Which van has largest tow capacity

If you're happy with your van, I'd stick with a newer version of the same. IIRC it's the only van on the market that can seat 12 with a GCWR that works for you. I think the Nissan NV 3500 can seat 12 but I don't know if the GCWR is sufficient for you.

I was in the same boat earlier this year;
I had a 2008 Chevy Express 3500 towing a 27ft - 5,500 lb trailer; It was
great - tons of torque and comfortable to drive.

I was thinking of buying another with the 6-speed transmission and really could not fault the Chevy. But I thought let me take a look at "new" technology even
though 1-2 year old Chevy was about $2000 cheaper than a Transit/Nissan.

I test drove a couple of Transit and was impressed, so I started looking
around for a 350XLT EcoBoost (passenger) - which I eventually bought.

So how do the 2 compare?

The Transit is 18 longer wheelbase and tows MUCH better than the Chevy; The
Ecoboost has tons of torque and comes on at lower revs and just seems to
pull. It's coupled to a great 6-speed transmission which is totally seamless
and has an easy to use rocker switch to hold/change gears;

The Transit is much quieter - very little engine noise intrusion and better
wind noise management. Ergonomics are better and feel more modern. The brakes
are also superior.

Fuel economy is MUCH better;
Unloaded - 14mpg -> 20mpg
Towing - 11mpg -> 14mpg

The downside:
- Max towing is limited to 7,000? lbs (but I don't think the Chevy can
"comfortably" tow much more );
- The driving position is "bus like" which takes getting used to.

Hope this helps.

My 2006 E350 V10 is rated at 10,000lbs towing with the V10/4.10 gearing and GCWR is 18,500. I have the 12 passenger model. You will be hard pressed to find anything "new" as capable compared to what you/we already have. I looked at the Nissan and love the ability to configure the seating in so many ways. i think i read there's a diesel version in the works so towing capabilities may get better.

fitznj wrote:
I was in the same boat earlier this year;
I had a 2008 Chevy Express 3500 towing a 27ft - 5,500 lb trailer; It was
great - tons of torque and comfortable to drive.

I was thinking of buying another with the 6-speed transmission and really could not fault the Chevy. But I thought let me take a look at "new" technology even
though 1-2 year old Chevy was about $2000 cheaper than a Transit/Nissan.

I test drove a couple of Transit and was impressed, so I started looking
around for a 350XLT EcoBoost (passenger) - which I eventually bought.

So how do the 2 compare?

The Transit is 18 longer wheelbase and tows MUCH better than the Chevy; The
Ecoboost has tons of torque and comes on at lower revs and just seems to
pull. It's coupled to a great 6-speed transmission which is totally seamless
and has an easy to use rocker switch to hold/change gears;

The Transit is much quieter - very little engine noise intrusion and better
wind noise management. Ergonomics are better and feel more modern. The brakes
are also superior.

Fuel economy is MUCH better;
Unloaded - 14mpg -> 20mpg
Towing - 11mpg -> 14mpg

The downside:
- Max towing is limited to 7,000? lbs (but I don't think the Chevy can
"comfortably" tow much more );
- The driving position is "bus like" which takes getting used to.

Hope this helps.

Very interesting report on the new Transit. I note that it is the 350 version. I don't know very much about these new Ford vans...do you have the dual rear wheels or single rear wheel set up ?

That MPG is quite good...is that the EcoBoost 3.5 liter turbo V6 engine ?

I looked at the Transit first because that seems to be the new popular van for families our size, but it doesn't look like they can tow worth anything. Our trailer is about 8500 lbs fully loaded, so I need something with some muscle.

el.jefe wrote:
I looked at the Transit first because that seems to be the new popular van for families our size, but it doesn't look like they can tow worth anything. Our trailer is about 8500 lbs fully loaded, so I need something with some muscle.

The Transit has plenty of muscle and in a tow test like the Ike Gauntlet would probably perform comparably with the Express. The issue is the 13,000 lb GCWR which seems low. I imagine it has something to do with cooling and the Transit is considered a commercial vehicle which requires a tougher duty cycle.

The Transit is unibody construction, no beefy chassis like the E series.

I am very happy with my Transit, but my trailer is also quite light.

We have the Nissan. Our trailer is only 7,000lbs loaded (estimated). We only have three kids and they LOVE the room in the Nissan. We had suburbans before.
Towing is night and day different with the Nissan. Our last suburban was an 08 2500 4x4 with the 6.0 gas engine. This van could run circles around it. More power, less shifting, and better brakes. I could only be happier if the van was 4x4 which was an expensive aftermarket option.

The Fryers

I would not overlook the Nissan, we are very happy

AFAIK the highest tow related Vans were the 1T Ford 7.3/6.0L diesels with the 4.10 that were rated for 10K towing and 20K GCWR. My 2001 7.3 is one of those beasts.:B

Larry

Fryer5 wrote:
We have the Nissan. Our trailer is only 7,000lbs loaded (estimated). We only have three kids and they LOVE the room in the Nissan. We had suburbans before.
Towing is night and day different with the Nissan. Our last suburban was an 08 2500 4x4 with the 6.0 gas engine. This van could run circles around it. More power, less shifting, and better brakes. I could only be happier if the van was 4x4 which was an expensive aftermarket option.

The Fryers

I would not overlook the Nissan, we are very happy

The current NV 3500 is a 7 speed. I think 8900 lbs max tow rating. Is your van a 7 speed?