Want a true 4WD Sprinter with locking diffs? Iglhaut Allrad is coming to the USA.

News coming out of Overland Expo East this week (Nov 2018) suggests that Iglhaut, one of the big German 4×4 Sprinter conversion companies, will be accepting orders in the USA soon.  That means true 50/50 split full time 4×4 with locking differentials. But it isn’t cheap.

Iglhaut 4x4 at Overland Expo captured by GearJunkie.com
Iglhaut 4×4 at Overland Expo captured by GearJunkie.com

It works like this: You buy a US-spec 2WD van and it gets sent to Germany. After around six months you get back the same van with the conversion, 37″ wheels, skid plates and a couple of other off road features. The cost, including your purchase of the van, is around $130k.

Iglhaut retrofits a drivetrain based on the Mercedes G-Wagen to their European conversions. No reason to think their USA offering would be any different.

Their site is a placeholder still, but it looks like they’ll start taking orders soon.

7 Replies to “Want a true 4WD Sprinter with locking diffs? Iglhaut Allrad is coming to the USA.”

  1. Hi – I love your site! 1) I just sold my first van build (2014 high roof 144 passenger van). I’m thinking about going 170 and potentially 4×4. What’s your experience with the 170 4×4? Did you really use the 4×4? What was the impact on mileage. I was getting around 22 mpg on the highway with the 144. 2) Also – I did have some major emissions issues with my 144. But we replaced pretty much everything before we sold it. Would you do another sprinter? – thanks! C

    1. Hey there! Glad you like the site. We love the 170 for the extra space to throw the bikes inside the van (under the bed) and to be able to sit and hang out in the van with plenty of room. We also prepare a lot of our own meals so having the extra cabinet space and countertop is great too.

      We do use the 4×4. The van is heavy enough that it’ll go lots of places in 2WD mode, but we like finding out-of-the-way camping spots and we’ve been caught out on sandy roads/trails in Moab and Bend before. Driving in the snow is much more reassuring in 4WD mode too.

      We don’t leave the van in 4×4 long enough to really assess mileage impact. The van averages 18mpg fully loaded on long trips with the 6cyl engine and 5-speed transmission. I imagine the newer engine/trans combos would improve upon that.

      We would indeed get another Sprinter. We’ve had no expensive issues until just recently when a temp sensor in the exhaust system failed. That could have happened on any vehicle. Being a Mercedes *may* have made it costlier to fix, but I don’t know. Overall, we’ve been really satisfied. It’s tempting to sell ours and start again on a new vehicle, just to implement some changes that might suit us better. If we did that, it would be a Sprinter, probably a 170, and definitely a 4×4.

      Hope that helps!

  2. Any thoughts on the new 2023 4×4’s with the AWD, new 4 cylinder engine and 9 speed tranny? Sounds good but interested in off-road enthusiasts take.
    Thanks your information site is super!

    1. Thoughts, yes, but only time will tell how well the system works.

      Pros:
      Not having to stop to shift into 4WD, with an audible “clunk” noise
      Up to 50% torque to front wheels (it’s only 35% with the current system)

      Cons:
      No low range option, so also no crawl mode up/down hills, where the van just drives itself

      I’m not sure if the loss of the 6-cylinder engine is a pro or a con. One of the 4-cylinder options claims to have more horsepower than the 6-cylinder, but I don’t know the torque ratings. We have a 5-speed gearbox (4 + overdrive). Having 9 gear ratios would be great in comparison. Less hunting for the right gear on a hill, and less need to stomp on the gas to force a downshift.

      Let’s be clear – the Sprinter is not a serious off-road vehicle. Sure, you can take it off-road but even the 144 wheelbase isn’t ideal in terms of approach and departure or breakover angles. For most drivers, the AWD option will be just fine. After all, the current system is more AWD than 4WD anyway.

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