No need to lower the floor in Sprinter vans.

[sacharlie]

Ya drive from your chair in these Mercedes.
Just a little cut out at the driver position and move of the ECU to the passenger seat base and you're good to go.

[Burgerman]

They are a bit too "van" for me. Some swear by them though.

[sacharlie]

My only interest in a Sprinter is for 2 reasons REAR ENTRY & DRIVE FROM CHAIR.

I've only had Ford Evans both side and rear entry presently an e250 side entry full drop so I can drive from chair.

I would love to have the VW Caravelle rear entry full drop but no VW here in USA.

Looking at the KIA Sedona rear entry drive from chair.
Hoping the Toyota Scion will soon be modified for drive from chair but only rear entry as to date.

Cost wise a KIA with full drop rear entry is less than a non modified Sprinter.

[Burgerman]

Why do you prefer rear access vehicles? I find its swings and roundabouts.

I cant park at the side of the street as someone always parks behind in a rear ramp car...

In a side ramp the ramp hits the footpath or the eoad depending which way you choose to face.

And in car park there are always places where you can pull in at an angle or take two ordinary bays "sideways"and not be trapped. With a rear opener you lower the ramp and its directly in the traffic area and in danger of being hit? I cant see any advantage as its all so long. As is a sprinter. Horses for courses I suppose! Best of all worlds is a side lift in a VW Carravelle in my opinion. Saving up!

[Ironside]

My first vehicle was a Chrysler Voyager which I imported in from the states in 1992. It ran really well for a few years and then started developing problems because of a faulty ABS system and gearbox that had not been detected at being faulty at the very beginning. I now drive a 2007 Mercedes Sprinter Van which seems to be a pretty solid reliable vehicle. The rear access is by far a better option than side access like what was on my Chrysler. I can drive into any car park and park anywhere now, whereas I was very limited with the side access. Although I would prefer to be driving a car similar to my Chrysler, I have a feeling that my Mercedes sprinter van will still be driving around iwhen all of your Chrysler's etc are on the scrapheap

[Burgerman]

Well they are better built than any US vehicle thats for sure. But too big and I drove vans when at work. So the chrysler suits me better, but the VW Lowered floor Eurovans (VW Caravelles) are better still. But very expensive.

[Red Dragon]

do not buy chevrole.
She needs lots of fuel
70 liter=350km
1/5
He has a very low floor and that's good
Some people are high.
They can not select another vehicle

[ex-Gooserider]

Don't know if they will be bringing them to the UK / EU, etc. but they are just starting to come out with a new Ford vehicle called the MV-1. Claimed to be the first major automaker vehicle that was purposefully designed to be HP Accessible, and fully compliant with the "Americans w/ Disabilities Act" ADA standards. The website http://www.vpgautos.com/ doesn't make any mention of drive from the chair, but we are told it's possible, and that the dash has even been designed to have adaptive controls installed w/o needing a lot of work.

Expensive at ~40K USD, but that is still better than the usual ~20K for the van + 30K to modify it @Braun, Rollx, VMI etc... Looks pretty decent on the website...

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

I was under the impression that it didnt have a full lowered floor so couldnt be driven from a wheelchair. Obviously wrong! Sure is ugly though...

I want something that looks and goes more like a corvette!

[Martin O Refurbisher]

It will be interesting to see in real life. There were lots of WAVs at Naidex, but nothing stunned me!

I think my first choice is the VW, or maybe a van conversion, eith VW or Mercedes.

Best,

Martin

[ex-Gooserider]

I was under the impression that it didnt have a full lowered floor so couldnt be driven from a wheelchair. Obviously wrong! Sure is ugly though...

I want something that looks and goes more like a corvette!

I agree on being ugly, though it sort of puts me in mind of an armored car, which has it's own version of cool...

I was a bit bothered that there was no mention made on the website about drive from the chair, but I wrote to them about it and have been told that it is possible. They definitely say that they have wheelchair space in the front passenger side, and so it seems logical that they would have a full width drop floor. One thing that may be an issue is that supposedly one of the problems with the full size vans with the raised roof is that they can't get into most parking garages because they are to tall. The MV-1 is better than the mini-vans on ground clearance, so I wonder how it is on total height - they have to be getting the wheelchair height from someplace...

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

You should see Dr. Who... Check out the Tardis. Thats what we need! Lots of space on the inside there.

