Custom Vans
USA National Parks tour in a Sprinter
Daimler Vans USA has equipped Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van to touring 50 U.S. national parks this summer as part of a 20,000-mile journey of discovery.
At the helm author and photographer Rob Wilson, with his wife Jan as co-pilot, the Sprinter Interstate 3500 model has been customized by Airstream to serve as a high-tech, fuel efficient and highly practical RV for the cross-country tour.
Not a bad job if you can get it
From the Rockies to the Everglades
The journey will start at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and move on through the southwest, and California heading up to the wilderness of Alaska. Back through the continental U.S., the Sprinter Interstate 3500 will cross the plains of the Midwest, ultimately arriving at Acadia National Park in Maine in late September. From there, a trip down the east coast ends at Mammoth Cave in Brownsville, Kentucky around November 27th. Sprinter Tour 2010 culminates in the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s National RV Show in Louisville, KY, November 30 – December 2nd a route 20,000-mile long.
You can follow the tour with digital and social media
at www.SprinterTour.com, this includes a Google Earth tour tracking feature as well as background information about the Tour.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Interstate 3500 — The Comforts of Home
Airstream, maker of the iconic “silver bullet” trailer, was founded in 1931 and is the oldest and most recognized RV brand in the world. Based in Jackson Center, OH, Airstream has fitted the Class-B Interstate 3500 with seating for eight people, a kitchen and bathroom as well as a bedroom for two, complete with a 19-inch flat-panel LCD TV, which can also serve as a daytime lounge area. Bucket seats in the cockpit can swivel to face a removable table that seats four at mealtime.
The galley features a convenient 1.2-cubic-foot convection-microwave oven and a stainless-steel two-burner cook top that’s flush-mounted under a glass cover. A 3.1-cubic-foot refrigerator is cooled by an AC/DC compressor that uses 90 percent less power than conventional models.
The Sprinter Interstate comes with a high-efficiency 13,500 BTU Carrier air conditioner that’s mounted on the roof, plus a 2.5-kilowatt Onan propane generator for those nights in the wilderness when power hookups aren’t available. Its 32-gallon fresh-water tank has a water heater for taking hot showers and washing dishes.
Although the Sprinter Interstate is less than 23 feet long and 80 inches wide, people up to 6′ 2″ can stand comfortably inside the cabin. For worry-free backing-up, the Interstate comes with a 5.5-inch LCD screen in the dash that displays the area behind the van whenever it’s in reverse. The Wilsons’ Sprinter has also been equipped with GPS navigation, a satellite TV-audio receiver and a special laptop with mobile wireless access.
A Fuel-Sipping High-Technology Diesel
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Interstate is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 diesel that produces 154 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,200 to 2,400 rpm. Most important, the Sprinter engine gets 30 percent better fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine. The Sprinter’s four-valve-per-cylinder diesel features centrally located piezo-electric injectors, CDI direct injection, a variable-nozzle turbocharger and exhaust gas recirculation. Building on this foundation of advanced engine design, the Sprinter engine incorporates an oxidizing catalytic converter and a maintenance-free particulate filter.
Source: Daimler AG
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Van of the day
The Queen’s fire service
On a jaunt into town,
I couldn’t help but notice what van our regent’s fire service drives.
I do like the livery, very impressive.
So what do you think, Vauxhall or Renault?
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Diesel Electric Hybrid
Hybrid technology is here and clean diesel technology, too.
So why not combine them?
We’ll a few manufacturers are doing just that, and we think you’ll be hearing these words together a lot more often.
We’ve found a video from Ron Cogan and he explains how this technology works using a VW SUV as an example (the technology is still the same for vans).
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Readers’ poll to find “The best commercial vehicles of 2010”
Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles and once again the Sprinter comes out on top
As in previous years, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter came first in the segment “Vans and trucks up to 3.5 t” – giving the Sprinter the title in this category for the fourteenth year in succession and making it the outright winner of every readers’ poll to have been carried out by the Stuttgart-based publisher of trade journals. Equipped with the OM651 diesel engine, the Sprinter meets Euro 5 emissions requirements as standard, and even offers EEV compliance as an option.
