Mercedes Sprinter RVs – The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly!

Mercedes Sprinter RVs

This article is going to be talking about Mercedes Sprinter RVs. And about the good, the bad, and the ugly associated with them.

Of course, one of the hottest selling segments of the RV industry is the Class B and Class B plus RV. And many of those are based on the Sprinter chassis.

So I made some videos on these kind of RVs in the past. For instance, there’s a video I made a while back on class B RVs.

And it discusses the pros and the cons of them. And you can view that video here.

Then there’s another video I made on Class B plus RVs. And in that video I tried to help define what a Class B+ RV actually is.

Then I also provided the pros and the cons of that category of RVs as well. And you can view that video here.

Now the purpose of those videos is to help you decide what kind of RV works best for you.

So if you’re thinking about looking into a smaller kind of motorhome, these videos will be helpful for you.

Watch my video on Mercedes Sprinter RVs

They will help you make a decision about whether something like this will even fit for you or not.

Of course, a lot of people really like these smaller and more nimble motorhomes.

Table of Contents

And the most popular chassis out there for this part of the RV industry is the Mercedes Sprinter chassis.

The Mercedes chassis
The Mercedes chassis

Now Mercedes updated their chassis in 2019 to the VS30. And it’s being used currently on a lot of Class B and B plus RVs.

Mercedes Sprinter RVs - A Class B
Mercedes Sprinter RVs – A Class B
A Class B+ RV
A Class B+ RV

There are some people that love this chassis. And some people really don’t.

So let’s discuss it and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the Sprinter chassis.

And first of all, let’s start with the good. The Sprinter chassis pros or advantages.

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Mercedes Sprinter Pro #1

And the biggest pro for this chassis is the diesel engine. Yes, the diesel engine is going to give you very good fuel mileage.

In fact, a lot of Sprinter owners say that they average between 15 to 17 miles per gallon between around town and on the highway.

And for an RV, that’s fantastic! It’s a lot of savings on fuel for RV owners.

But the other thing that’s great about this engine is its longevity. In fact, there’s several of these engines that have gone over 500,000 miles.

And it’s not uncommon at all to see them get 300,000 to 400,000 miles on the engine before any major work has to be done. So that’s a big pro!

Mercedes Sprinter RVs Pro #2

Now the second pro is safety. So if you’re really safety conscious, well you’re going to love this chassis.

That’s because Mercedes really loaded it up with safety features. Things like lane keeping assist, and blind spot warning. Also braking assist and on and on.

It’s really a great RV for safety features. And that’s good because honestly in the RV industry that’s something that’s often lacking. So this particular chassis takes care of that.

Sprinter Pro #3

Now the next pro is that it’s so easy to drive and maneuver. In fact, a lot of Sprinter owners talk about how easy it is to drive and get around in it.

They also mention the high quality feel that this chassis gives you. And how it fits well into a lot of parking spaces around town.

So you may not even need to take a second vehicle with you on your RV travels. And that’s a big pro or advantage!

A Pro For Taller People – Pro #4

The next pro is that this chassis, especially in the Class B, provides a lot of headroom.

So for you taller people, you can still manage to walk down the middle of the RV.

Especially without doing that big stoop over thing that some taller folks have to do in class B RVs.

Plus, the chassis can come in lengths of up to 25 feet. So you can get plenty of living space in this chassis too.

How To Avoid Buying An RV Money Pit

Another Advantage To Consider – Pro #5

Now the next pro of the Sprinter chassis is great resale value. And by that I mean that there’s a general perception out there that this chassis is high quality.

That it has a lot of great technology in it. And people are therefore willing to pay more for it on the used market.

Of course, in the mind of the buying public, that’s better than other comparable chassis. So it’s a big advantage of the Sprinter chassis.

OK, now those are the pros I wanted to cover so far. Now let’s talk about the cons as well.

Mercedes Sprinter RVs Con #1

And the main con that you really want to consider is that this chassis is expensive to buy in the first place.

Also, it’s expensive to maintain and to repair too. Now remember that I said it has a great resale value.

Well, the flip side is that you’re going to pay more for it up front too. So in many ways it’s kind of a tradeoff.

But with this particular chassis I highly recommend that you do the maintenance it requires.

That is, if you want it to last and try to avoid very high repair expenses in the meantime.

And this is something that a lot of Mercedes chassis owners talk about too.

They say that you better keep up with the maintenance that the factory suggests. Stay right on schedule with it.

