Express/Savanna 3500

We were just issued a 2015 3500, with the 4.8 engine, it is fairly basic, and is the worst commuter vehicle we have ever been issued. The driver position is horrible, seats are uncomfortable, mirrors suck, and people sitting past the 3rd row look like pogo sticks in the rear view mirror. I couldn't even imagine towing with this setup.
The good things, there are 2, it gets great gas millage, and the head lights are awesome. Other that that the whole program needs to be scrapped, IMO.

It pains me to say this (because I am not a ford guy) but I would take a ford E350 (which we have been driving for the last 7 yrs) any day of the week over the chebby.

mtofell1 wrote:
...I only have 3 little ones so I'm still able to run with the full size truck. That 4th child really seems to limit a lot of options :)

I agree that the 4th limits the options, but I have a 33% better chance that someone will take care of me in my older years.

As for 3 little ones, they grow to be 3 bigger ones. And then they are touching each other. Sometimes it is easier to have the space between them then teach them how to sit for hours touching each other.

Knminton wrote:

Hey Dadoffourgirls! You are one of the few that have me really considering this! I was just looking at the G80 option. Did you find one with the locking diff or did you find it not to be a big deal? I have heard it can be beneficial while towing, and on slick surfaces. I guess one could be added.

The only vans I found with the G80 had been normal, retail customer vans or I found that they had the 4.8 V8 engine. As the others noted, I think I will be fine without the G80. I drove my 2wd Silverado the last two days, and during the snow/sleet/ice storm. I think the G80 locked at start up, but the electronic stability was active after that.

As for the ride, we have used the van with up to 10 people for day trips. Nobody has complained about feeling sick. Mine is the shorter 12 passenger. I am not sure if the longer 15 passenger would be different. I don't find the ride a problem, but it is not nearly as quiet as vehicles I have driven. As for ease of driving, it is much easier than the Silverado HD Crewcab. Parking is a breeze.

It may be worthwhile to rent one from a rental agency for a family day trip to understand how you will like it. Since my van is one of 7 vehicles in the family of almost 6 drivers, I like that I have a less expensive, more useful vehicle that has a specific use. I had a Yukon XL 2500 that sat too much because of fuel mpg. And then when I switched my wife to having a 2500HD Silverado Crewcab as a daily driver, it was not as convenient and she missed the ability to take more than 6 people.

I was just behind a Nissan NV3500 in traffic today... ugly as can be but otherwise looked like a pretty capable vehicle. I've also been seeing a lot of new style vans on jobsites that look like they'd make pretty nice tow vehicles. Basically, don't just limit your search to standard vans. There seems to be a lot of cool new stuff out there. I only have 3 little ones so I'm still able to run with the full size truck. That 4th child really seems to limit a lot of options :)

Knminton,

The ride was part of the issue in selling it. The van was my wife's daily driver. It rode like a truck, not surprising for a 1 ton van right?

I would have to agree that the vans with the OEM shocks are underdamped. This really was only noticeable under load. I replaced all four shocks with Bilsteins and the ride was much better. In fact, the more weight the van had, the better it rode. When towing our camper it actually rode and handled really well.

It was empty around town that after 3.5 years that my wife got tired of the ride. I was even running the tires at 50 PSI in the front and 62-65 PSI in the rear. Because of the stiff suspension, you started to notice every pot hole and bump. I was tempted to leave my salt in the van year round to improve the ride. Had it been my daily driver I probably would have tolerated it, but that is also because I loved the way it drove with the 6L/6 speed and it returned pretty decent gas mileage for what it was.

I think the issues that carringb has complained about is when you are at or exceeding the limits of the vehicle. I know that I once had 2000# of building materials in the van and it was fine, no where near the bump stops.

We only used our camper two times this past year and it didn't justify having that large of a vehicle when my wife didn't enjoy driving it anymore. I questioned her on how we were going to travel after having all of that room and she simply said we would have to travel lighter. We have now made three weekend trips with the Yukon XL and have survived and taken everything we have needed, and that included the dog two of the times.

And yes, the ride of the Yukon XL is pretty nice. It really is amazing at how smooth it rides.

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'm going to at least test drive them and see how they feel, but as long as there are viable solutions if we do find the ride rough, it's not a huge deal.

I have a 3500 Express - best van I've had for towing; My TT is about 6500 lbs
and it's a great combination. I've removed all the rear seats so that I have more cargo room for motorcycle/bicycle etc.

I don't find the ride harsh at all even when empty.

I think the ride is pretty bad stock IMO. Mostly the rear. It's really under-dampened. Its not bad empty, but gets bad when fully loaded. Bad enough I had to stop renting them for group events (they got nicknamed "puke vans"). Good monotube shocks like Bilstein or KYB should mostly fix that. If you get close to the RAWR, you might want some spring help too, to keep it off the bump stops. For that I would be inclined to look at Sumo Springs, since they won't add harshness and won't ever need maintenance like air bags.

Thanks guys. I'm a bit concerned with ride when not towing after doing a bit of research.

Kevin - I believe you were on one of he threads I was just reading. So, was the ride a factor in selling yours or were you fairly comfortable in it after upgrading the suspension? Btw, how do you like the Yukon XL? My wife drives one and talk about a smooth ride...

Dadoffourgirls - how do you feel about the ride?

Knminton, what is your concern with needing the G80 locker?

In three Michigan winters (two of them the worst in the past 15-20 years?) I never wished for having the G80. I was adding between 240 and 400# of water softener salt to the van though. I actually felt the van was better in snow than my Chevy Cruze I had at the same time.

As carringb stated, the stability control and traction control is what helped me in the winter. There were times two tracking on a dirt road that I know having the G80 would have been beneficial, but I was just smart about how far into the woods I would venture.

Good luck with your search and decision.