Let's talk about the new Ford Transit Van

kendall69 wrote:
I'm too afraid to hit the road with it as most small towns don't have a dealer but darn near every town has a Ford dealer.

Wow!!! Then you should get rid of the Sprinter and get a Ford.

But I bought a Sprinter for exactly the opposite reason. I judged it to be the most reliable and I want to go anywhere I want. And have without a second thought of how near the closest dealer is. And if you really travel, a close dealer isn't always going to be there anyway. Think Alaska highway, or 37 in British Columbia, etc.

I'm not up to date on the Transit. Is this chassis still built in Europe and shipped to USA as a passenger car then remodeled? Or is the whole vehicle going to be assembled in USA?

mlts22 wrote:
One thing I am curious about:

The NCV3 Sprinter is car-like in its seating.

The T1N Sprinter and the ProMaster are more like buses and CDL vehicles.

I'm curious how the seating will be in the Transit, if it is more car like or van/bus like. The dash looks nice and modern.

I suspect it'll be the car-like seating/steering wheel arrangement

One thing I am curious about:

The NCV3 Sprinter is car-like in its seating.

The T1N Sprinter and the ProMaster are more like buses and CDL vehicles.

I'm curious how the seating will be in the Transit, if it is more car like or van/bus like. The dash looks nice and modern.

Looks very interesting. I'll have to check one out at the dealer down the road.
Here's a link to the pics from the Ford Transit forum:
Ford Transit Photos

I'll REALLY interested in the Ford. I have a Sprinter now which is a good vehicle , but one thing no one ever talks about is service. Dealerships are few and far between Sprinter. Not all Mercedes dealers will touch them.

I have a Sprinter and must drive 100 miles for dealer service. I'm too afraid to hit the road with it as most small towns don't have a dealer but darn near every town has a Ford dealer.

Yep, the beginning of the Sprinter as a small niche vehicle with even fewer sales is upon us....

Thanks for the spec sheet. I didn't realize there was a USA Transit site.

Yes, they have a 22 foot, high-roof model. This will be a perfect chassis for an upfit because it is the same size as most of the Sprinter "B"s (except the long-bodied ones), but gives a gasser as an option. To boot, this gives the ability to use a drop-down bed without affecting headroom, or just more storage.

-edited-

Yep, they even have a special package for RV upfitters, with upfitter switches on the dash. This can allow for a battery solenoid switch in front, emergency start switch to allow the house batteries to start the vehicle, and so on.

JMHO, this might be just the vehicle that is the ideal Sprinter alternative.

Full specs and ordering info posted over on the Ford Transit USA site this morning.
Things are starting to roll along...

oilslick wrote:
Not sure why but the post office here is using them already, perhaps being made in Canada??? It caught my attention a couple of weeks ago, perhaps a visit to the Ford dealer is needed.

I am guessing those might be preproduction models for "beta" testing? I can see Ford doing that so the bugs get ironed out. Canada is the best place to test vehicles due to the temperatures, so if something can survive post office duty (idling, short drives, stop/go, then highway), that covers a lot of bases, especially with the diesel engine.