What brand of Class C Sprinter is best?

I am retiring at the end of the year and plan to spend at least part of my time in an RV.  I want to start relatively small, and since I will likely be covering quite a few miles I want a relatively economical RV to drive.  As a result I have started to zero in on a Diesel Sprinter.  Probably a Mercedes since that's what most seem to be, but I wouldn't rule out a Ford or Ram.  I will likely buy used, but not old.  There are a number of Sprinter manufacturers out there; Winnebago,Forest River, Thor, etc.  Is there one that stands above the rest, or are there any that I should stay away from?  I'll also be towing a (probably small) vehicle.  Although it seems most can handle 5,000lb, there are some limited to a towing capacity of 3,500 lb.  I'd just as soon not get too close to the maximum.  Thoughts or recommendations on what brand of Sprinter?

Consider total cost of ownership, it is not just fuel, but also maintenance, etc.  The Sprinters may seem cheaper at first glance, but ask some owners how much they cost to maintain, and also consider purchase cost.

The Sprinter is a Mercedes platform. A Chevy or Ford chassis wouldn't be Sprinters, usually wouldn't be diesels, and are usually a bit larger than the Sprinter units. Are you wanting the Class C or Class B version?

I've looked at a few, and my impression is that you have to look at each individual rig to see if it's what you want, since the floor plan (always a major consideration) is even more important in these than in more conventional units, since they are so small. Also, as Isaac indicates, pricing may be a consideration for you. Even new vs used is a consideration. You also may want to consider whether the generator is diesel (on a Sprinter) or LP (not as desirable, IMO). Holding tank and fresh water tank capacities are another consideration.

Larry N. said:

The Sprinter is a Mercedes platform. A Chevy or Ford chassis wouldn't be Sprinters, usually wouldn't be diesels, and are usually a bit larger than the Sprinter units. Are you wanting the Class C or Class B version?

I've looked at a few, and my impression is that you have to look at each individual rig to see if it's what you want, since the floor plan (always a major consideration) is even more important in these than in more conventional units, since they are so small. Also, as Isaac indicates, pricing may be a consideration for you. Even new vs used is a consideration. You also may want to consider whether the generator is diesel (on a Sprinter) or LP (not as desirable, IMO). Holding tank and fresh water tank capacities are another consideration.

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Larry N. said:

The Sprinter is a Mercedes platform. A Chevy or Ford chassis wouldn't be Sprinters, usually wouldn't be diesels, and are usually a bit larger than the Sprinter units. Are you wanting the Class C or Class B version?

I've looked at a few, and my impression is that you have to look at each individual rig to see if it's what you want, since the floor plan (always a major consideration) is even more important in these than in more conventional units, since they are so small. Also, as Isaac indicates, pricing may be a consideration for you. Even new vs used is a consideration. You also may want to consider whether the generator is diesel (on a Sprinter) or LP (not as desirable, IMO). Holding tank and fresh water tank capacities are another consideration.

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I'm looking for a Class C, although I'd consider a similar class A like Winnebago makes.  I did find some older Ram versions (Mercedes used to own Chrysler) and I even found a Ford version, a Thor Gemini when I put in the "keyword" Sprinter https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-Thor-Motor-Coach-GEMINI-23TR-5003791564.  Still, the vast majority are Mercedes.  The configurations vary even among the same manufacturer.  At this point, I'm mostly trying to find out about manufacturers's overall quality.  Is Winnebago better than Thor (or vice versa) etc.     

To answer that last part of your question, I would generally put a Thor as lower end mass produced entry level coach, Winnebago, by contrast is a good solid mid level coach.

If I were to compare them to cars, Thor would be Kia, when price is the deciding factor they may win and Winnebago is more like Subaru, not exactly luxury, but they do what they do well.

To be clear, if that Thor has a Ford chassis, it can be diesel but it's not a Sprinter chassis.  There are some class C's based on a Ford or Chevy diesel, usually the F450/4500 size vehicle. Not necessarily great on fuel economy. Ford also offers a 5-cylinder diesel in the Transit 350 van, and I think the Thor Gemini imay be using that one.

Ram offered their Promaster van chassis with a diesel up through 2016, so you may find some Class C's based on that.  The Winnebago Travato is one such.

For a Class C, I would lean heavily toward Winnebago/Itasca, or maybe Jayco.  Tiffin just started producing Class C's as well, but too early for any track records to be established. At the upscale end, Airstream makes a rather elegant Class B on the Sprinter chassis.
I would suggest a Class C rather than Class B, but you will have to determine your own space needs.

When we first started looking for our coach, I was REALLY into the Sprinter platform.  That fuel economy looks wonderful.  However, it wasn't too long before I realized it wasn't going to be a good fit for us.  Here are the main reasons, IMO.

1. Significantly smaller than many other class C options.  I'm 6'-5", and DW is 5'-11".  Lower ceiling, small bathrooms and shorter beds were all nonstarters for us.  Plus, neither of us has any interest at all in corner bed configurations.  Trust me, no way I can crawl over her without disturbance! 

2.  Onboard genny is almost always LP, and the tank usually isn't very generous.  An LP genny can burn a lot of gas relatively quickly.  Diesel upgrades are available on most, but it's around a $6K upgrade!

3.  $15-25K price premium over many comparable coaches on Ford chassis.  Ouch.

4.  Significantly more costly to maintain and repair.  There just aren't a lot of Mercedes dealers around with the large facilities needed for such a vehicle.  You may be hundreds of miles from one when a problem arises.  Parts are significantly more expensive, as well.  Conversely, there's a Ford truck dealership on every other corner across the country, and parts are cheap and plentiful.

5.  Much lower cargo capacity.  The GVW ratings on the 3500 Sprinter are just much lower than an E-450.  When you get you, your spouse, full tanks of water and fuel and your normal "stuff" inside, many units are already overweight.  In that state with our E-450 based, 27' coach, I still have over 1500 lbs left before reaching the red zone.

That said, you should get what works best for you.  These points may not be important to you, and/or worth the better fuel economy.  I'm just sharing the disadvantages I saw, and they were serious enough to put us off that style of coach.

Good hunting!

Many contractors using Sprinters are finding they get stuck easily off-road. 

Are they all front wheel drive?

sightseers said:

Many contractors using Sprinters are finding they get stuck easily off-road. 

Are they all front wheel drive?

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No, up to now they've been rear wheel drive, with some 4WD models available.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4976

However, the "next generation" Sprinters, due next year, will apparently offer a FWD version, but not in the US.

https://www.trucks.com/2018/01/25/2019-mercedes-sprinter-whats-known/

I've looked at many Sprinter chassis RV designs and my biggest issues are width and utility. It has great mileage and swivel front seats but it's too small if you're going to use it as an RV. Set aside the normal stuff like reliability, towing and service costs. I've owned multiple small (under 25 feet) RVs for almost twenty years now and have learned from using them. I've traveled over a thousand miles in one leg, used it as my only transportation, over night stays at multiple consecutive locations and camped a week on and off grid. The Sprinter is excellent as a comfortable van driving to a hotel or pulling off for a few hours at a rest area for lunch or nap. To actually function as an RV and be comfortable you need a real toilet, shower and sink. You also need a lot of propane for heat and hot water, a lot of gas and full size generator to recharge your batteries, charge your toys and run your AC. The biggest refrigerator possible is a plus. Add all that up in terms of weight and aerodynamics and it equals poor mileage. My wife and I now have a 2015 Ford E350 5.4L Minnie Winnie 22R that gets a mere 8.5 miles per gallon but has a 6' 11" ceiling and enough storage to be comfortable in my opinion.