I like big vans and I cannot lie, no other van can deny.
I like big vans.
Front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, four wheel drive, coupes, hot hatches and supercars.
We've tested them all in Auto Express track battles, but we've never tested a pair like
this.
There's a huge choice when it comes to the new Transit.
It's available with front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, with various wheelbases and different
heights of body.
We test the rear wheel drive 470L4 H3 version in the base trim.
Powered by a 155 horsepower 2.2 TDCi diesel engine, it has 385 NM of torque and a gross
payload of 1,195kg.
IN the spec tested, this van will set you back just over £34,000.
The Mercedes Sprinter is one of the most famous vans in the world.
Like the Transit, there's a huge choice.
We test the Sprinter 313 Cdi BlueEficency in long wheelbase trim, and a gross payload
of 1,145kg.
In the trim tested, this van will cost you £33,000.
OK, so we're going to start with the reigning Auto Express van of the year, the all new
Transit.
This van is the twin rear wheel setup.
The Transit's a real icon of the van world.
Ford have always managed to inject a little of the chassis magic of their cars into their
vans.
And I've got to say, this is one of the genuinely pleasant vehicles to drive, and driving around
a circuit might seem like a crazy thing to do in a van, but it does highlight just how
stable and safe and how much grip modern vans have got.
There's more steering feel in this thing than a lot of cars I've driven.
The gearbox is lovely, just like any Ford car gearbox, but what really blows you away
is just how much grip its got.
You can really turn the thing hard into the corners as you can sense the wright rolling
onto the front wheels and its very, very, very stable despite the fact this thing is
two tonnes and can carry up to a tonne of weight.
You wouldn't think you could drive it round a race circuit like this.
Now, its got stability control which you can't turn off, so to extract a lap time you've
got to sort of get the thing just to the limit of grip but not so far over the limit of grip
that you get the stability control working too aggressively and, to be honest, this seems
so dynamically well sorted, that you can actually do a lap without too much stability control
intervention.
So, for the first time ever on Auto Express track battle, we're starting a lap time in
a van.
So fourth gear, we're going to stay in fourth gear in to here, so braking, just rolling
the weight onto the front axle, really lean on it and it just gentle little bit of understeer,
really can feel the limit of grip.
Given how high this vehicle is, the way it copes with that change of direction is really
impressive.
So, hard on the power up to fifth gear, just coming up to 70mph, over 70 now.
Really light on the brakes here, about 200m before the corner.
Hard on the brakes, really good feel through the brake pedal, use the kerb on the apex.
It changes direction there really really well.
I've got to say I'm really enjoying this.
This is good fun.
So, fourth gear again, again nudging up towards 70, we'll stay in fourth gear through here,
so on the brakes, use that weight over the front axle to help the thing turn in.
Little bit too quick in there so a little bit of stability control intervention.
Again, use the weight over the front axle to trim off the brake as you turn in.
On the power hard all the way through - really stable.
Now, we're coming up to our high speed esses, absolutely flat out through here so 70mph
through the middle.
Really stable again, you'd think that the weight transfer through there would be quite
scary, but it really is not, it's really well balanced.
Into this last corner, there's actually enough feel in the brakes that you can start to feel
the car rotate the van on the brakes on the way into the corner and get the weight moving
where you want it.
It's really impressive that Ford has managed to engineer so much of its magic into the
handling of this van.
And across the line.
The transit lapped our test track in one minute, thirty five point five seconds.
So, we've been impressed with the Transit, let's see how the Sprinter compares.
So this is a full size Sprinter, this has got similar sort of carrying capacity, similar
carrying wright to the Transit.
In pure, sort, performance terms its got quite a disadvantage in that its got 50nm less torque,
25 horsepower less so its not quite got as much grunt as the Transit and initially you
can feel that.
It doesn't pull as hard as the Transit on the straights.
But, what's it going to be like in the corners?
What's it going to handle like?
It's very safe, its got stability control the same as the Transit and you can feel that
working, but it doesn't have the dynamic ability of the Transit so there's a little bit more
slack in the steering.
So you've got more of an input into the steering the get the same action you've got in the
Transit, so it doesn't turn in as well.
There's more movement and you can feel the higher centre of gravity and you can feel
the body movement more than you can in the Transit.
So into these faster corners it lurches over more than the Transit.
Now, its not a problem in terms of safety because the stability control is very good,
but the problem is, when you're trying to do a lap time the stability control kicks
in much earlier and much harder than the Transit to make up for the Mercedes' less dynamic
chassis for want of a better word.
And that kills the speed which, combined with the fact you've got a less powerful engine,
makes it really critical to carry momentum trying to carry speed in the Mercedes, to
try and keep up with what we were doing in the Transit.
So, it's not quite as sharp and enjoyable to drive as the Transit, but can it do as
good a lap time?
Well, let's come round and find out, again trying to release that steering, get the stability
to control to release the car, let it out of the corner.
So, fourth gear as we come over towards the first corner, carry fourth gear through here,
same as in the Transit, get the weight over the nose - doesn't feel as responsive as the
Transit.
It still changes direction relatively well, but again as the weight transfer comes over
to the right there, just feel a little from the stability control pulling the performance
back a bit.
So now it feels a bit sluggish.
Come on Mr Sprinter, here we go.
So, its accelerating down the straight, 70mph, still quite late on the brakes into the chicane,
70mph, braking just at the 300m board, a lot of scrumping from the tyres, get the weight
over the nose.
Again, quite pliant suspension you can use the kerb.
come on Sprinter let's go.
And then, fourth gear, I prefer the seat in the Transit, holds you in a bit better than
the Mercedes.
Coming into the next corner, in we go, lots of scrabble on the front tyres, release the
steering, get that stability control to back off a little bit.
Both these vans, though, it does show you, doing this test, it might not seem that relevant,
but it does just show you just how safe and how stable modern vans are.
And, that this is driving them without any weight in them, obviously, but its pretty
impressive just how well engineered the best vans in the world are.
So, again like the Transit, flat out through that chicane, bit slower there - just under
70 in the Mercedes.Coming up to the last corner, third gear, hard on the brakes.
Brake pedal goes a little softer on the Mercedes probably because the stability control is
working hard.
And then, up to the last couple of corners, carry the speed in on the power.
Come on mister Mercedes, let's go.
Use a bit of kerb on the exit, and hard on the power all the way across the line.
The Mercedes Sprinter lapped our test track in one minute, thirty-eight point five seconds.
So, the Transit was three seconds a lap faster around our test track, and was genuinely pleasant
to drive.
But, given their size and weight, both these vans have incredible stability at speed and
lots of grip.
And if you want to hear about crucial van ownership factors like the cargo volume, and
the running costs, then check out one of our Auto Express van reviews.
Click on the left to watch our review of the Mercedes Sprinter, and click on the right
to see the review of the Peugeot Boxer.
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