Hello Sprinter Owners!
I'm part of a design team at Stanford University and we're partnering with Mercedes Benz to help them shape the future of their Sprinter Vans and we need your help!
That is an excellent suggestion. Maybe consider passing it on to this guy?
heike.scheuble@daimler.com
1. less corrosion. aluminium body would be awesome.
2. no flame retardants and less VOC producing chemicals (offgassing).
3. real leather seats.
4. a switch to use the battery(ies) for as long as you want when engine is off.
5. Enough distance between roof ribs/bows/arches to fit a 21-24" rv hatch in between.
6. Option for Cargo vans to come with full set of floor attach so that one can then easily add rear seats anywhere
7. Waterproofing electronics, raising critical components,etc so that using an air intake snorkel (and possibly an exhaust snorkel) would increase the wading depth from 19.7" for 2x4 / 2' for 4x4 to 3-4'
So top of the list would be a diesel engine that doesn't break down! That would mean a DPF/DEF swirl valve and EGR that have some sort of consistency and longevity
Until then I trust my 2005 sprinter with all its quirks ahead of the 2018.
Absolute: I want a return to user consensus that this power train is bullet proof, like a T1N or the MB of my youth.
+1
Been thinking a GMC 3500 with a camper Van Might be best for long term..It can Tow 23500 pds compared to 7500 at best.And go anywhere
Isnt 10,000 lbs max for GMC Savana 3500 ? and 8900 lbs if you take the 4.8L engine instead of the 6.0L. Still much better than the 7500 lbs of the Sprinters. Hopefully this rating goes up with the 3rd generation.
Cab chassis needs > 11,030 gvwr option so rv's on this chassis will have more carrying capacity.
I think the current 11,030 gvwr is pretty good, a bit more would be better, but at least not decrease.
18. Wireless diagnostic capabilities. John Deere, Catapillar, freightliner, Peterbilt, Mack offer this capability.
My Leaf uploads my driving habits. There's a website that will display my eco ranking against other Leaf owners. Wouldn't be a stretch Nissan is mining vehicle performance data.
Does it upload the driving habits in real time (via a 3G data box?) or it has a memory and stores the informations it wants until it connects to your house/smartphone/Nissan maintenance center wifi to upload them?
My concern with Wi-Fi on automobiles is little Johnny down the street, probably possessing computer skills equivalent to a PhD in computer technology, will hack and disable my automobile demanding a ransom to restore.
Russian/Chinese/NSA/five eyes/German/etc hackers will have a blast with this technology. Ideally with remote control of operating vehicles, for anyone deemed
undesirable by one of the governments.
Hopefully you can physically turn the wifi off, and it doesnt have a memory (that could store your GPS locations, speeds, driving habits, and whatnot). Who needs a federal database combining and storing indefinitely the data of all ANPR/ALPR monitoring systems when you can simply hack all wifi hotspots & routers in the country to automatically upload the serial number of all car WiFis that pass within connection distance of the hotspot. Snowden ain’t seen nothin yet.
Factory slider windows and factory t windows. Buyer gets to choose. Actual wall and roof insulation that works. Non leaking lower panels where the plastic trim is attached.
Stereo that supports Android and Apple play
Rear windows that could be open
+1 for the windows. For stereo I think I would prefer an option for wiring prep and full compatibilities with aftermarket devices like Pioneer (including displaying the van's messages and settings, 2+ cameras input, etc)
[*]Access door to front overhead panel (currently wasted space in there)
+1
Currently it voids the warranty if you do your own repairs? Do they keep track of the parts you buy ?
5. Front, sides and a REAL back up camera
6. 6"wider, 6"taller and 24"longer body than the standard low roof
+1 for cameras, and that they can be turned on and displayed on the screen without turning on the engine or outside lights or vehicle noises. (for stealth camping etc)
For width it should be wide enough to fit a 75" (Queen RV) mattress + 1-1.5" of insulation on both sides, up to 3.5' above the floor. Many people want a "east-west" bed in their van. Adding a few inch of height would be good too, currently if you insulate floor and ceiling and you're fairly tall I think it might be a bit low.