While the Sprinter van made its North American debut last year, it may not have gotten the attention it deserves, partly because it was only available at Freightliner dealerships, and not at automotive outlets where light trucks are often purchased and serviced. Unfortunately for DaimlerChrysler, Freightliner’s parent company, Sprinters observed on the road are still rarer than Hummer sightings.

That should definitely change, with the recent announcement that the Sprinter will also be offered under the Dodge nameplate at qualifying Dodge dealers throughout the United States and Canada. And if you ask our evaluators, that’s a good thing, as they were favorably impressed with Sprinter’s qualities, including application versatility, comfort, driveability and fuel economy.

The lowdown
To back up a little, the 9,990-pound (max) GVW Sprinter has travailled the streets and highways of Europe, wearing sister company’s Mercedes-Benz badging, since 1995. It’s new only to us.

The Sprinter is offered here in cargo and passenger van layouts, for applications such as urban delivery, shuttle services for airports and municipalities, and light construction and services like utilities and landscaping. Likely competitors would be, say Chevy’s Express, Ford’s E Series and, ironically, Dodge’s own Ram vans.

Sprinter also will be available early next year as a chassis-cab, which will accommodate a variety of light-duty work bodies.

Sprinter wheelbases include 118-, 140-, and 158-inch lengths, and van roof heights are 64 inches (93 exterior) and 73 inches (102 exterior). These dimensions can allow walk-around room for folks up to six feet tall, up to 473 cubic feet of cargo space, and a payload of up to 5,170 pounds, depending on configuration.

Go-power comes from a Mercedes-Benz, 5-cylinder, 2.7-liter turbo diesel, rated at 156 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 5-speed Mercedes automatic. Four-wheel disc brakes with standard ABS and traction control pull in the reins.