Is this really a 4x4 Sprinter?

[Wanted]

Hey,

I am days away from possibly purchasing an early 2000s 4x4 T1N Sprinter 416 (engageable 4x4, diff lock and low range). As I am unfamiliar with exactly how the Sprinters engage 4x4, I decided to go online and check this video to cross reference the buttons on the dash with the buttons on the vehicle I'm looking at getting.

The buttons are all the same, except in the one I am interested in has a third button (looks like a diff between rear wheels) which isn't shown in this video..

I am very curious as to what those who have experience with the 4x4 Sprinters make of this video?

The comments are certainly not favourable... is this an off-road capable vehicle? whatsup with the diff?



In the Sprinters defence, a few people were saying it was completely empty and had small tires on, also said driver was ****... Just looked like it was struggling a bit is all?

[Tooth Fairy]

4x4 sprinters do struggle, bont expect it to drive like a Toyota 4x4.

[Midwestdrifter]

Models with mechanical.diff locks do much better off road than later models with electronic traction control only. models with a center diff will also have trouble when you start lifting wheels.

That being said sprinters have limited wheel articulation, especially on the front. It's not a land cruiser or hilux.

[jcmadeintheshade@gmail.com]

Lockers are the key. What we have available here in the States, is a compromise.

AWD vs 4wheel drive is a huge difference. Europe has Allrad and Oberrainger sp. We have no choice, and should have, if we are looking for real four wheel drive demands. AWD barely covers the fact that no lockers are available.

The video was illuminating, and thanks for supplying that, Wanted. If we could start with a rear locker, that would be a plus. I recall that this might be available in some form in the States. Bring it on.

For most of us 2 wheelers here, having the option of locking the rear axle when it may be needed, would be welcomed. Turning the traction control off is not enough, when the time calls for more.

Thanks to all here.

[Midwestdrifter]

Also, note that many enthusiasts will take the hardest line possible, and intentionally get stuck. Good driving skills are key with large vehicles.

A sprinter is long and tall. You are not going to want to, or enjoy driving a sprinter like a dedicated short wheelbase 4X4.

An empty sprinter is too light. The wheel articulation will be even more limited than normal. I also wonder if they adjusted the tire pressure? Another 400kg on the rear axle would make a big difference.

[ptheland]

Originally Posted by Wanted

I am days away from possibly purchasing an early 2000s 4x4 T1N Sprinter 416 (engageable 4x4, diff lock and low range). As I am unfamiliar with exactly how the Sprinters engage 4x4, I decided to go online and check this video to cross reference the buttons on the dash with the buttons on the vehicle I'm looking at getting.

The video you attached is of an NCV3, which is a very different beast than the T1N you're considering. The major things that are the same are the name on the back and the 3 pointed star in the grill. Pretty much everything else is different.

I am very curious as to what those who have experience with the 4x4 Sprinters make of this video?

No experience here, just some observations. The tires on that particular vehicle aren't terribly good at serious off road work. They're OK on the pavement, and are mostly for looks. I also suspect they're at full highway pressures, which makes a big difference. Even mediocre tires will perform better when properly inflated for the job.

I don't know if that particular vehicle had traction control, but if it did, it was turned off. There's no way a single wheel will sit and spin like that with the traction control on. The computers will kick in and apply the brakes to that wheel so the power can go somewhere else.

The comments are certainly not favourable... is this an off-road capable vehicle?

Yes, but not when badly equipped and badly driven. And it's never going to be as good as a Jeep or Bronco. The 4WD is best thought of as a tool for getting your camper to the remote spots that a 2WD camper has no business trying. It's not for the serious fun in mud pits and rock crawling.

I'd also agree with the previous comments that it looks to me like they were trying to press the van to its limits. In the first couple of minutes, they spend quite a bit of time trying to get up a side slope (hanging the left rear wheel up in the air), when there's a perfectly good road just off camera to the left.

If you want to see what a newer Sprinter can do with some good aftermarket equipment and good driving, try this. Pay attention at 2:08 when the right front is airborne. It spins briefly, then the traction control stops it, the power goes elsewhere, and the van gets moving. You can see that in a few other places as well.
youtu.be/3zTjeRRfGmU

Remember again, this is NOT the van you're looking at.

[vanilla]

I think one should keep in mind, most modern all wheel drive "SUV" vehicles struggle similarly off-road as in the original post's vid. Its fairly typical to have to upgrade a component or five to get a vehicle performing well off-road. Not just a Sprinter thing.

[autostaretx]

I believe in that era MB sent the completed(?) Sprinters down the road to another company (name began with an "F", but i forget what it was) and that "3rd party" put in the 4x4 hardware. The pre-2008 archives of the group will have discussions about them.

--dick