All engines are common-rail, achieving Euro IV standard, and are rear wheel drive.

The old Sprintshift automatic gearbox is no longer available but a full automatic will be on the list.

Oil changes are only necessary every 40,000km or two years – or put in practical terms, the vans can travel once round the world before needing attention.

It is worth turning our attention back to the Sprinter’s stunning array of safety gear.

Mercedes-Benz originally introduced ESP traction control systems as standard on the Sprinter in 2003 and to show how important this system is in preventing crashes, a survey found that since then in Germany, at-fault accidents suffered by Sprinter drivers have dropped by one third.

It’s a Bosch system which is found in many passenger cars nowadays and works together with the ABS system detecting sideways movement of the vehicle and applying the brakes to individual wheels to bring it back under control.

The new Sprinter goes one better and upgrades the system to adaptive, which includes a self-learning facility which estimates vehicle mass and centre of gravity.

In other words, it adapts itself when loads are placed in different areas of the van.

Additional functions also include roll-over mitigation, roll movement intervention and understeer control.

It all sounds complicated but works away on its own without the driver even knowing, helping correct the van during bad driving and emergency situations.

The only way a driver knows it is working is when an orange light winks on the dash.

Other active safety devices include three-point seatbelts with tensioners and force limiters on all seats.

On the passive safety front, the new model has a more rigid structure, featuring stronger side members.

In the event of a severe crash, the centre attachment point of the front subframe breaks away, freeing up an extra crumple zone underneath.

In the rear load area, an optional load restraint system is available, which features rails in the floor and side walls and adjustable straps to hold heavy objects in place.