Topic: Road Trip: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Arctic Drive, Part II

[Autos_Editor]

This is Part 2 of our Sprinter Arctic Drive coverage, wherein nine of the big vans haul rubber from Edmonton to Alaska, racking up a total of 3,171 kilometres over five days.

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[JohnM]

Sounds like a great trip and a wonderful report to read.  Thank you!

11 to 13L/100km is more than decent for that vehicle in those conditions and as long as the windows can be cleared and the seats are good the Sprinter fulfills its cargo hauling mission very well.

It seems as though the controls were given short shrift however.  Maybe they need to be worked over by the consumer control team from the car division where they actually do care about the driver.

Keep these reports coming whenever you can.

Cheers,
John M.

[redman]

Wow, great article encompassing both your travel and driving experience.

Agreed that it's to bad the gauges and controls lacked the simplicity of use that should be standard on a working van.

I'm sure MB has the resources to fix this if enough rumble about it.

The fuel economy did seem quite decent considering the conditions and giant lego block with wheels you drove.

So, would you ever do an Alaskan cruise now that you had a taste of Alaska ?

[opg210]

Great article, stunning pictures. You do have to experience Canada's (and the US I suppose) north to get a feel for how big and uninhabited it is. Mind you Ontario is pretty shocking too when you drive across it. A bucket list trip for sure, though maybe not in the dead of winter!

[kymics]

Great article Paul, I enjoyed reading of your adventures.

I recall years ago driving up the Yellowhead in the wee hours of the morning in late Fall and experienced an impressive display of Northern Lights.  My wife and I pulled over and lay back on the hood of the car to watch for a while.  There were very few vehicles on the road which made the display all the better.  Moments of solitude on the highway can be very enjoyable.

[X-Traction]

A very enjoyable pair of articles, and it was great to read about the "local color" as opposed to concentrating purely on the vans.

Having used the Milepost for several trips in Alaska, NWT and the Yukon (mostly by bicycle) I'd say that not every establishment along the roads is listed in the Milepost, and there appears to be some correlation between being listed and having advertising in the guide.  Thus, you will come across more services than the guide would suggest.