Van for towing?

I have been driving full sized passenger vans for almost 30 years. Even though we were only a family of 4 the extra space inside was awesome ! We only had a pop-up so when camping the extra space was very important. When the kids go older, our current van became a "moving van". Back and forth to college and everything else that would fit inside, without the seats. Because we were never hauling heavy stuff, we only had an E150 Chateau Club Wagon.

Dave in TN wrote:
but I don't know why more folks with large families don't tow with them, especially when compared with SUVs.

Within 5 years of my daughter getting married, she had 4 kids (2 sets of twins will do that !) She absolutely refuse to buy a van, so they use a extended length Expedition (9,000 lbs max). Looks nicer, but it can not hold as much.

Chevy is the only one still making a "full sized" van. The Ford Transit (NOT the Transit Connect) can not tow nearly as much as the old E-Series vans (5,000 lbs max). Stay away from the RAM Promasters.

I've been towing with vans for 22? years. I don't particularly like pick-ups mainly becuse of having an unsecured bed. I currently use a Express 3500 passenger van with the rear seats removed. I carry bicyles, kayak, generator, boxes of spare clothes and even a small motorcycle fits (but not all at the same time !!). It's all out of sight and locked away.

The 3500 Van tows like a champ, gets 12mpg towing and it's okay as a long distance TV. If I'm only going for 1 night, I usually just take the Van and sleep in the back on an air mattress.

This is the 4th van I've had and my next one will be Transit EcoBoost.

If you're talking about new full size vans, the selection of those with significant towing capacity have dwindled since years past. You can no longer buy a diesel full size van with a towing capacity much over 5000 lbs. GM no longer uses the V8 Duramax pickup engine in the Express and now offers the little 2.8 liter diesel used in the Colorado. They do offer the 6.0 V8 which has about a 10,000 pound tow rating. Ford discontinued the Econoline van and now offers the Transit with a range of engine options, but none of them can tow like the Econoline. Mercedes has the Sprinter with a diesel, with towing ability similar to the Transit. Nissan has the NV series with a gas V8 that can tow pretty well. Ram only has the Promaster, which has to be converted to a passenger configuration aftermarket if I'm not mistaken. It's also front wheel drive which makes it pretty unsuitable for heavy towing.

Dave in TN wrote:
I think a lot of people get hung up on the image of vans compared to SUVs

I agree and think that's a big factor. But, a full size van can be a beast for a DD, depending where where you live/commute.

When all of our kids were still home and camping with us, I towed a 33' travel trailer with a 1 ton Ford E350 12 passenger van. Plenty of room for the kids, plenty of payload capacity, plenty of storage space. It worked great for us, and handled the trailer like a champ. My van had the 6.8L V10 gas engine, but as you noted they made them with a diesel. I love trucks and actually am back in one now as we no longer need the van, but I don't know why more folks with large families don't tow with them, especially when compared with SUVs. I think a lot of people get hung up on the image of vans compared to SUVs, but in many cases vans are much more capable family haulers and tow vehicles. Not to mention they tend to run significantly cheaper than trucks and SUVs on the used vehicle market.