Full -blown Transits are coming

[Joe771476]

Ford will manufacture Transits here. I hope these Transits are WIDE enough to keep the ambulance and light school bus (Type A?) users happy. Most DHL drivers complained the Sprinters were too narrow. Otherwise the only van chassis suitable for school bus and single-body ambulance chassis will be from GM! Ford should think twice.

[suv_guy_19]

Ford will manufacture Transits here. I hope these Transits are WIDE enough to keep the ambulance and light school bus (Type A?) users happy. Most DHL drivers complained the Sprinters were too narrow. Otherwise the only van chassis suitable for school bus and single-body ambulance chassis will be from GM! Ford should think twice.

 

 

There can be a cutaway version just as their is for the E Series. There's one for the sprinter, so I don't see why people say their too narrow.

[NLPRacing]

Ford will manufacture Transits here. I hope these Transits are WIDE enough to keep the ambulance and light school bus (Type A?) users happy. Most DHL drivers complained the Sprinters were too narrow. Otherwise the only van chassis suitable for school bus and single-body ambulance chassis will be from GM! Ford should think twice.

 

Where did you hear this? Do you have a link?

[RichardJensen]

There can be a cutaway version just as their is for the E Series. There's one for the sprinter, so I don't see why people say their too narrow.

Track limits the width of cutaway bodies as well.

[suv_guy_19]

Track limits the width of cutaway bodies as well.

 

 

Well, I suppose that could be a problem, but they are used in much of the rest of the world, so people may have to get used to it.

 

Edit: With Ford dropping the diesel on the current van, it will lose most of the market anyway. Probably not that big of a deal though.

Edited July 15, 2008 by suv_guy_19

[rmc523]

I thought they were to be sold alongside each other for a few years, or is that still the plan?

[RichardJensen]

1) The E-Series outsells the competition combined. It has over 50% of the van/chassis/cutaway/cab-chassis market

 

2) The diesel isn't being dropped

 

3) The E-Series has far more max payload and towing than the Transit and is far more robust than the Transit, and far more configurable.

 

4) If we went by what works in the rest of the world, fullsize trucks would be a novelty, home ownership would be a distant dream for most people, drive thru fast food wouldn't exist, and the country's identity would be inextricably linked to its ethnic majority.

Edited July 15, 2008 by RichardJensen

[suv_guy_19]

2) The diesel isn't being dropped

 

According to the order guide it has been, at least to the retail market.

[rmc523]

According to the order guide it has been, at least to the retail market.

 

Wasn't that because of 6.4 supply?

Edited July 15, 2008 by rmc523

[suv_guy_19]

Wasn't that because of 6.4 supply?

 

 

Well, they were still using the 6.0 in the van because the 6.4 wouldn't fit. I think Navistar just stopped making them.

[rmc523]

Well, they were still using the 6.0 in the van because the 6.4 wouldn't fit. I think Navistar just stopped making them.

 

Oh, I thought Ford was working on making the 6.4 fit in the Econoline?

[TStag]

4) If we went by what works in the rest of the world, fullsize trucks would be a novelty, home ownership would be a distant dream for most people, drive thru fast food wouldn't exist, and the country's identity would be inextricably linked to its ethnic majority.

 

I said about 1 year ago that Ford should start manufacturing FOE products in the US for the US. They are doing it now because of the oil crisis and because FOE's products are thus becoming more desirable in the USA. Get used to this American car buying tastes are going more European. The Hummer is dead the era of the Corolla is upon us (sadly). But this is great news for Ford because they can rationalise line ups.

[RichardJensen]

According to the order guide it has been, at least to the retail market.

I don't know you could ever buy a diesel retail, since they weren't offered in any of the retail-friendly packages (E-150/E-250 club wagon/econoline).

 

AFAIK, the diesel was only offered on the E-350+, and (again) AFAIK, that's only a cab/chassis or cutaway.

Edited July 15, 2008 by RichardJensen

[silvrsvt]

back a month or two ago I saw a Sprinter on its side....not sure what happened, but it was around a long sweeping turn on a residential main road...speed limit was like 45

[battyr]

The Transits real competition will become the Sprinter. Does any one have any good comparisions between the two. Which one is wider?

 

Is the US getting the FWD version too?

 

I hope the transit gets a major makeover to make it more compatible with American needs. American size engine, wider track and heavier payload. I hope Ford has some other vehicle that can handle heavier loads.

 

I hope they add a big ugly oversized grill like the one from the E-150 so that it will look like it has balls.

[rmc523]

back a month or two ago I saw a Sprinter on its side....not sure what happened, but it was around a long sweeping turn on a residential main road...speed limit was like 45

 

Well, just because the speed limit was 45 doesn't mean that's what the driver was going.

[suv_guy_19]

I don't know you could ever buy a diesel retail, since they weren't offered in any of the retail-friendly packages (E-150/E-250 club wagon/econoline).

