My Ride & Drive Day with the New Transit

[bobojay5]

I was able to attend on June 11th the first ride & drive for the public that Ford had in Kansas City. Thought the experience I wrote up on the Transit forum might go well to the discussions here....

Transit Ride & Drive

Being a car geek I had fun, especially talking with the engineers and the head marketing, very young Harvard graduate gal....

[bobojay5]

Handbasket, the Quigley 4wd Transit is a done deal. I've seen pictures of it at their facility being gone over. They are saying 4th quarter time frame.

Mlts, at the info seminar prior to the ride and drive, they had a chart of what their projected fuel economy is vs the E series V-10. 46% higher w/the EB, and 20% better than the V-8.

The only issue I see with the current long & tall Transit dually, is the length difference vs the Sprinter. The GVW is only 700+ lb lower, and can tow more. But again, the engineers mentioned at the seminar that more variations are coming down the pipeline within the next 18 months or so. Wouldn't say what.

Personally I think the long & tall dually 3500 Transit van is a nice looking vehicle too. I drove 2 of them, EB & diesel, along with the EB 3500 single rear wheel and was VERY impressed, especially with the power and ease of driving

[mlts22]

They do have a cab chassis dually, and that is what is going to replace the E-350/E-450 in "C"s.

Next year will get even more interesting. Sprinters get 4WD/AWD as an option, and Quigley should be ramping up 4x4 upfit kits for the Transits as well.

As for the EB, if it is fun to drive, that may be worth the couple MPG lost. I was guessing that at most, you would get 20-25% of a fuel economy improvement from the Econolines, so if I get anywhere in the low to mid teens, I'm happy.

As for the T350 long/tall dually, what is your opinion about that? If I could get any "B" chassis right now, it would be that model with the EB engine. The additional headroom has a lot of potential uses as well, especially for more storage and a drop-down bed.

[wincrasher65]

mlts22 wrote:

From my experience with the EB, a lot of MPG is how you drive the vehicle, so I'm sure that fuel economy numbers will be all over the place, similar to the F-150.

It will be interesting to see some real-world numbers. The one eco-boost vehicle I own has disappointed on the fuel economy. The experience of guys here in the office is the same - especially when towing - some are in boost the entire time, eating up fuel. Performance is terrific though, and with the tendency to put your foot into it, it's understandable that the mpg is below expectations.

[Handbasket]

Sounds _very_ promising! Thanks for the report. If they already have a cab-chassis dually version, I wonder how long it'll be before it replaces the E-350 (and E-450) as a basis for C's?

I think I've read that they will be coming out with a 4WD version. If that's available in the 250 or 350, it'd be very interesting to see what a converter like Morehead Designs ( www.moreheaddesigns.com ) can do a minimalist CVC or B for, pricewise.

Jim, "I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming and yelling like his passengers."

[bobojay5]

mlts22, I was shocked at the acceleration of the EB's that I drove, one of which was the T-350 long & tall dually with the 3500lb payload. What did that weigh, maybe 8 to 8500 lbs?
The 3.2 diesel surprised me too. Completely different experience than the Sprinter. Felt & drove like a smaller EB, but not much smaller.....no bogging off the line, and absolutely smooth shifting

[mlts22]

This gives me a lot of high hopes that RV makers will hop on the Transit bandwagon. The EB is an interesting engine, and other than maybe 1-2 MPG, it accomplishes one of the major things a diesel does, and that is provide power at higher elevations.

The fat that it has a car-like ride is a plus. The Travato/ProMaster was decent, but it definitely felt like a CDL vehicle with the telescoping (not tilting) steering wheel.

Of course, as a "B" chassis, the fact that there are Ford dealers, and Ford fleet dealers almost everywhere can't hurt.

I just hope the RV makers start upfitting. I am guessing Sportsmobile will be out with something probably by end of year, or beginning of 2015. I would hazard to guess that Roadtrek will also make something (I was reading about them being interested in the Transit, but the GVWR was the make or break factor), and PW would follow. I hope Winnebago makes a mini-ERA on that chassis as well.

From my experience with the EB, a lot of MPG is how you drive the vehicle, so I'm sure that fuel economy numbers will be all over the place, similar to the F-150.

[rcmiller32]

Thanks for the review. I had the chance to due the F150 Eco Boost test drive back before they hit the road and had the same response about the power. At that time I was driving three different 1/2 and 3/4 ton pick ups weekly. Cant wait to see them at the dealers.

[Arizona_Kid]

Thanks for doing the write up, and posting the link here.