Without question, Mercedes 3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel is popular among van builders & 4WD has been the go-to for adventure van builds. But, aside from a handful of years where Mercedes offered a 4 cylinder diesel option, it’s also been the only choice for several years. This begs a question: Now that Mercedes offers a gas alternative, is the V6 diesel still the best choice for a Sprinter van build?
In this video, we cover:
✔︎ Why we didn’t consider the gas Sprinter van until late in our van search
✔︎ The key advantages and limitations of choosing a Sprinter with the turbocharged 2.0 4-Cylinder gas engine vs the 3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel
✔︎ Plus, Now that we’ve driven over 3,000 miles, we share our thoughts on the Sprinter gas engine’s performance, including what it’s like to drive and the fuel economy across a range of driving conditions
✔︎ Thoughts on who should consider the turbocharged 4-cylinder gas engine and who should spend the extra money of a V6 turbo diesel
Leave a comment below if you have a question or want to share your thoughts on gas vs. diesel Sprinters.
If you'd like to look at the cost of operation tool on Mercedes website, you can find that here https://www.mbvans.com/sprinter/shopp...
Also, you can read Motor1.com's review here: https://www.motor1.com/reviews/403356...
Click the link below to view the video, and click this link to subscribe to our our vlog on Youtube if you'd like to follow as we build out our van into our tiny home!
Loved your video about your Sprinter – very informative and it has helped me with my search. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Maria! I’m glad we could help in your search!
What about how long the gas engine lasts vs. how long diesel engine lasts?
I was going to choose diesel because it sounds like they go for 300k miles vs a gas that might go 150k miles before dying…. ?
Any insights on how many miles you can put on the gas engine?
Thanks,
Shawn.
That’s great that you’re looking into the Sprinter. We love ours, and either diesel or gas are great options. Honestly, I don’t know the answer to your question. The gas Sprinter came out in 2019, so I doubt there’s a ton of data. I’m personally not worried about it. They used that engine in the Metris, so you can check Metris forums to look for more information. Good luck!
I’ve run my gas ecoboost work truck 360,000 miles. Needed two tubo replacements, 310 hp, 400tp,16 mpg. Can find ford parts and repair easy and not expensive. Transit cost less to buy and maintain, more power, better ride.
Great video! We live in Asheville and will be converting a sprinter crew van into a camper. Have you driven yours much in the mountains? Have you built it out yet? Wondering what it’s like driving full of stuff. Thanks
ThanksDavid! We’re very familiar with Asheville – we grew up in Wilmington. Yes, we’ve driven our Sprinter through the Colorado mountains and it was great. We haven’t built it out yet, but we’ve had it loaded with lots of supplies when we moved between places and had no problems with power. We love it. We often comment about how easy it is to drive. We’re probably sensitive to the power issue because our Toyota Troopy (currently stuck in Argentina) takes a massive effort to get through mountains and to pass vehicles – it’s super slow. So, no problems like that here!
I am about a week out from picking out a 170 sprinter to do a build out. I am also undecided on gas or diesel. Ours will be for mostly weekend trips so I don’t think I will be adding a lot of storage cabinets or even solar at this point. Definitely a shower/toilet though. I do like the idea of gas and not having to deal with Def.
We are also from the Wilmington area and do enjoy going to the mountains. Thanks for the info and waiting for the next build video!
I’m so sorry that I’m just seeing this! I suppose you’ve made your choice between gas/diesel by now. Which did you choose? Nice to “see” a fellow Wilmingtonian 🙂 We just finished a huge planning and ordering phase, so will be publishing a lot of videos soon!
Randomly stumbled upon your video and man, awesome information Jim! My wife and I are super noobs to Sprinters. I’m on the hunt for a used deal and she wants a pretty new “blue grey” crew. I was in the diesel camp, looking primarily for the 4 cylinder. But now with your info, my wife might get what she wants now.
Thanks Allan, so happy to hear that the video was helpful! We still love our gas 👍. Good luck with your final decision!
Great information and well thought out. When comparing torque/hp gas vs diesel, its important to understand where in the RPM band that each engine makes its torque and power. Diesels make most of their torque at low RPM and that curve remains pretty flat up to max RPM. Gas engines make peak torque and HP only at high RPMs. What does this mean? It means that acceleration, especially when towing will be notably better with diesel vs. gas.
If you intend to tow, anything, ever… a diesel 3500 should be your choice.
Thanks for your insight! Agree with your thoughts about towing. We’re not planning to tow anything, so we’re fine.