The safest van in the world is how Peter Trettin, Mercedes-Benz head of sales and marketing, described the new Sprinter at its launch in Vienna.

And looking at the new van’s seemingly never-ending list of safety features, it would be hard to prove him wrong.

The new Sprinter – due in UK showrooms on May 15 – is groaning with kit to protect white van man. Driver’s airbag, adaptive ESP (traction control), ABS brakes, acceleration skid control, electronic brakeforce distribution and hydraulic brake assist all come as standard, while window and thorax bags, hill-start assist and a new Parktronic parking assistance are offered as options.

The van has also been improved in the passive safety department (more of which later) and can now hold its head up against any car on the road.

The Sprinter will be built at the DaimlerChrysler factory in Dusseldorf and shares its production line with the new Volkswagen Crafter, although VW has changed the front end and has a different set of engines.

Some 200,000 models will be built per year, of which 50,000 will be Crafters.

And while Sprinter makes its appearance in spring, VW won’t have any vans for sale until the autumn.

Speaking at the launch, Trettin said the old Sprinter reached an all-time sales high last year. It is also fresh from winning the Fleet News best panel van award 2.8-3.5 tonnes.

He said: ‘So why did we decide to change it? Because in this day and age, standing still means falling behind.

'The old model was the best van on the market but some of the competition had caught up and, indeed, in some areas had overtaken us. We are the technological leaders in the van market and always will be – as is shown with the new Sprinter. It is the safest van in the world.’

A total of 1,000 different models will be available when new Sprinter is finally at full production and prices will range from £15,330 to £26,270 ex-VAT.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz suffered in the UK because the firm simply couldn’t build enough Sprinters to satisfy worldwide demand. Constricted supply led to a 10% sales drop.

In fact, so desperate was the situation, Mercedes shipped in models from its Argentinian plant to help satisfy demand. So will the new Sprinter be in short supply too?

UK van sales and marketing director Peter Lambert told Fleet Van: ‘Supply will be

limited this year until we get to full production capacity in February or March 2007.

The current model will still be built until July and is selling like hot cakes.

Some fleet buyers still know how good the current model is and would prefer to buy it at the cheaper rate.’

The new Sprinter is a radical departure from the chunky lines of the old model.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the new model ‘combines emotional and rational aspects and is a perfect blend of form and function’. Couldn’t have put it better myself.

Whereas the Crafter features an outrageously macho front end, Mercedes-Benz has opted for a softer, more stylish conk which resembles other vans in the Mercedes-Benz family. Meanwhile, there’s a massive three-pointed star at the front and rear of the van which will leave others in no doubt about who made it.

There are three wheelbases on offer – 3,250mm, 3,665mm and 4,325mm – and four lengths, with the options of standard, high and super-high roofs.

Gross vehicle weights range from 3.0 to 5.0 tonnes and load volumes range from 7.0 cubic metres to 17 cubic metres.

A huge side-loading door measures a class-leading 1,300mm.

In the cab, there is more room than in the old model, the seats are totally new, offering better support, and the steering wheel angle has been changed from 47 to 32 degrees, making for a more car-like driving position.

All models come with electric windows, remote central locking, driver’s airbag, a CD player and six-speed gearbox.

Options include bi-xenon headlights with a cornering function, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and a keyless entry system.

The new Sprinter has a choice of engines – a four cylinder 2,148cc unit offering 88bhp, 109bhp, 129bhp and 150bhp and a new 3.0-litre V6 diesel with a blistering 184bhp – once again putting the Sprinter at No1 in the power stakes in the 3.5-tonne van sector.

Europeans will also get a V6 petrol option offering 258bhp, but that version is deemed as not suitable for us Brits.

The four-cylinder unit has torque ratings of between 162lb-ft and 243lb-ft while the V6 has 295lb-ft.