First Ram Promaster van class B

My prediction is that all dealers who currently work on a Ford E350/450 will work on the Transit (which is most of them). And that the majority of Dodge/Chrysler dealers will work on theirs.

Unlike the current situation of states with 0-1 Sprinter dealer/service location.

i looked at the video. how do you get in the bathroom if the back bed is down?.

Time will tell about how the Sprinter fares. I was initially hesitant on anything Sprinter because of the exact same questions that mumkin has. However, there isn't anything to say that the ProMaster vans or the Transits might be any better when it comes to service availability. Oil changes are not too bad on Sprinters because Mobile 1 which is up to Mercedes's grade is commonly available.

In the best of all worlds, both vans (even with the high roof) will be serviced by any dealer who can handle pickup trucks. In the worst case, it will be "five star dealers", or only a select few which will have the taller bays to handle the vans. Dodge dealers are more common, but if only a select few bother to handle the van, then it will be the same problem as before with the Sprinter servicing. Who knows if all Ford dealers will service Transits, or if they might fall into this trap.

The videos are linked to the classbforum post about this topic. My quick sentiments from the brief tour:

1: Decent sized refrigerator, similar to the 70A floorplan. One gives up a clear view across one side for it though, which can make some people claustrophobic.

2: The bed is a fold down bed. OK for two people who don't mind sleeping together, but a deal-breaker for, say a brother and sister, or father/daughter on a camping trip. For one person, the fold down bed provides additional storage, as well as a nice place to put bicycles. The second bed appears to be a combination of stuff from the dinette. Would be nice to see it folded down to see if it can sleep a shorter adult cross-wise. Also, the mattress on the rear bed is a funky shape (good luck finding a replacement), and fairly thin. A Travasak can help things here, since there isn't a standard sheet set.

3: I cannot tell if the model is a gasser or a diesel. Diesels have more torque, gassers have the ability to have a gasoline generator for more run time.

4: The van is shorter than a Sprinter (although no clue on length), which is why the bed and bathroom have to overlap, length-wise. Maybe it can compete as a decent low-priced alternative to the Roadtrek SS Agile.

5: Not sure on storage space inside. I saw in the vid some of the overhead cabinets, and a closet.

6: I wonder what its towing capacity will be. The ability to safely use a hitch mounted cargo rack or even a small enclosed trailer will come into handy.

7: Stove and sink are Dometic/SMEV flush mounted models (which are definitely nice to have.) I wonder if WGO might have been better off going with the combined stove/sink offerings for more space savings.

8: Bathroom looked OK, but to maximize room, they went with a sliding panel door.

All and all, a definite competitor to the older Chevy van models. I'd love to see specs, especially tank capacities.

Sunnygirl, Thanks! We just bought a new ERA, but I predict we will see lots of these on the road as soon as they can ramp up production. The price and floorplan should appeal to many folks.

George, search for Travato in youtube, and then put in the filter so that it only shows you videos from the last week (the videos were posted May 1 by wallywinnebago). When I initially searched for Travato I didn't find it, but when I put the filter in they were the first two that came up.

The videos give limited views of the kitchen and bath so you can get a sense for those areas. I liked how the bed hinged up in the back, so you could store bikes or other large items (subject to the puny CCC, of course). However, I'd still like to get the bed dimensions - both beds look pretty small. I don't like the front dinette area at all. I need to be able to seat more than 4 people on the road, so this floor plan wouldn't work for us, but it sounds like there will be more floor plans. Hope springs eternal for something that works.

mlts22 wrote:
From what friends across the pond say, I think we will end up with Sprinters always being the flagship class B chassis, just because of the name.

IMHO, Sprinter has nowhere near the name in the US that it does because of MB in Europe. And because MB has done a horrendous job since the "divorce" of providing dealers and service availability, I think Ford and the new Chrysler vans will push Sprinter out as quickly as the RV converters can get up to speed.

The availability of service facilities nearly everywhere ... quickly... will kill the Sprinter with its not uncommon need of 200-400 miles tows when you have a serious problem... and 200 mile drives to find a place to change your oil - or any warranty issue - in much of the country. (the number one reason that I don't own a Sprinter based RV)

arvie wrote:
There is a video on Utube. Price is $84,000 and the bed can be hinged up for storage . Looks like it has a large refrigerator but no pictures of the bathroom yet.

Ok guys, how do I find the videos on youtube?

It's a Fiat, that's all I need to know.

There is a second video showing a wet bath similar to the ERA.

There is a video on Utube. Price is $84,000 and the bed can be hinged up for storage . Looks like it has a large refrigerator but no pictures of the bathroom yet.