsive and the suspension more like a car — albeit a big car — than a truck.

When the consideration is around-town driving, we are hard-pressed to recommend one among the Sprinter, Transit, or ProMaster vans. We find they each project an acceptable level of nimbleness and generally are about equal in parking-space requirements. Having said that, the base Sprinter van is roughly a foot longer in overall length than the base Transit, with an even bigger gap between the Sprinter and base ProMaster. The trade-off then is cargo capacity versus ease of parking.

Fuel Economy

The government doesn’t estimate vehicles of the Sprinter’s size; however, don’t expect average fuel economy much above the mid-high teens.

A cargo van is the proverbial blank slate for buyers, to be filled with Amazon packages, artisan furniture, arc welding gear, or whatever else. The doors open wide enough for a forklift to load or unload a pallet. Defining the Crew Van is a 3-passenger second-row seat with second-row windows. The central quandary for Passenger Van buyers is whether to go for the 12-seater or the 15-seater. And we suggest that they will probably want the higher roof, which is a real benefit. One of our 6-foot-tall reviewers commented that he was able to stand up inside. Maximum payloads (the combined weight of the people and cargo that can be carried) range from 3,020 pounds in the Passenger Van to 6,812 in the Cargo Van. These are higher payload numbers than the Ford Transit posts.

Cabin materials are generally good. Not up to the lavish standards of Mercedes-Benz cars, but simultaneously hard-wearing and easy on the eye. One option that’s made it into the Sprinter is the available MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system. We really appreciated that we had voice control through the onboard digital assistant simply by saying the words “Hey Mercedes” or “Hey Sprinter.” Doing so gets it ready to obey voice commands such as, “Find the nearest gas station.” Smartphone connectivity features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard.

The three vans making up the bulk of this segment — Sprinter, Transit, and ProMaster — are all rooted in Europe; consequently, they are tall and narrow rather than short and squat. We find these traits particularly helpful in negotiating crowded urban streets and narrow alleys.

Diesel engines
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is the only van in its class available with a turbodiesel engine. The Standard Output diesel produces 295 lb-ft of torque, and the High Output variant makes 332 lb-ft. When well maintained, these engines could last until the wheels fall off.

All-wheel drive
All-wheel drive is available on both cargo and passenger variants of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. It can send up to 50% of the engine’s output to the front wheels. However, you must opt for the higher output engine to add AWD.

15-passenger option
If you have a big crew to haul, the Sprinter Passenger Van is available in 12-passenger and 15-passenger configurations. All aboard!

9-speed transmission
The 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic transmission is linked to both diesel engines available in the Sprinter. We like it for its high overall gear ratio, quick shifts, and refinement. It makes the Sprinter a pleasure to drive. Relatively speaking, of course.

Available swivel seats
We could barely believe the difference this option makes when entering and exiting the Sprinter. The swivel seat package includes swivel bases for the front bucket seats.

20,000-mile service interval
The Sprinter has class-leading recommended service intervals of 20,000 miles. Longer intervals between servicing allow the Sprinter to spend more time on the road, providing the owner with less downtime.

To power the 2025 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, you may choose one of two 4-cylinder turbodiesels. The base engine comes with a single turbocharger, while the High Output engine upgrade comes with two turbos. Maximum towing is based on the tonnage classification. For example, the 2500 Cargo Van with rear-wheel drive can tow up to 5,000 pounds, while the 3500 Cargo Van can tug up to 7,500 pounds. This compares to the Ford Transit Cargo Van’s bracket of 5,300 to 6,500 pounds. However, top towing stats among full-size vans go to the GMC Savana and Chevy Express with a maximum capability of 10,000 pounds. A 9-speed automatic transmission transfers engine output to the wheels. All-wheel drive is only offered in conjunction with the more powerful twin-turbo diesel.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Mercedes covers the Sprinter with a bumper-to-bumper limited warranty for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. This is the same as Ford or Ram. However, the Sprinter’s limited powertrain warranty is for five years or 100,000 miles. Ford and Ram only issue a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty for the Transit and ProMaster.

Safety Ratings

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has performed its battery of crash tests on the Sprinter. About the only advanced safety technology that’s standard is slow-speed automatic emergency braking. Several other technologies like lane-keeping assist and blind-spot monitoring are available as options.