got my eye on a '17 GT...

[Mugs]

Hello all,

First time posting, but I’ve been lurking for awhile. I’ve been looking at Interstate GT’s and I’m seriously considering a 2017 4wd in the near future. I’ve got a few questions hopefully someone will know the answer to. Unless I’m using the search incorrectly, I didn’t find my answer when searching.

Question #1: While viewing some of the specifications of Interstates to familiarize myself I’ve seen where the axle ratio is listed as a 3.92 and some listed as 4.18. When an Interstate was ordered new did one have the option of choosing the axle ratio or is this possibly just a misprint? Or, would a 2wd come with the 3.92 and a 4wd come with the 4.18?

Question #2: Does anyone know what kind of gas mileage the 4wd version gets? i.e. would the 4wd be less than the 2wd, and if so how much?

Question #3: Concerning the year model of an Interstate, If the Airstream portion of the vehicle is normally updated mid-year, say July, and the Sprinter portion of the vehicle comes out towards the end of a given year, say November, will all AI’s always have a one year older chassis than the Airstream portion of the vehicle or will there be a short period of a given year that both will have the same year model?

Thanks for all your wisdom!

[TayaraTravel]

In partial reply to #3: I ordered from factory a 2017 in March this year and took delivery at end of April. But doing a VIN search shows the Mercedes is a 2016 model.

[Mugs]

Originally Posted by TayaraTravel

In partial reply to #3: I ordered from factory a 2017 in March this year and took delivery at end of April. But doing a VIN search shows the Mercedes is a 2016 model.

Thanks TayaraTravel for sharing your experience.

I’m surprised yours is a 2016 chassis, being delivered in April ’17.

I wonder if the chassis always lags the Airstream portion by a year?

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Mugs

Thanks TayaraTravel for sharing your experience.
I’m surprised yours is a 2016 chassis, being delivered in April ’17.
I wonder if the chassis always lags the Airstream portion by a year?

I have a 2014.5 AI on a 2014 Sprinter chassis. That tells me that AIs built late in the model year are probably on the same year chassis.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Mugs

Thanks TayaraTravel for sharing your experience.

I’m surprised yours is a 2016 chassis, being delivered in April ’17.

I wonder if the chassis always lags the Airstream portion by a year?

I think it's pretty common for the chassis to be the prior year.

Ours is a 2005 Sprinter Van and a 2006 interstate, with two separate VIN #'s, and that is routinely reported here.

They are conversion vans, after all, and it takes awhile to do the conversion.


Maggie

[c21]

Originally Posted by Mugs

Hello all,

First time posting, but I’ve been lurking for awhile. I’ve been looking at Interstate GT’s and I’m seriously considering a 2017 4wd in the near future. I’ve got a few questions hopefully someone will know the answer to. Unless I’m using the search incorrectly, I didn’t find my answer when searching.

Question #1: While viewing some of the specifications of Interstates to familiarize myself I’ve seen where the axle ratio is listed as a 3.92 and some listed as 4.18. When an Interstate was ordered new did one have the option of choosing the axle ratio or is this possibly just a misprint? Or, would a 2wd come with the 3.92 and a 4wd come with the 4.18?

Question #2: Does anyone know what kind of gas mileage the 4wd version gets? i.e. would the 4wd be less than the 2wd, and if so how much?

Question #3: Concerning the year model of an Interstate, If the Airstream portion of the vehicle is normally updated mid-year, say July, and the Sprinter portion of the vehicle comes out towards the end of a given year, say November, will all AI’s always have a one year older chassis than the Airstream portion of the vehicle or will there be a short period of a given year that both will have the same year model?

Thanks for all your wisdom!

I think you will find many if not most AI's are 1 model year newer than the chassis but there are exceptions. My friends recently picked up a new 2015 AI and it is built on a 15 chassis. My 2014 is built on a 2013 chassis. Guess it mostly depends on how long the chassis sit around Airtream's facility prior to the conversion. When we visited the Airstream Facility in the summer of 2014 they had a ton of them sitting around. (dozens)

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I think it's pretty common for the chassis to be the prior year.

Ours is a 2005 Sprinter Van and a 2006 interstate, with two separate VIN #'s, and that is routinely reported here.

They are conversion vans, after all, and it takes awhile to do the conversion.


