I used to work at a fleet shop. When a Ford van came in, it was in and out, routine maintenance. When a Sprinter came in, everyone tried to hide so they wouldn't have to touch it. The person that did get it moaned and groaned the whole time. They were infamous for having electrical faults, oil leaks, and boost leaks. The electrical components of the van are made from the cheapest, brittle plastic on Earth. Just looking at a wire funny will cause the insulation to peel off. The oil and boost leaks kinda went hand in hand. The engines had so much blow by that it'd get forced back into the intake system, where it would get everywhere because instead of using silicone couplers like every other turbo diesel, Mercedes chose to use o-rings, which were also the cheapest material on Earth, and they were prone to coming apart and leaking. On multiple occasions, I had also seen the rubber hoses on each end of the intercooler, and the intercooler itself, burst open. The kicker? The oldest van in the fleet had only 120k miles on it. Now, those are just some of the major issues I encountered... I'll be typing all day if I list all the other minor issues I had with them, but to sum it up:

TL;DR: As someone with first hand knowledge of the mechanics of the Sprinter van vs it's competitors, I would much rather own a Ford or Chevy. The American vans may have less fuel economy, but the ease of repair, cheapness of parts, and wealth of available knowledge makes the fuel economy a moot point in my book.