Gas vs Mercedes Sprinter Diesel Class C

[AlMcGo]

I have owned only gas powered motorhomes. I am interested in buying a Mercedes-Benz diesel powered 24 ft class C with 12,000 miles.
I am needing experiences, recommendations, suggestions, thoughts and ideas regarding gas vs diesel and buying a Mercedes-Benz chassis.
Thanks. Al

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

In the size/type of coach you are considering (C-class), the difference between a gas model & a diesel is strictly the engine type & power. If you were talking about an A class diesel pusher, there would be much more to discuss.

A diesel engine produces more torque at low engine rpms than any gas engine. That gives more power at low speeds and better acceleration vs a gas engine. However, a class C RV with a gas engine will have a larger engine, i.e. more liters of engine volume that can operate at higher rpms. That makes up a lot of the difference in power. A diesel will most likely get better fuel economy in terms of miles-per-gallon, but diesel costs more so the $cost per mile isn't necessarily better.

The biggest drawback I see when buying a Mercedes Sprinter diesel-based coach is the relatively modest carrying capacity (GVWR & CCC). The Sprinter diesel chassis is maxed out at about 12,000 lbs whereas an Ford E450 based model would be 14,050 lbs. A nicely equipped RV body on a Sprinter chassis tends to consume nearly all the GVWR while the Ford or ProMaster based models usually have extra capacity.

 

[Kirk]

Gary has given you a good rundown, but I'd offer a few other things to consider. Diesel engines are more expensive to service than gasoline and the Mercedes is often reported as costing even more. But the diesel engines typically have a longer useful life than gasoline so if you expect to put on a lot of miles, it could be more cost effective. As Gary states, be very careful in the weight capacities.

 

[garyb1st]

For me the downside of the Mercedes diesel is it's towing capacity. The other thing is the size of the holding tanks. We prefer to dry camp so the size of the water tank is one of the features we look at. If I could get beyond those limitations, I'd be more inclined to go with the diesel. The fuel economy and ability to find shops able to work on the smaller vehicles is a big plus.

 

[Lou Schneider]

For me the downside of the Mercedes diesel is it's towing capacity. The other thing is the size of the holding tanks. We prefer to dry camp so the size of the water tank is one of the features we look at. If I could get beyond those limitations, I'd be more inclined to go with the diesel. The fuel economy and ability to find shops able to work on the smaller vehicles is a big plus.

Diesel contains about 10% more energy per gallon than gas, so it will deliver about that much better fuel economy.

But then you have to look at the cost of each fuel. Diesel is no longer a bargain, the extra refining needed to produce the now universal Ultra Low Sulfer diesel raising it's price to about 20% higher than gas in the US.

Then there's the extra maintenance diesel engines require. Since diesel burns dirty engines require more frequent oil changes that more expensive due to larger filters and more oil required compared to gas engines.

Then there's the whole exhaust pollution filtering. Particulate filters are expensive and require DEF and regen cycles, etc.

Add all of this up and it makes a powerful argument against diesel. It's why Ford developed the 7.3 liter Godzilla engines for it's medium and heavy duty truck chassis when fleet owners demanded a less expensive alternative to diesel.

I wouldn't consider purchasing a new diesel for anything smaller than a large Class A. And this is coming from someone who has driven a pre-DEF diesel pickup for several years.

 

[Kirk]

someone who has driven a pre-DEF diesel pickup for several years.

I loved my 2003, Dodge/Cummins. My son has a Ford-Godzilla F-350 and he is very happy with it. He says that he always looks at the diesel prices when filling his gasoline tank as it makes the price easier to accept.

 

[CharlesinGA]

I used to tell people, owning a Sprinter is like owning an old English sports car. It requires you to mechanically understand the vehicle and its Idiosyncrasies, otherwise you will come to hate it. See my comments HERE and HERE as they will be applicable to all Sprinters.

What year CHASSIS is this motorhome?

 

[DonTom]

Lately, I have been seeing several large diesels broken down on the highways. In the last couple of years, every RV trip RV trip I see a few broken down large diesel trucks, and that includes this trip.

Something I never used to see.

Anybody else notice the same, and is there a reason?

-Don- Big Creek Camp, NV

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Since diesel burns dirty engines require more frequent oil changes that more expensive due to larger filters and more oil required compared to gas engines.

Well, this isn't exactly true. My former 6.7 Cummins recommended oil changes at 15K miles, or once a year. Most gas engines recommend somewhere between 5K and 7500K. Filters for a diesel are more expensive, and diesels take roughly double + the oil than a comparable size a standard gas engine.

Diesel fuel does cost more than 87 octane gas, but the price difference is much closer if using one of several truckers diesel fuel discount card such as EFS' Open Roads card, or upstart Greenlane. I noticed Gas Buddy has started a "fleet" discount diesel card also. Two camping seasons ago I was paying on average $.30-$.50 less per gallon of diesel with Open Roads compared to gas prices. For whatever reason, diesel prices seem to fluctuate more than gas prices do.

 

[Kirk]

Diesel engines often have longer oil change intervals because they hold much more oil and use oils formulated to handle higher soot loads, higher temperatures, and more acidic byproducts — but this is balanced by the fact that diesel oil is under harsher conditions. Most diesel trucks carry 10–15 gallons of engine oil compared to 4–6 quarts in a typical gasoline engine. This means there’s a bigger volume of oil circulating, so contaminants are diluted and the oil’s protective properties last longer before reaching the point where it must be drained.

 

[DonTom]

compared to 4–6 quarts in a typical gasoline engine.

For the Ford 7.3L V8 “Godzilla” gas engine in this motorhome, it is 8.0 quarts of oil.

-Don- Sac Pass, NV

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

My 6.7 Cummins took 16 qts. of oil, or about 4 gallons. Yep, the bigger diesels certainly do take a lot more than that. Former boss had a 45' SeaRay boat with twin screw diesels. He came into the office bitchy one day, looking grimy. Hey Chuck, what's wrong? Those damn diesels take 20 qts. of oil each!, and I could barely get to the oil filters. Rich man's toys!

 

[bigbAZ]

My 3 liter Mercedes OM642 with my added oil cooler holds almost as much oil as my 7.3 liter Powerstroke diesel did. I still don't use the factory recommended OCI though, I don't believe that is in our best interest, especially on a hard working motorhome.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

When looking to sell our diesel motorhome and shopping dealer lots in person and online, the one thing we, DW and I, noticed was that after we mentioned downsizing from a DP to a Class C, we were asked if we were interested in a diesel. Why? We think it was because the lots were full of used Mercedes B+ and Mini-Cs. And the prices they were asking for these used RVs often were more than what you would pay for a nice brand-new Class C on the Ford F-450 chassis, and room for more than two pairs of underwear.