--- title: "Maybe Don’t Drive a Mercedes Camper Van Up a Utah Jeep Trail With No Experience" description: "A Mercedes Sprinter Van owner got stuck on the Honeymoon Trail in Arizona and had to be saved. He said he had 4 hours of off-road experience." date: "2023-07-06" modified: "2023-07-06" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/maybe-dont-drive-a-sprinter-van-up-a-utah-jeep-trail-with-no-experience" categories: - "Mercedes-Benz News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Watch This" tags: - "Mercedes-Benz" - "Sprinter Van" - "Van" --- # Maybe Don’t Drive a Mercedes Camper Van Up a Utah Jeep Trail With No Experience ![]() Hooking up a [Mercedes ]()Sprinter Van for off-road use might seem like a good idea if you watch a lot of active lifestyle YouTubers. And while they're fine for some mild off-roading, they aren't exactly the best-equipped vehicles for some of the United States' more dangerous trails. That's something one owner recently found out, hanging off of a cliff on the Honeymoon Trail in Utah. In this video from *[Matt's Off Road Recovery]()*, you get to see exactly why off-roading a [Sprinter Van]() on one of America's most difficult trails, with very little experience, is not gonna be a good time. When the channel's host meets the Sprinter's owner, his Mercedes is stuck on some loose, stacked gravel, leaning on its passenger side near the edge of a pretty steep drop-off. "I've got about four hours of off-road driving under my belt," the owner admitted. Hey, at least he's honest. After some trouble, the Sprinter Van was driven out of its tough spot without any assistance from another vehicle. In a nutshell, it wasn't really stuck as much as in a very precarious situation. Even with someone like Matt's expertise, it still wasn't an easy drive, though. With a raised suspension, all-terrain tires, ladders, and roof racks, a Sprinter Van might look like it can tackle anything. However, its powertrain just isn't made for rock crawling. ![]() The particular Sprinter Van in this video sounds like it has Mercedes's 3.0-liter V6 turbo-diesel, which uses a nine-speed automatic sending power to all four wheels. It does not have a center-locking differential, however. It uses brake-torque-vectoring to control the open diff and try to send power where it's needed. This system seemed to struggle to put the van's power down, as its electronic stability program (ESP) kept cutting power. It may have worked better with ESP off, but that's tough to say from my desk chair. I get the appeal of an off-road Sprinter Van. They're incredibly spacious, allowing you to make go-anywhere mobile homes out of them and they look pretty cool when they're fully kitted out. Plus, that three-pointed star might make you feel a bit fancy while you're off the beaten path. However, they aren't cheap to build and can often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. So if you want to try your hand at tackling some pretty tough trails, make sure to have more than four hours of experience and something[ a bit more rugged]() than a glorified work van. If you don't, and God forgive me for saying this, you might end up on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLVae7-N_Vs *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()