Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Vito vans both took major awards in the Courier, Express, and Parcel services Van of the Year 2010 competition held recently in Germany, winning first place in the 3.5-ton and 3.0-ton van categories respectively.
A natural gas driven Sprinter designed for operation in an urban environment, producing significantly lower exhaust gas and noise emission figures, was voted winner in the Alternative Drive Systems category.
The awards were made by a 30-man jury consisting of experts from the courier, express and parcel services sector who evaluated 18 participating vehicles before selecting the winners in five categories.
The examiners covered a grand total of over 7,000 kilometres in the course of 540 test drives. Functionality, driving comfort, handling characteristics, design, and economic efficiency were amongst the points covered in the evaluation.
