Test Drive: 2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Extended Wheelbase

2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Extended Wheelbase. Click image to enlarge

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2008 Dodge Sprinter

Oshawa, Ontario – Of all the collaborations that came out of the brief marriage of Daimler and Chrysler, my favourite isn’t a low-slung sports car or a luxury sedan. Rather, my heart belongs to the Sprinter.

Although the relationship came to an end, Daimler still owns a small portion of Chrysler, and so the Sprinter remains. As before the split, it’s sold as a Dodge, Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner, depending on the market, although the only difference is in the badge.

I needed to move a lot of stuff in as few trips as possible, and my immediate choice was a Sprinter. My last experience with one was a 2005 passenger van that I drove from Ontario to Pennsylvania, and that’s when I fell for this behemoth’s combination of easy-driving manners and impressive interior space.

2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Extended Wheelbase. Click image to enlarge

The Sprinter was redesigned for 2007, and since it was a very late entry into the market, it continues into 2008 unchanged. It’s larger than before, with new available lengths and roof heights, and with a new engine under the hood: the previous 2.7-litre five-cylinder diesel engine has been replaced with a 3.0-litre V6 common-rail turbo diesel. Buyers in the U.S. can also opt for a 3.5-litre V6 gasoline engine that’s so far unavailable north of the border.

The new diesel makes 154 horsepower at 3,000 rpm, compared to the same power at 3,800 rpm in the outgoing model. The real improvement is in torque, which increases to 280 lb-ft at 1,200 rpm, up from 243 lb-ft at 1,600 rpm. The result is much better acceleration and smoother performance than before. That probably won’t mean as much to fleet owners, who look primarily at cargo capacity and cost, but it will make a difference for those who buy the Sprinter to be configured as a camper or recreational vehicle. As before, power goes through a five-speed automatic transmission. Dodge doesn’t publish the Sprinter’s fuel economy numbers, but I averaged 15.1 L/100 km, with about half of my driving time spent with a full and very heavy load. I thought that was pretty good for a burdened work vehicle, although it sure hurt when I paid 20 cents a litre more at the pump for diesel than I would have for gasoline. The filler is cleverly hidden behind a small panel with a lip that closes within the driver’s door: you must first open the driver’s door in order to open the filler door, which eliminates the need for a separate fuel door lock and release.

2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Extended Wheelbase. Click image to enlarge

Once the fuel door is opened, the driver’s door can be closed during refuelling, to keep warm or cool air in and diesel fumes out. A warning on the door indicates that the Sprinter can accept biodiesel up to B5 (five per cent renewable fuel blended with 95 per cent diesel) but no higher.

The Sprinter is available in passenger van configuration as a 2500 with Standard or High Roof, as a cargo van in 2500 or 3500 with Standard, High or Mega Roof, and as the 3500 Chassis Cab. Passenger vans are available in two body lengths, while cargo vans add a third extended-length body. My cargo van was a 170-inch-wheelbase model with a Mega Roof that was further optioned with a $250 fixed window. These opaque skylight panels are very nice during daylight hours to brighten the interior and make it easier to work inside the van.

My tester started at $49,870, which I thought very reasonable for a workhorse of this capacity, although it doesn’t take long for options to send the price north. Depending on how much you want to spend, the Sprinter can be upgraded to a relatively luxurious model, although even the base version has a number of unexpected standard items, including air conditioning with automatic temperature control, power locks with keyless entry, electrical auxiliary heater, power windows, and a tinny CD stereo.

2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Extended Wheelbase. Click image to enlarge

The driver’s side window is auto-down, which is a great feature, since it takes a long time for this much glass to disappear all the way. Standard safety features include four-wheel anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and tire pressure monitoring system.

The interior is improved over the last-generation model as well. A standard tilt and telescopic wheel replaces the previous fixed column, and the centre stack doesn’t jut out as far as before. The shift lever is repositioned, and it’s easy to use the manual shift mode. Three large storage bins on top of the dash hold tons of paperwork, and include cupholders. Pull down the sun visors, and you’ll find narrow plastic storage racks above them.

The instrument cluster has been simplified, but I found the heater controls far too complicated, with small buttons, narrow dials and arrows for the vent modes, instead of the more common pictographs. All vehicles should have simple controls, but even more so on work trucks; all of this is just too fiddly. Other controls proved intuitive, but the washers need a bit of work. They spray mainly on the top half of the windshield, and on a particularly grimy day, I couldn’t clean enough road salt off the lower part of the glass to properly see where I was going.

2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Extended Wheelbase. Click image to enlarge

The cargo van includes a passenger-side sliding door (one can also be added to the driver’s side as an option) and while there’s a wide rubber step for getting up into it, there should be an assist handle at the front to aid climbing up. The rear doors help make the Sprinter so useful: they can be opened to 90 degrees, but if you give the hinges a tap, the restraining arm lets go. From here, you can swing the doors back against the sides of the van, held firmly in place with large magnets that also prevent the doors from hitting the body. This proved especially handy, as we didn’t have to try to move items around the open doors, and I could back the truck up with the bumper as close as we needed it to be. The standard right-hand assist handle at the back had been joined by an optional left-hand one on my tester, while the $175 rear step bumper proved invaluable for easy loading.

2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Extended Wheelbase. Click image to enlarge

Driving a Sprinter is very easy, which is a major part of its charm. The glow plug light goes out almost immediately, and the engine is very quiet for an oil-burner. The transmission shifts very well, throttle tip-in is smooth and linear, and the steering is light. With nothing in it, the Sprinter was a bit bouncy, but overall, it’s a far more comfortable ride than you’d expect from a big truck. Although a highway trip on a very windy day left me knowing how a sail feels, I thought the new version felt less tippy around corners than the 2005 Sprinter I drove, even without a load and with a taller roof than on my previous ride. It doesn’t take long before you forget just how big this vehicle really is, as its driving characteristics belong to something much smaller.

That’s the key to this German-built vehicle: the immense cargo capacity of a big van, with small-van manoeuvrability and feel. It’s no wonder that many auto journalists, even those who live for moments spent with sports cars, will freely admit that they absolutely love the Sprinter – even when there’s nothing that has to be moved.