Lift off as first new Mercedes-Benz Sprinters join Stone Hardy fleet
Some of the first examples from the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van range are now delivering valuable mpg savings in the livery of Stone Hardy, a market leader in the servicing and repair of tail-lifts and shutters for commercial and passenger vehicles.
The Northampton-based company has ordered 37 vans from Dealer Hughes of Aylesbury – the majority are 3.5-tonne Sprinter 313 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY models although the line-up also includes five smaller Citan 109 CDIs. Once the last of these new vans has entered service next year, every one of Stone Hardy’s 68 service vehicles will be a Mercedes-Benz.
The latest Sprinter is easily distinguished from its illustrious predecessor, thanks to its sculpted bonnet, more vertical, wedge-shaped radiator grille with perforated slats, and revised, more angular headlights.
The new model also incorporates new technology that makes it the most fuel efficient and safest vehicle in its class. Mpg performance is up by 7% over the outgoing Sprinter while the returns from BlueEFFICIENCY variants – which incorporate a raft of additional measures designed to further reduce diesel consumption – are improved by a further 6%, to as much as 44.4 mpg.
“It’s too early to get an accurate picture,” says Managing Director Paul Clark. “But the first guys out in the field to whom we’ve allocated the latest model Sprinters report that they’re definitely making fewer visits to the filling station, which is encouraging.”
The vehicle’s array of ground-breaking safety systems, meanwhile, includes Crosswind Assist, which detects sudden strong gusts of wind and helps to prevent the van drifting out of its lane by applying individual brakes on one side of the vehicle. Other new electronic aids additionally available as options include Collision Prevention Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Highbeam Assist and Lane Keeping Assist.
“We’re always conscious of our Duty of Care obligations, and are also fitting our vehicles with reversing cameras and beepers,” he continues. “The fact that we’re sending our employees out in the safest vans on the road is very reassuring.”
Established in 1976, Stone Hardy also operates from five regional locations nationwide. Its mobile engineers provide customers with a round-the-clock service, 365 days of the year.
The company commissioned its first 23 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters on a contact hire deal in 2007, and has added more since. Those early vehicles proved so reliable and cost-effective to operate that Stone Hardy ran them for an extra year and only now is it standing them down.
“We work our Sprinters hard,” says Mr Clark “They’re typically loaded to around 3.3 tonnes and spend much of their time pulling weight test trailers at up to 1.5 tonnes.
“Despite this, they’ve been good for more than a quarter of a million miles each and have given us virtually no trouble at all, while the service we’ve received from Hughes of Aylesbury has been great.”
Stone Hardy’s latest vans are the subject of a contract hire agreement with Lex Autolease and will be maintained by Mercedes-Benz Dealers and at Ryder facilties, depending on which is the most conveniently located.
Powered by 95 kW (129 hp) engines, the Compact-bodied Sprinters serve as mobile workshops – they are being racked out and fitted with work benches by Motoron Services, while on board equipment includes welding gear for making hydraulic hoses.
The Long Citans are Stone Hardy’s first examples from the smallest van yet to wear a three-pointed star, which was launched at the beginning of 2013. Also kitted out by Motoron, these are based at the company’s regional sales and service locations and are used primarily to provide a quick response to local breakdowns.
For more information, visit stonehardy.co.uk.
