Skip to main content

Mercedes’ Sprinter Extreme is what every FedEx truck wants to grow up to be

Alongside more mundane versions of its full-size van, Mercedes-Benz used the 2016 Chicago Auto Show to unveil a concept vehicle that takes the new Sprinter to the extreme … literally.

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Extreme concept looks like it was designed by a six-year-old, but in the best possible way. It’s like a life-size toy truck. It’s also over 20 feet long, 95 inches high, and can haul up to 6,400 pounds of stuff, according to Mercedes. It built this outlandish vehicle to show off the capabilities of its Sprinter cab chassis, a heavy-duty version that can be outfitted with different beds and other bodywork in place of the standard van box.

Recommended Videos

To make the Sprinter as extreme as possible, Mercedes turned to customizer RENNtech. The aftermarket company added all of the obligatory macho off-road bits, including a roof rack with spotlights, a lift kit, and beadlock wheels on aggressive off-road tires. And custom rear fenders allow for extra clearance, while chrome exhaust stacks give the Sprinter Extreme an extra dose of badassery. As if all of that wasn’t enough, the completed truck features an eye-arresting vinyl wrap, complete with fake mud splashes.

On the functional side of things, the Sprinter Extreme also boasts a Scattolini ScattoMaax “Tipper Bed,” which can dump cargo from the back, or either side. This will be an actual option for the production Sprinter. Buyers can take a bare chassis to a Mercedes-certified “MasterUpfitter” and have the bed installed.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

There are no apparent changes to the powertrain, so the Sprinter Extreme sticks with a comparatively humble 2.1-liter four-cylinder diesel engine and seven-speed automatic transmission, a combination offered in other Sprinter models. The Extreme concept also features the same load-adaptive stability control offered on production Sprinters. Those are the only sensible parts of this vehicle.

While the Sprinter Extreme itself isn’t destined for production, you could probably build something like it with enough money and the right combination of parts. Because why settle for ordinary, when you can be extreme?

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Digital Trends’ Top Tech of CES 2025 Awards
Top Tech of CES

Las Vegas is overrun. Every billboard in town is shouting about AI, hotel bar tops now sport a sea of laptops, and after hours The Strip is elbow to elbow with engineers toting yard-long beers.

That means CES, the year’s biggest tech bacchanalia, has come to town, and Digital Trends editors have spent the last four days frolicking among next year’s crop of incredible TVs, computers, tablets, and EVs. We’re in heaven.

Read more
Sony and Honda’s Afeela 1 EV makes more sense at CES than in the real world
Afeela 1 front quarter view.

The Sony car is almost here. After its creation via a joint venture with Honda in 2022 and two years’ worth of prototypes, the electronics giant’s Afeela brand is finally taking reservations for its first electric vehicle, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2026.

But will it be worth the wait? Coinciding with the opening of reservations, Sony Honda Mobility brought updated prototypes of the Afeela 1 (as it’s now officially known) to CES 2025, representing what California customers (Afeela is only taking reservations in that state) who put down a $200 refundable deposit can expect when they take delivery.

Read more
Bose wants to dominate car audio, and I heard its next-gen 3D automotive speakers
Bose logo on a speaker grille

Bose’s automotive audio business is huge, and it’s set to get even bigger. The company has been making big plays in car audio for some time now. The audio company works with premium brands like Porsche, building high-end speakers that allow drivers to experience high-quality audio on the road, whether they’re carting the family around in an Escalade or weaving around the highway (don’t do that) in a Porsche Macan.

But while it has a solid selection of audio brands under its belt, the world of personal audio is also evolving. Mercedes-Benz showed off its Dolby Atmos system at CES last year, and now, a year later, plenty of other brands are joining the trend. At CES 2025, Bose walked me through its current lineup of automotive audio products, as well as a sneak peek of what’s to come.
Immersive audio
The big trend in all areas of personal audio right now essentially boils down to supporting 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos. Consumer home theater products are increasingly offering up-firing and side-firing speakers that can bounce audio around the room to simulate height and surround effects, while headphone brands are increasingly developing spatialized audio tech that can convert stereo audio into simulated spatial audio.

Read more