The all-new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has been honoured with another Van of the Year title, this time collecting the top honours at the Export & Freight Transport and Logistics Awards 2018.
The new Sprinter took the Van of the Year honour, sponsored by Simplicity Group, which was presented at a glittering ceremony at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast attended by around 700 guests from all sectors of the transport and logistics industry.
The independent panel of judges commented on how the Sprinter bristles with new technology and equipment never before incorporated in a commercial vehicle, including a powerful suite of standard features such as Active Brake Assist, Crosswind and Collision Prevention Assist, Blind Spot and Lane Keeping Assist, as well as a reassuring alarm, double lock and visible VIN.
It also features state-of-the-art MBUX technology and is fitted as standard with a high resolution 7-inch touchscreen, offering intuitive touch control and enables Mercedes PRO connect services; it has been described in some quarters as ‘the most intelligent and powerfully connected van the world has ever seen’.
Steve Bridge, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, said: “We’re delighted to be crowned Van of the Year, judged by an independent panel of van users, vehicle managers and journalists.
“The Sprinter has won more than 80 awards since 1995, and to still be collecting accolades is testament to how the vehicle keeps businesses moving.”
Organised by the Hillsborough based publishers of Export & Freight magazine, 4SM (NI) Ltd, the event, now in its 17th year, is Ireland’s premier platform of recognition for those operating in the industry; it celebrates all the hard work, determination, and ongoing investment that make the industry what it is today.
The Sprinter beat off stiff competition from five other leading manufacturers to pick up this prestigious award.
Like previous generations of the multi-award-winning Mercedes-Benz workhorse, the new Sprinter raises the bar in the large van segment. Since its launch in 1995, the Sprinter has defined and re-defined a whole segment numerous times.
The new Sprinter offers more than 1,700 variants – with 6 body styles, 4 power options, 4 body lengths, 3 cargo heights, 3 drive options and dozens of bodybuilder connection points, as well as over 600 items of standard and optional equipment, including suspension variants and sector-specific solutions for bodybuilders and converters, the Sprinter can be perfectly adapted for any task.
