MPG 2011 vs 2012, 2500 vs 3500

OK, I'm almost at the time to decide to buy one more sprinter(cargo 144" high roof).

I went to dealer yesterday, and she said she could give me good price for 2011 sprinter.
Although she couldn't say what is the good price because her manager was on vacation, I think I can buy couple of thousand cheaper than 2012.

Do you think it's better to buy 2011 instead of 2012?
How about mpg between 2011 vs 2012?
How about any other factors between 2011 vs 2012?

I'm thinking to buy 144" WB high roof, and I expect I'll load around 1500-3000lb.
What I can expect to get MPG?
Is the MPG same between 2500 vs 3500?

Which option is worth to buy?

Any technic to deal with the dealer?

What is the best deal for 2011 or 2012 144" sprinter?
 

sailquik

Well-known member
sprinter8888,
Very little difference between 2011 and 2012 Cargo Sprinters in terms of mileage,
etc. They both have nearly identical esmissions systems..... DPF (Diesel Particulate
Filter)... DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) after treatment.....EGR....etc.
Are you looking at a 2500 (single rear wheels) or a 3500 (dual rear wheels).
In my experience, you might want to consider a 170" WB short back hi top as the longer
wheelbase is a bit more stable feeling at freeway speeds.
I had a 2010 144" wb High top short back and it was great, but I like the 2011 170" wb
high top short back quite a bit better and the mileage/maintenance costs are the same.
Hope this helps,
Roger
P.S. You seem happier with your box truck now that you changed to the correct tire
size...right?
 

mbgtown

the "Sprinter Guy"
I will offer to you my thoughts and suggestions. If you decide you want my assistance in the purchase of your new Sprinter, then I am here to assist you.

I am amazed that there are any new 2011's still out there. I have been out of the 2011's for months. We are now placing orders for the 2013's and those will start coming in sometime in late October.

We have the ability to make great deals on new 2012's that are in our current stock. I have 2 new 2500 144" high roof's in stock.

The factory had an independant fuel mileage test done last year and they used 2 different models. One was a 2500 144" wb low roof, and the other was a 3500 170" high roof. They did tests with no cargo, 50% load capacity and 100% load capacity. They then did a Urban (around town) test, a Suburban (a combination of city and highway), and Interstate driving at both 55 mph and 70 mph.

The 144 low roof with 50% load capacity, approximately 1500 lbs of weight, got 24.9 mpg with Interstate 55 mph driving. Suburban driving was close at 24 mpg, around town Urban test was 17.7 mpg, and driving at 70 mph on the Interstate dropped the mpg down to 18.9.

By comparison, the 3500 170" wb high roof in the same testing, was between 2-3 mpg less in all tests. So with a high roof 144" wb, I would expect the testing would have been somewhere in the middle of these. Remember, your mileage will be determined by your driving habits, and how well your vehicle is running. Proper fuel and maintenance is important to getting the best economy.

The Sprinter Van has not had any changes since the 2010 models, so the 2011 and the 2012 are exactly the same. The big difference is just the 2011 is one year older when it comes time to resell it. But with the extreamly high resale value of the Sprinter Van, that may not have much if any effect on the resale value.

I would say if you can get a real good deal on the 2011, go for it. I have a new 2012 2500 144 high roof with PA1 Premium pkg and a rear step that lists for over $40,000 that if you make the deal this month, I can sell it for just under $36,000 here in Central Texas. If you would like more info, contact me at dave@sprinterguy.com or call me at 512-930-6158.

I hope this helps you in your search, please let me know if you have any questions about Sprinter Vans. I don't expect everyone to buy one from me, although the folks who do are quite pleased.

OK, I'm almost at the time to decide to buy one more sprinter(cargo 144" high roof).

I went to dealer yesterday, and she said she could give me good price for 2011 sprinter.
Although she couldn't say what is the good price because her manager was on vacation, I think I can buy couple of thousand cheaper than 2012.

Do you think it's better to buy 2011 instead of 2012?
How about mpg between 2011 vs 2012?
How about any other factors between 2011 vs 2012?

I'm thinking to buy 144" WB high roof, and I expect I'll load around 1500-3000lb.
What I can expect to get MPG?
Is the MPG same between 2500 vs 3500?

Which option is worth to buy?

Any technic to deal with the dealer?

What is the best deal for 2011 or 2012 144" sprinter?
 
In my experience, you might want to consider a 170" WB short back hi top as the longer
wheelbase is a bit more stable feeling at freeway speeds.
P.S. You seem happier with your box truck now that you changed to the correct tire
size...right?
I also like 170"WB, but I think it's hard to park. I wanted to buy 158"WB, but it's no longer exist in USA market. By the way, what is the 170"WB short back? Is it a version shorter than 170WB standard size?

