Let's talk about the new Ford Transit Van

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.

The Ford Transit forum mentions that they should start production in March, but no guarantees. It is one of the few van offerings that one really can't go wrong with either the EB gasser or the diesel, since both have similar power curves.

It will be interesting to compare a diesel Transit upfitted by Sportsmobile with a Webasto stove, Espar furnace, flat plate water heater, and PowerTech generator with a gasser Transit that has a propane tank, conventional RV appliances (preferably ones that can run both on 120VAC and propane), and an Onan genset.

I am also curious if the Transit can be upfitted with a second alternator. Done right with a proper charger, that would function similar to Roadtrek's "engine generator" which would provide a second useful power source for keeping the house batteries topped off.

If I were in the market for a new B, I'd be very interested in the V-6 Eco-boost. Uses cheaper gasoline, but has the turbos so it's not penalized in the higher elevations like normally aspirated gasoline engines.

Over on the Ford Transit USA forum, they have posted some pics inside the cab and of the dash.
Makes the Sprinter look ancient as far as the dash design goes. Sure addresses the cup holder issue

I also think the Transit is going to be the up-fitters choice. I really can't see them building on both, (too expensive) and the Transit offers a lot more room for holding tank capacity.
Maybe a company like Safari Condo will use the Travato. and SM will of course build on it at customer request.

On edit: I meant to say Safari Condo and SM will use the Travato. Fixed it.

If I were to guess, because American RV makers are starting with a clean slate, I'd probably go with Fastpaddler and bobojay5 here. The Transit sits higher and has more ground clearance. This will make life easy for engineering tanks to fit, hanging a generator underneath, having easy to reach dump valves, and so forth.

GVW is key here. This is where the Sprinter excels at right now, and is why most "B" makers just focus on that model. If Ford can come to the table with similar specifications and lengths, it would be a no-brainer for upfitters to go with a Transit upfit.

I am going to keep an eye on Sportsmobile. Whatever they pull off, the rest of the industry will follow (and likely charge 2-3 times for.) If they are able to pull off an all-diesel Transit upfit with a Webasto stove, Espar heater, flat plate water heater, and diesel generator, then I'd be surprised if another RV maker didn't follow suit.

I think the Transit RWD is a big factor if pulling a toad or other trailer/vehicle. FWD Promaster with FWD is limited to under 4K lbs. While both with high roofs should be fine it will depend on whether Ford or Fiat/Chrysler can produce through their converter companies, an RV with the features most of us want/need ie at least a useable wet bath, practical/useable bed for two,adequate on-demand water supply,good lighting/heating/aircon & 3 way fridge--ok that is my list.Others may have other ideas. The Transit looks attractive. And I do like Ford products in last few years. I think the Ford Transit will be the winner commercially and with RVs: who knows!!

mlts22 wrote:
As for Ford diesels, I think they learned their lesson from contracting them out, and I've not heard many horror stories (in the auto industry, no horror stories means the vehicle maker is doing very well,) regarding their latest diesel offerings, so I definitely think the Transit is going to be quite a candidate of choice regardless of engine. Like the ProMaster, they don't have the length that the Sprinters do (just two more feet would allow for bigger tanks and more amenities), but because of turbocharging, neither van is going to be hurting at the higher elevations.

What I'm curious about is what van platform US RV makers will choose for their "B"s (other than Sprinters, of course.) Since it is essentially a clean slate here, both vans are equal ground for upfitting into "B"s. One edge the Transit might have is the model with the high roof, but we will know by this time next year which becomes the model of choice for "B"s, and short "C"s.

I wager it'll be the Transit, just because of the different engine options, and Ford"s aggressive fleet marketing. Oh, and don't forget the rear wheel drive either..
I think the ProMaster in the RV market will be relegated to the low end of the class B & C markets because of GVW and the front wheel drive. Chevrolet will probably disappear from those markets. Nissan might?? be a small bit player

As for Ford diesels, I think they learned their lesson from contracting them out, and I've not heard many horror stories (in the auto industry, no horror stories means the vehicle maker is doing very well,) regarding their latest diesel offerings, so I definitely think the Transit is going to be quite a candidate of choice regardless of engine. Like the ProMaster, they don't have the length that the Sprinters do (just two more feet would allow for bigger tanks and more amenities), but because of turbocharging, neither van is going to be hurting at the higher elevations.

What I'm curious about is what van platform US RV makers will choose for their "B"s (other than Sprinters, of course.) Since it is essentially a clean slate here, both vans are equal ground for upfitting into "B"s. One edge the Transit might have is the model with the high roof, but we will know by this time next year which becomes the model of choice for "B"s, and short "C"s.

Not bad... That'd put it at 15/21.