The teaser shows some significant changes, specifically a longer, flatter hood with a rounder leading edge. (That gave us pause; one of the things we liked about our long-term 2024 Sprinter was the great visibility courtesy of the deeply-sloped hood, which was especially helpful off-road.) While the preview seemed to indicate a high-roof model like our long-termer, Mercedes confirmed the next Sprinter will once again offer a variety of wheelbases, body lengths, and roof heights.

A Boxier Box

We noted a few interesting details at the back, most notably that the body is boxier and more upright with less tumble-home (narrowing towards the top) than the current van. A wider body would, of course, increase the cargo volume of the Sprinter, perhaps to better compete against newer stepvan-type designs like the now-defunct Chevrolet BrightDrop, and it also harkens back to the original Sprinter of 1995. We also noted the lack of a taillight on the bodywork, an indication that Mercedes could be considering moving the lights down to the bumper, where they’d presumably be more prone to fender-bender damage.

The grille in the Boulder sculpture appears flat and closed, indicating an electric powerplant. Mercedes officials confirmed that the next-gen Sprinter will offer both battery and internal-combustion powertrains, though they did not confirm (nor did they deny) that the latter would be the current diesel.

MB.OS Gets Fleet-Friendly Options

One of the more interesting details involved the upgrade of the Sprinter's software to the automaker's latest MB.OS operating system, introduced in the 2026 CLA sedan. The van version of MB.OS will incorporate OTA updates, but it will also give customers the ability to integrate their own apps, such as specialized navigation or fleet-management software, and use them through the Sprinter’s infotainment screen. MB.OS will also monitor component condition and attempt to predict component failure, information that can be shared with service centers. This will allow fleets to plan for downtime and minimize the period the vans are off the road for service.

The Sprinter will share the same basic architecture with the smaller, U.S.-bound VLE and VLS vans, as previewed by the Vision V concept, the idea being that the V-vans, like the current V-Class (formerly sold here as the Metris) will be used for passenger and limo duties, while the Sprinter will be a commercial product. Airport shuttles, the German staffers told us, would more likely be a V, but we think that’s a German perspective; seated Sprinters will no doubt play an important role in the U.S., including for RV conversions, and we imagine they’ll continue to form the basis for high-roof luxury shuttles (assuming you can’t always fit your Academy Award headgear into a VLS).