Yes, I changed the tire size, and I think it solved the lack of power problem on hill.
However I need more test drive. After chaining tires, I just drove 2 times.
Currently only one disappoint thing is low MPG than I expected when I decided to buy the sprinter. 16MPG is the max without any load, but it seems like that it is normal MPG for 2007 chassis with 14' box.
 

sailquik

Well-known member
sprinter8888,
Yes, I call it the "short back" to differentiate it from the 170" EXT with the very long
rear overhang!
A lot of distance between the rear axle and the trailer hitch does not make towing
very much fun!
The 170" short back 3500 has the 7500 lb. towing capacity, but the EXT longer
version drop the capacity back to 5Klbs.
Did you ever check the Mfg. label on your 14" box to see how much it weighs?
That might explain some additional weight, but I'm pretty sure if you drive it
right you can do better than 16 mpg on an '07 NCV3 Cab/Chassis with the 4.182
rear end.
How wide and tall is your 14' box?
Roger
 
I think it's not too heavy. It's just regular size box. The total weight of empty sprinter is 7040lb.
And I saw couple of guy in this forum who also have a sprinter cab and chassis with only 13-16mpg.
 
Thank you, but I live in California.

I will offer to you my thoughts and suggestions. If you decide you want my assistance in the purchase of your new Sprinter, then I am here to assist you.

I am amazed that there are any new 2011's still out there. I have been out of the 2011's for months. We are now placing orders for the 2013's and those will start coming in sometime in late October.

We have the ability to make great deals on new 2012's that are in our current stock. I have 2 new 2500 144" high roof's in stock.

The factory had an independant fuel mileage test done last year and they used 2 different models. One was a 2500 144" wb low roof, and the other was a 3500 170" high roof. They did tests with no cargo, 50% load capacity and 100% load capacity. They then did a Urban (around town) test, a Suburban (a combination of city and highway), and Interstate driving at both 55 mph and 70 mph.

The 144 low roof with 50% load capacity, approximately 1500 lbs of weight, got 24.9 mpg with Interstate 55 mph driving. Suburban driving was close at 24 mpg, around town Urban test was 17.7 mpg, and driving at 70 mph on the Interstate dropped the mpg down to 18.9.

By comparison, the 3500 170" wb high roof in the same testing, was between 2-3 mpg less in all tests. So with a high roof 144" wb, I would expect the testing would have been somewhere in the middle of these. Remember, your mileage will be determined by your driving habits, and how well your vehicle is running. Proper fuel and maintenance is important to getting the best economy.

The Sprinter Van has not had any changes since the 2010 models, so the 2011 and the 2012 are exactly the same. The big difference is just the 2011 is one year older when it comes time to resell it. But with the extreamly high resale value of the Sprinter Van, that may not have much if any effect on the resale value.

I would say if you can get a real good deal on the 2011, go for it. I have a new 2012 2500 144 high roof with PA1 Premium pkg and a rear step that lists for over $40,000 that if you make the deal this month, I can sell it for just under $36,000 here in Central Texas. If you would like more info, contact me at dave@sprinterguy.com or call me at 512-930-6158.

I hope this helps you in your search, please let me know if you have any questions about Sprinter Vans. I don't expect everyone to buy one from me, although the folks who do are quite pleased.
 
I got a good offer from one dealer for 2012 144" high-roof.
He suggested me $3000(or more) under the invoice price.
I test-drove the sprinter, and everything was fine EXCEPT a/c blow hot air.
He said it's easy to fix.. is that a bad sign??
 

sailquik

Well-known member
sprinter8888,
Is this a new Sprinter, or previously owned?
Where is the "hot air" coming out of the AC?
Top vents.....dash vents?
If it's new, it will be fixed under the new car warranty.
If it's used, it could be a whole bunch of different things,
some easy to fix, some not so easy, but if you put repair of the
AC on the sales contract it would seem to be the dealers problem,
not yours.
Roger
P.S. I took a look at the photo of the cube van you suggest looks
just like yours.
That Sprinter (and yours) really needs a fairing on the cab to cut the
wind resistance of that huge flat area right behind the cab.
That may be a big part of your poor mileage at speed.
 
It is new 2012 one, not the preowned.
hot air from both top and dash vents.
I didn't buy yet, I just test drove. I think the dealer already fixed it.

I also thought to buy wind cab, but I found the fuel saving will be offset with the cost of the cab.
I expected more mpg even the sprinter doesn't have the cab.

I heard some real truck like ISUZU,HINO also get 14-16mpg.

By the way, I got a better deal for 2011 one from another dealer.
I'm considering how to do.
I think sitting one place long time under the California hot sun is no good.
 

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