New Ford Chassis

All of which adds to the end price, all for things many of us don't need or want. :(

pnichols wrote:

IAMICHABOD wrote:

pnichols wrote:
Or .... Mercedes beefing up their Sprinter to "replace" the E450's ruggedness and ultra-reliability ... since so many Class C manufacturers seem so bent on using that MB chassis.

IMHO the U.S. Class C market needs a good 4XXX series chassis to always be available, and it's OK w/me if Ford keeps the E450 around for this - whether it's engine be V10, V8, or an electric motor.

That U.S. Class C market already has a very good reliable Chassis that is getting more and more available in the market,that is the Chevy Chassis

It seems that it is not going away anytime soon.

Right you are regarding the Chevy 4500 cutaway van chassis being a good old American-iron direct competitor to the Ford E450 cutaway van chassis for Class C use. But alas, I'm concerned with how much longer the 4500 chassis going to be around ... the same concern as with with the E450 chassis. :h

Sprinter has become the preferred chassis to a surprising extent by NA manufacturers of class C's. It already dominates the Class B section

This!:

carringb wrote:
I'm pretty sure the Chevy 4500 is already dead, or at least on hiatus. They announced last spring they were allocating more production to the Colorado (which is made on the same line). Navistar was supposed to take over the Express cutaway in 2018, but got caught up in the Silverado MDT production. All of the large RV makers have removed the Express 4500 from their new floorplans, and I'm not seeing any new bare chassis for sale, only built-out cube trucks.

The new E-series has many upgrades (a few examples: lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, active cruise control, new instrument panel architecture) that indicate they indent to keep it around a while.

The Sprinter being put into heavier service IMO is a non-starter, at least until they come out with a more powerful powertrain.

carringb wrote:
The new E-series has many upgrades (a few examples: lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, active cruise control, new instrument panel architecture) that indicate they indent to keep it around a while.

That's great news!

The Ford E-sereis fits right into the Class C starting point sweetspot that is missed by so many other U.S. delivery-van-type chassis.

(I hope that means I can continue to easily get parts and service on our 2005 E450 Class C chassis ... as a side benefit!)

Whatever happened to the E550 market anyway ... that lasted a couple of years back in the early 2000s?

Dakzuki wrote:

garyemunson wrote:
That should mean we'll see them on the 2021 RVs. The chassis are always the previous year from the coach. Always the possibility that Ford built up the V10 inventory to carry them through the retooling so maybe it will be a mid-year 2021 change. What I wonder is how long Ford will keep producing the old E-450 chassis before beefing up the new van system to replace it.

Not always. I have a 2011 on a 2011. I know of some on a two year old chassis too.

2016 0n a 2016 F53

I'm pretty sure the Chevy 4500 is already dead, or at least on hiatus. They announced last spring they were allocating more production to the Colorado (which is made on the same line). Navistar was supposed to take over the Express cutaway in 2018, but got caught up in the Silverado MDT production. All of the large RV makers have removed the Express 4500 from their new floorplans, and I'm not seeing any new bare chassis for sale, only built-out cube trucks.

The new E-series has many upgrades (a few examples: lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, active cruise control, new instrument panel architecture) that indicate they indent to keep it around a while.

The Sprinter being put into heavier service IMO is a non-starter, at least until they come out with a more powerful powertrain.

pnichols wrote:

IAMICHABOD wrote:

pnichols wrote:
Or .... Mercedes beefing up their Sprinter to "replace" the E450's ruggedness and ultra-reliability ... since so many Class C manufacturers seem so bent on using that MB chassis.

IMHO the U.S. Class C market needs a good 4XXX series chassis to always be available, and it's OK w/me if Ford keeps the E450 around for this - whether it's engine be V10, V8, or an electric motor.

That U.S. Class C market already has a very good reliable Chassis that is getting more and more available in the market,that is the Chevy Chassis

It seems that it is not going away anytime soon.

Right you are regarding the Chevy 4500 cutaway van chassis being a good old Amierican-iron direct competitor to the Ford E450 cutaway van chassis for Class C use. But alas, I'm concerned with how much longer the 4500 chassis going to be around ... the same concern as with with the E450 chassis. :h

Hopefully quite a while,they signed a multi year deal with Navistar to build their Cutaway in their Springfield Plant.

"Under the agreement, GM will build the van cab in Wentzville and send it to Navistar's Springfield plant. Navistar will send the cab through its paint shop and outfit it with the instrument panel, seats, and other trim. Navistar will add the chassis, including engine, drivetrain, and wheels. The finished cutaway will then be shipped to third-party upfitters or the commercial fleets that ordered it using GM's ship-thru network, according to Robert Wheeler, GM's fleet spokesman"

I believe that is why you are seeing more of them from the major RV MFGs.

Dakzuki wrote:

garyemunson wrote:
That should mean we'll see them on the 2021 RVs. The chassis are always the previous year from the coach. Always the possibility that Ford built up the V10 inventory to carry them through the retooling so maybe it will be a mid-year 2021 change. What I wonder is how long Ford will keep producing the old E-450 chassis before beefing up the new van system to replace it.

Not always. I have a 2011 on a 2011. I know of some on a two year old chassis too.

Not always here too ... we also have a 2005 Itasca Class C on a 2005 E450 chassis.

IAMICHABOD wrote:

pnichols wrote:
Or .... Mercedes beefing up their Sprinter to "replace" the E450's ruggedness and ultra-reliability ... since so many Class C manufacturers seem so bent on using that MB chassis.

IMHO the U.S. Class C market needs a good 4XXX series chassis to always be available, and it's OK w/me if Ford keeps the E450 around for this - whether it's engine be V10, V8, or an electric motor.

That U.S. Class C market already has a very good reliable Chassis that is getting more and more available in the market,that is the Chevy Chassis

It seems that it is not going away anytime soon.

Right you are regarding the Chevy 4500 cutaway van chassis being a good old American-iron direct competitor to the Ford E450 cutaway van chassis for Class C use. But alas, I'm concerned with how much longer the 4500 chassis going to be around ... the same concern as with with the E450 chassis. :h

garyemunson wrote:
That should mean we'll see them on the 2021 RVs. The chassis are always the previous year from the coach. Always the possibility that Ford built up the V10 inventory to carry them through the retooling so maybe it will be a mid-year 2021 change. What I wonder is how long Ford will keep producing the old E-450 chassis before beefing up the new van system to replace it.

Not always. I have a 2011 on a 2011. I know of some on a two year old chassis too.