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New Renault Master: the large van market’s new benchmark for comfort and fuel efficiency
Hi together, what you think about the new Renault Master…
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Why I call myself VanTastik
Some of you might know the 1977 movie ‘the van’. If not don’t worry, you didn’t miss much. But take a look at the trailer. It’s VanTastik!!!!
I know that nicknames are very personal thing. Tell me about the story behind yours!!
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T5 4MOTION
The T5 4MOTION
The T5 model range – Multivan, California, Caravelle and Transporter – all very successful all-around talents in their respective classes. For 25 years now, models of this series have been offered with all-wheel drive, but so far have always had manual gearboxes. Starting this year, the new generation will also be available in the combination all-wheel drive plus automatic transmission. Standard equipment on TDI versions with 103 kW / 140 PS and 132 kW / 180 PS (TDI) is a manual 6-speed gearbox.
The 180-PS T5 Volkswagen will offer the optional combination of all-wheel drive (4MOTION) plus automatic (7-speed DSG). In conjunction with the Caravelle, Multivan and Transporter, this powertrain highlight may be ordered now; in the California travel camper, the 4MOTION-DSG duo will be available starting in June.
A word about the technology: The 7-speed DSG combines the comfort of a conventional automatic with the high efficiency of a manual transmission. The further improved 4MOTION drive system of the model series also reflects state-of-the-art technology. The latest generation of the friction-optimised multi-disk clutch sets standards when it comes to traction, safety and fuel economy. It’ll be interesting to see what the new T5 can do.
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Interior
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A piece of art
As you all know I like travelling a lot. Last year I spent a few days in Provence, France to enjoy the ’savoir vivre’!
I had a quick look at the Jean-Paul Blanchere Foundation in the town of Apt. and what canI say, I was very impressed.
A piece of African Art is shown below.
This Renault Estafette, which was built between 1959-1981, seems to stand in the tradtion of African Road Transport. I tried to find out some more details concerning the artist, but I didn’t succeed.
Enjoy the pics. Even standing in front of the vehicle I was unable to capture all the small details…
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Better Place in Australia: Imagine It – Be Part Of It
Hello, Better Place Australia is part of a global company dedicated to zero emissions driving. Take a closer look at the economic benefits and it’s solutions.
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Everything for your mobile leisure needs!
Hi , here you will find the right equipment for tall your mobile leisure needs. Take a closer look on the following website: http://www.reimo.com/en/startseite/startseite.html
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UK Police Livery
Its interesting to see the different usages our Bobbies have for the Sprinter and the different colours they use around the country.
We’ll start in the North and work our way South.
Here, West Yorkshire Police
Merseyside police, video unit
The Met with a nine seater immediate response
And Devon and Cornwall
Have you seen any other interesting versions?
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Sprinter and Vito win courier awards
Mercedes-Benz’ Sprinter and Vito vans took major awards in the Courier,Express and Parcel services Van of the Year 2010 competition held recently in Germany winning first place in the 3.5-ton and 3.0-ton van categories respectively.
A natural gas driven Sprinter designed for operation in an urban environment, producing significantly lower exhaust gas and noise emission figures, was voted winner in the Alternative Drive Systems category.
The awards were made by a 30-man jury consisting of experts from the courier, express and parcel services sector who evaluated 18 participating vehicles before selecting the winners in five categories.
The examiners covered a grand total of over 7,000 kilometres in the course of 540 test drives. Functionality, driving comfort, handling
characteristics, design and economic efficiency were amongst the points covered in the evaluation.
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Sprinter Conversion
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ItaliaspeedTV – Iveco Daily (Generation 2006-2009)
Hi Folks, today I found the Iveco Daily video with the generation 2006-2009. The video shows a wide range of the vehicle and it’s product features.
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