And that way you can avoid a lot of really expensive repairs down the line. Because if you don’t, you’re going to face those repairs sooner or later.

Of course, the maintenance itself is also not going to be cheap on this chassis.

But it’s much better than the high repairs that you’ll face without maintaining it.

And really, any repair can be expensive on this chassis. So it’s good to know that going in.

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Also, another thing to know is that sometimes parts are also hard to get for the Sprinter chassis.

In fact, many Sprinter owners complain about having to wait a long time for repairs to be made in some situations.

Mainly because parts can be a challenge to get at times. So that is a con that you need to consider before buying.

Sprinter Con #2

Now the second con or disadvantage I’m going to talk about relates to that.

And that is that you may want to manage your repair costs on this particular kind of RV as much as you can.

So a good way to do that is to get an extended warranty on your Sprinter based RV.

It’s a great way to keep repair costs under control. Or at least manage them.

But keep in mind that that’s going to cost you as well. So that can be a con too.

But if this is something you feel could be a big help here’s my recommendation.

The most trusted name in extended warranties for RV owners is Wholesale Warranties. Just follow this link and talk to them about it.

They will do their best to get you a warranty for your RV that fits your budget.

And that way you can set your mind at ease about higher repair costs on this chassis.

Sprinter Chassis Con #3

OK, the next con is that it can really be difficult at times to even find repair facilities for this chassis.

Especially depending on the area that you’re in. In fact, there are some states where owners say that it’s almost impossible to find a repair facility in the entire state.

And certainly, they’re not very easy easy to come across in those more rural areas.

So that’s something to consider if you like to travel all across the country.

Because you may find yourself in an area that doesn’t have a lot of repair facilities for Mercedes Sprinter RVs.

Now here’s another point that is closely related to that. And that is that if you do find a repair facility that’s local to you, very often you’re going to have to wait a while to get in and get your RV chassis repaired.

That’s because again, there’s so many of these chassis out there. And so few repair facilities to service them.

So very often, owners talk about having weeks of having to wait just for an appointment to get repairs done.

RV repairs - don't pay for them

And that can lead to a lot of frustration for the RV owner. But it depends on where you are when the chassis service is needed too.

Mercedes Sprinter RVs Con #4

Now the last con we want to talk about today is that these chassis are very often prone to having low cargo carrying capacity in them.

In fact, it seems that many RV manufacturers just load the Sprinter chassis up with all kinds of extras and technology. With amenities and things like that.

Of course, that’s because that’s what people want. But the is a problem with that.

And that is that they very often load them up so much that there’s very little room left for cargo. And that’s a real issue for many RVers.

Now some of the Sprinter RV manufacturers are better at this than others.

So it depends on the builder of the RV. But one thing we can say for sure.

And that is, you’ve got to be a little frugal about what you’re taking with you if you have one of these Sprinter chassis RVs.

And you also need to closely monitor your weight. More often and more regularly than you do with other RVs. And that can be considered a con.

OK, so those are the pros and the cons that I wanted to share with you in this article.

Which RV Brands Make Better Quality Products?

Now I have created a guidebook that will help you determine what are the better quality RV brands that make class B RVs and Class B plus RVs.

And I feel that it could be very helpful for you. Because it will help you to focus on those manufacturers that are building these smaller RVs with higher quality. Just click on the image below to learn more about it.

Class B and B+ guidebook
My guidebook to buying higher quality Class B and B+ RVs

And I recommend that you use that guidebook along with my new or used RV buying and inspection guide too.

Guide to buying a new Mercedes Sprinter RV
New RV Buying Guide
Guide to buying used Mercedes Sprinter RVs.
Used RV Buying Guide

Together these two guidebooks will help you find a quality RV. One that works like it should from the very first day of your ownership.

Conclusion

Now let me say this in conclusion. In this article there were lots of challenges that we covered related to Mercedes Sprinter RVs.

But the truth is that there are plenty of Sprinter chassis owners out there right now. Both new and used.

And most of them really love the RV they have on this chassis. They love the way it handles and the way it performs. And they love the feel too.

Also, they love the technology that often comes with it. So don’t let the disadvantages of the Sprinter chassis entirely scare you away from it.

What I recommend is to use the pros and the cons that I gave you as a guide.

In fact, it’s good to write them out first. And then go down the list and determine which of those points are a higher priority for you.

In other words, what is more important to you than the others on both the pros and the cons.

And that way you can determine if a Mercedes Sprinter chassis RV really is a good fit for you or not.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!

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