Mercedes-Benz Canada is pleased to announce the official conclusion of the Sprinter Arctic Drive. The 5,300 kilometre drive began in Edmonton, AB onJanuary 22, 2013, traveling through northern British Columbia, the Yukon and into Alaska beyond the Arctic Circle on some of the most treacherous roads on the continent before ultimately completing its journey in Anchorage, AK on January 30, 2013.

The expedition allowed automotive journalists from across Canada and the United States the opportunity to drive the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans through some of the most picturesque locations on this continent, while also testing the vehicle under some of the harshest and most severe weather conditions on the planet.

Ideally suited for countless applications in any environment, the convoy of 9 cargo and passenger Sprinter vans encountered and prevailed through the worst of Mother Nature’s wrath throughout the journey. This included cold starting in temperatures that dropped to nearly minus 50 degrees Celsius, icy, snow covered and frost heaved roads, high winds, ice fog, drastic temperature fluctuations, whiteout conditions and steep mountain passes, etc.

The 3.0L BlueTEC turbodiesel V6 engine with its best in class fuel consumption provided outstanding range and confidence in these remote regions where fuel stations can be few and far between. With 188 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque, the advanced powerplant ensured outstanding power and performance under all operating conditions, while also offering low noise levels and good drivability in every situation.

With its comfortable interior, generous standard equipment and cabin sound levels comparable to a passenger car, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter provided an exceptionally comfortable environment for drivers to pass the many hours spent on the road each day.

“The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter commercial van is an exceptionally versatile and hard working vehicle that can satisfy countless business and industry needs as well as a broad range of transportation requirements. We undertook this ambitious journey with confidence knowing that our van is engineered to handle virtually any extreme situation we could face,” said Pablo de la Peña, Sales & Marketing Director for Mercedes-Benz Vans. “Our valued customers rely on their vehicles as a integral component of their business, and while most drivers and operators will not encounter such severe conditions on a day-to-day basis, we are proud that the Sprinter conquered the Arctic and performed exceptionally well in some of the most remote and challenging environments we could ever face.”

All Mercedes-Benz Sprinter models come equipped with numerous standard safety features including tire pressure monitoring, front airbags for the driver and co-driver, available thorax and window airbags, and an advanced Electronic Stability Program (ESP) known as ADAPTIVE ESP. This sophisticated system is standard across the entire Sprinter range, and helps ensure that drivers can remain securely in control through a variety of demanding scenarios. In addition, it has been fully integrated with the anti-lock braking system (ABS), acceleration skid control (ASR), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), hydraulic Brake Assist (BAS), Load Adaptive Control (LAC) and ESP Trailer Stability Assist.

The advanced ADAPTIVE ESP system also includes a self-learning algorithm that calculates vehicle mass and centre of gravity based on parameters such as acceleration, speed, accelerator pedal position and brake pressure. This allows the system to react more precisely to critical driving situations, and provides more accurately controlled braking and acceleration on surfaces where the friction is different on different sides of the vehicle. The extended functionality of the new ADAPTIVE ESP also includes Roll Over Mitigation (ROM), Roll Movement Intervention (RMI) and Enhanced Understeering Control (EUC).

The ROM system detects critical high lateral forces when cornering and reacts by reducing engine torque and increasing braking pressure at the relevant wheels. RMI enhances the effectiveness of ADAPTIVE ESP by means of engine and braking intervention in certain dynamic situations such as sudden evasive manoeuvres, while EUC provides enhanced stability under heavy understeer, ensuring that the front pushes less wide on corners or when driving quickly through tight bends.