Scottish bakery JG Ross has taken delivery of four new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans.

The vans, which were ordered from BLS Truck & Van, are the bakery’s first from the third-generation Sprinter range.

Powered by 143hp engines, all the new vans are 314 CDI L3 H2 models and feature an MBUX infotainment system with a voice control function and Mercedes Pro connect vehicle monitoring software.

Safety features include an autonomous Active Brake Assist system, pedestrian recognition technology, and Attention Assist, which detects drowsiness in drivers and encourages breaks when tired.

Supplier The Cold Consortium has converted the vans’ long, high-roofed bodies to provide split chilled and ambient temperature compartments and fitted Hubbard Z350 refrigeration units.

“Mercedes-Benz vans have proved themselves over the years to be extremely reliable and cost-effective in a pretty arduous application,” said Cameron Ross, production director at JG Ross, whose parents founded the family firm in 1962.

“The new Sprinters are even nicer to drive than their predecessors. They’ve been well received by colleagues. I’ve taken one out myself and the cab interior and experience at the wheel are superior to anything else I’ve tried,” he added.

Based in Aberdeenshire, the bakery has been using Mercedes-Benz vehicles since the 1980s. Its Sprinters are expected to last five years, during which time a van will drive 200,000 miles.

“We’ve tried vehicles by a couple of other manufacturers in the past, but they just didn’t last the pace as well. Nothing is as reliable as a Mercedes-Benz.”

The vans supply the company’s own network of 19 shops and other retail outlets, located from Forres in the north to Dundee in the south and from the east coast as far inland as Braemar.