2024 mercedes benz sprinter 2500 07 smoke plume

The Real Work Begins—And the Sprinter Is Ready

This is where I expected my story to end, but it didn’t. The fires displaced thousands of people, and almost immediately, independent groups of volunteers sprang up to start delivering clothes, food, water, and whatever else was needed, wherever it was needed. MotorTrend editors Scott Evans and Miguel Cortina were already hauling supplies while Robin and I were stowing the trailer, and they steered me to a social media group that was organizing deliveries. “They’re going to love you and the Sprinter,” Evans said.

How right he was. Turns out there were plenty of items that wouldn’t fit into an SUV and would strain a pickup truck. First, I took a home hospital bed to a convalescent home mere blocks from where my friends lost their home in Altadena. The next morning, I was driving 100 hot meals, freshly cooked by a mother-and-daughter team that ran a Dominican pop-up restaurant, to a shelter in downtown Los Angeles. Two days later I was back downtown, swapping a crib I’d picked up in El Segundo for a load of food, water, clothes, and toys for a family burned out of their Altadena home.

As I drove, I noticed SUVs stuffed with bags of clothing, pickup trucks with palettes of drinking water, and vans like mine, concealing their cargo but riding low on their axles, all of us following the ant trails of our freeways and delivering sustenance to all corners of our colony. I’ve never been prouder of my adopted home city. Recovery will take months, and I plan to keep the Sprinter busy with volunteer work as long as it is needed.

We set out to see if a van could be as useful as a pickup truck, and in the space of just a few days, the Sprinter has given us a definitive answer. As useful? No—the Sprinter is much more useful, to the point that Robin and I are starting to wonder if we should replace our Chevrolet pickup with a van.

2024 mercedes benz sprinter 2500 05 unloading food

For More on Our Long-Term 2024 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter:

MotorTrend's 2024 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 AWD Crew Van
SERVICE LIFE	9 months/12,616 miles
BASE/AS-TESTED PRICE	$71,215 / $80,824
OPTIONS	Premium Plus package ($2,008: 10.3” MBUX infotainment w/ navigation and live traffic, wireless charging pad, traffic sign recognition), Exterior Lighting package ($1,801: LED head/taillights, auto high-beams, fog lights), 360-degree parking camera ($867), Interior Trim Upgrade package ($683: side wall paneling), Premium package ($547: leather steering wheel, wet-arm wipers, lane keeping assistance); blind-spot assistance ($504), wood cargo floor with 6 D-rings ($473), Comfort Package Seat Addition ($426, upgraded front seats), roof rack mounting rails ($336), Chrome Grille package ($325, chrome grille w/ body-color frame), Comfort package ($307, front-seat lumbar support, overhead control panel), faux-leather upholstery ($229), trailer hitch mount ($164), all-season floormats ($148), additional master keys ($136), rain-sensing wipers ($118), rear step ($113), 12V outlet in driver seat ($103), black-painted steel rims ($91), passenger door sill protective edge ($79), Attention Assist ($55), electrically folding side mirrors ($55), rearview mirror ($41)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON; COMB RANGE	Not rated
AVERAGE FUEL ECON	20.0 mpg
ENERGY COST PER MILE	$0.23
MAINTENANCE AND WEAR	$103.10 (8/24, 2.5 gallons DEF: $32.84; 12/8/24, 2.5 gallons DEF, $17.23; 12/15/24, 2.5 gallons DEF, $27.18; 12/19.24, 2.5 gallons DEF, $25.85)
DAMAGES	None
DAYS OUT OF SERVICE/WITHOUT LOANER	10/10
DELIGHTS	We can tow with it, haul with it and sleep with it—all at the same time.
ANNOYANCES	High floor height gets annoying when you’re constantly getting in and out.
RECALLS	None