[John1952]

Please...can someone give me accurate info with regard to the question of floor modifications for the current model year (2015-2016) Sprinters. Here in the U.S., it seems to be an issue. No mobility companies seem interested, yet the Sprinter is one of the most modification-friendly full size vehicles in production. For many past years, many of us drove full size E-series Ford vans, and we dearly miss them. By far, they were the consumer's choice and the choice of vehicle modifiers. Now, cookie-cutter lowered-floor minivans seem to be the rage. That's all that mobility companies want to sell.

Here in the southeastern U.S., and I suspect in many other parts of the country, many of us prefer the larger full-size rear wheel drive vehicles capable of hauling and towing if that need arises. They are more durable and last many years longer. The lowered-floor pick-up trucks seem to satisfy that need for a few people, but for long distance travel and general family use, full-size vans are darn hard to beat. They are spacious, reliable, and functional.

In many cases, a regular 144" WB Sprinter with the standard roof is all that is needed. That vehicle alone, straight from the factory gives 64" or interior headroom. The side and rear doors are plenty wide and tall enough for any platform lift. For those needing to drive from their chair, some modification (leveling...not lowering) to the driver floor area near the firewall seems all that is needed. The hand controls, wheelchair restraint device and so on is then added.

The main issue seems to be what do with the electrical components under the driver seat. As SACharlie indicated, these electronics can likely be put under the front passenger seat since the bases are identical. Yet, no modifiers in this area seem to have any knowledge of the parts, kits, or other supplies needed to make the switch. After all, in the European Sprinters with the steering wheel on the right side, those electronics were under the right-side driver seat to begin with. It should not be that difficult! It would seem that this type of wheelchair driver modification should technically be easier than lowering the floor in a full-size E-series Fords. Surely someone or some company in the U.S. know something more about how to do this!

Sprinters are gaining popularity in the U.S. and seem a little more modification-friendly that the Ford full-size Transit and the Dodge Ram Pro Master. Sprinter wheelchair driver modifications seem commonplace in Europe. Why not here! If anyone has any info on any companies doing wheelchair driver modifications in the U.S. please post it here or PM me. A large segment of disabled consumers will be most appreciative and perhaps we can have more adaptive driving options.

[motoman]

Have you looked at http://www.creativecontrolsinc.com/serv ... rinter.htm ? I looked into a Sprinter a few years ago and found them, they still do mods to sprinters.

[John1952]

Have you looked at http://www.creativecontrolsinc.com/serv ... rinter.htm ? I looked into a Sprinter a few years ago and found them, they still do mods to sprinters.

In fact, I did run across CCI a while back. I e-mailed them twice, but never got a response. They might be a possibility. I knew they made mobility components, but didn't realize they actually did the total modification package. Also, there is another company in Miami, FL (inmotionmobility.com) who seems to do modifications to the Sprinters. They have a good picture of the driver station floor leveled out (click on "Blog") so that a chair can maneuver up under the wheel. I guess one or both of these companies should be able to tell me what is done with the electronics under the factory driver seat. I want to get some idea about how these things are done before I make a huge investment. If I might ask, did you go with a Sprinter or something else?

[motoman]

If I might ask, did you go with a Sprinter or something else?

I wound up buying a VMI Odyssey. Like you I found that they were unresponsive to emails and even phone calls, at least in 2008. And they are in Detroit so if I had issues it was a day drive to get there. But I did talk to them about the electronics under the seat and they do the mods to move it all. It really came down to keeping my purchase a little more local to avoid a bunch of hassle. Although I really wanted a Sprinter.

[flatbutt01]

I took possession of a 2015 Mercedes-Benz 313CDI Mini Bus mobility Van conversion on Dec 15 2015.
In New Zealand we drive on the left, so I can not comment about the electrics under the (American version) drivers seat, as these electronics are under the passenger seat here in Kiwi Land.
The only part of the floor that has to be leveled/Lowered is a small section directly below the drivers seat. This was done by a company called Braiden International. Their website url is http://www.gentlegiant.co.nz

They may be willing to answer some of the questions you have.

I agree that the height of the Sprinter means no garaging and I also believe that rear mounted hoist is by far better than side entry. In Kiwi Land most car parks are angle parking and we often get ticketed for taking more than one space when parking. Sure rear entry puts you in the danger zone from inconsiderate motorists, but this is a riak we have to take.

Cheers Ray.

[Burgerman]

Best and easiest option would be to buy a van with the steering wheel on the right. Whilst you may think thats odd, it actually makes no difference at all in daily use.

I drive a US imported chrysler here in the UK so the steering is also on the wrong side. After the first 5 miles I honestly never noticed again. Really. I actually prefer it! Its easy to speak to pedestrians to get directions etc.