Maggie

Indeed. My AS is a '17, but it was the first batch off the line as I bought it fresh off the truck (Train? Had maybe 10 miles on it so it was shipped somehow....) at the end of July '16 (still had to be prep'd so took delivery Sept. '16). But the chassis doesn't change much year to year, so IMO that's not a big deal unless there is a specific feature/function that you're looking for. For example, not sure what chassis year they added all the driving aids (lane keeping assist, 360* radar, collision prevention, electronic stability control, etc.), but if that stuff is important to you, then you'd care about what year it showed up. I think year over year more changes on the "house" portion of the Interstate than the chassis, even if it is just a change in the pillows......

[c21]

Originally Posted by FlyFishinRVr

Indeed. My AS is a '17, but it was the first batch off the line as I bought it fresh off the truck (Train? Had maybe 10 miles on it so it was shipped somehow....) at the end of July '16 (still had to be prep'd so took delivery Sept. '16). But the chassis doesn't change much year to year, so IMO that's not a big deal unless there is a specific feature/function that you're looking for. For example, not sure what chassis year they added all the driving aids (lane keeping assist, 360* radar, collision prevention, electronic stability control, etc.), but if that stuff is important to you, then you'd care about what year it showed up. I think year over year more changes on the "house" portion of the Interstate than the chassis, even if it is just a change in the pillows......

The driver safety features showed up on the 14 chassis. I just missed them and would like to have gotten them but not worth trading up for. (not worth it to me).

[Mugs]

Wow everyone! Thanks for all your responses!

I think I’ve got a good understanding on the chassis year model vs the Airstream portion year model. It sure helps to hear from all of you since each of your AI’s have been built at different times of a given year. Make sense.

Now if I can just figure out the axle ratio discrepancy and the gas mileage of the 4wd version….

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Mugs

Now if I can just figure out the axle ratio discrepancy and the gas mileage of the 4wd version….

Standard is 3.92. You can spec a 4.18 if you order from MB, but I'm not sure if you can choose that on the spec sheet if you order one from your Airstream dealer. I suggest you call one and ask.

Re. the fuel economy, I haven't seen any numbers for the 3500 4x4 model, but honestly I think the 4x4 option will make very little difference and your biggest determining factor in fuel economy will be your right foot. FWIW, the 4x2 3500 Interstates seem to get right around 18mpg avg., so I'd expect the 4x4 to be very close to that.

[Megpots]

You need to look up Sprinters and DEF problems, go to Sprinter forums, or just start looking online.
We love traveling in our Sprinter, We have a 2012 Sprinter that we set up as a camper, then bought a 2005 19' Bambi. BUT At 60k miles we started having strange electrical quirks, and the radio just stopped working. We have a great dealer who was trouble shooting that. Then we went on a cross country trip, the DEF light came on and we filled it. It came on again after a couple of hundred miles. We were in North Dakota, and started home to Northern MI. The DEF fluid was full, the countdown came on in Michigan, and we got it to the dealer at start #10. When they called us to tell us what was up, it couldn't have been our Sprinter. The DEF heater had melted the wiring, because of a faulty bracket. All kinds of repairs were done, we got our Sprinter back after a month - all work was warranty. Right now at 98k the Sprinter is back at the dealer getting a new DEF heater, the dealer is trying to get it under warranty. We had the standard 5 year or 100k warranty and unfortunately we are 4 months off warranty.

I started doing research on DEF, and I would never buy another Mercedes Diesel Sprinter again. When the repair was done at 60k, the service guy told us they had 3 Sprinters in there with the same problem, and that if a Sprinter came in with the radio being wierd, he was going to check the DEF system right away.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Megpots

You need to look up Sprinters and DEF problems, go to Sprinter forums, or just start looking online.

MB updates the chassis about every 4yrs. I think the last major update was 2014, and there is another one coming for their 2018 chassis. I don't know that your DEF heater issue applies to the current chassis, but either way the OP should do their homework re. common issues on the '17.

[Air99]

I personally find the AI on a 4x4 chassis idea very odd, it's already too tall and tippy along with very low clearance underneath due to all the tanks and pipes, off road or winter snow driving would be very risky, it's white knuckle driving as it is on the road in good weather ;-)