 

AFAIK, the diesel was only offered on the E-350+, and (again) AFAIK, that's only a cab/chassis or cutaway.

 

 

Well that makes sense, and you could before buy the E350 passenger van in diesel. You couldn't get it in V10, now you can. As for the E250, it hasn't been a retail vehicle for a long time.

[theoldwizard]

According to the order guide it (diesel E-Series) has been, at least to the retail market.

Last time this came up I went directly to "the source" (engineers responsible for diesel calibration release to production) and was assured that, "Heck YES there will be a 6.0L diesel in the E-series for '09 ! Pre-production was already released and the production version is coming up !"

 

As said elsewhere, the 6.0L diesel option is only available in the E-350 and possible the E-250.

 

The 6.4L won't fit and there are no plans to make it fit in an E-Series, ever, period end of discussion.

 

Look for the 4.4L to show up in the E-150 and probably E-250 if not in 2010MY, 2011MY for sure.

[theoldwizard]

Ford will manufacture Transits here. I hope these Transits are WIDE enough to keep the ambulance and light school bus (Type A?) users happy. Most DHL drivers complained the Sprinters were too narrow. Otherwise the only van chassis suitable for school bus and single-body ambulance chassis will be from GM! Ford should think twice.

About 6 or 8 years ago I sat in WHQ auditorium and was told the same thing. The decision was made, E-Series was dead as soon as the Transit could be certified for the US.

 

There was a strong internal backlash from the engineering community pointing out the E-Series total dominance in the Class C motorhome, ambulance (although that has fallen off) and min-bus (also fallen off some) market. It was pointed out that none of these would likely change over to Transit. Add in the previously pointed out fact of superior payload and towing capacity.

 

After about 3 months, the decision was reversed.

 

I do believe that Ford can sell both Transit and E-series side by side and while each might overlap the others market space, the total volume will be higher than either one alone. Add in the Connect and you have an assume trio.

 

I just hope that Ford management realizes that the Transit and the Connect need diesel option here also !

Edited July 15, 2008 by theoldwizard

[Stray Kat]

I saw Ford Transits everywhere in Italy when I was there last September. They look like such efficient "work ready" tools. They are definately proportioned in the large interior/small exterior aspect. They don't look like they are as easy to ding and dent from both the outside and inside as seems to be the case with the Econoline vans. I dunno the sheetmetal just looks more corrogated and crisp in the rugged sense. Now chassis and driveline I don't know. I do know though that like our past American made Ford trucks help build this country, the Ford Transit is an integeral part of getting the European work done. I've got a feeling that the guts are well sorted out.

 

 

 

P.S. the coolest ones I saw, and the most surprising to me were the Class C style R.V.'s based on the Ford Transit chassis. I think those have the very efficient Duratorq 5 cyl diesel. Those could be a boon to the sagging R.V. industry, now suffering with our elevated fuel prices.

[suv_guy_19]

Last time this came up I went directly to "the source" (engineers responsible for diesel calibration release to production) and was assured that, "Heck YES there will be a 6.0L diesel in the E-series for '09 ! Pre-production was already released and the production version is coming up !"

 

As said elsewhere, the 6.0L diesel option is only available in the E-350 and possible the E-250.

 

The 6.4L won't fit and there are no plans to make it fit in an E-Series, ever, period end of discussion.

 

Look for the 4.4L to show up in the E-150 and probably E-250 if not in 2010MY, 2011MY for sure.

 

 

So then the diesel is gone for the retail market, but available in certain products?

[theoldwizard]

So then the diesel is gone for the retail market, but available in certain products?

I don't understand the term "retail market".

 

I'm pretty certain that if you have the cash you can walk into any Ford dealer and order an E-350 van or cut-away with a 6.0L diesel engine in it. You may not be able to get it with a full interior (carpet, headliner, second, third or fourth row seat, etc.).

 

The 2009 E-Series Product Guide that was released on 5/23/2008 was for "Wagon" only and it does state no 6.0L diesel !

[Stray Kat]

Here is a photo of a recent Class C Ford Transit. The newest ones I saw at the dealership were even nicer.....

 

 

[fbmphil]

According to the order guide it has been, at least to the retail market.

 

Well I guess I must have just imagined the hellish experience of driving one then.

[RichardJensen]

I'm pretty certain that if you have the cash you can walk into any Ford dealer and order an E-350 van or cut-away with a 6.0L diesel engine in it.

Yeah, but why would you?

 

I think that's the whole point.

 

Bob the plumber might buy an Econoline E-150 or maybe even an E-250 for his one to three man crew, and Ed the old-school dad might buy a Club Wagon E-150 for him, his wife, their 5 kids, 2 dogs, and 3 budgies, but who's going to buy an E-350? The guy who wants a cube van and has a bunch of hat-section and sheet metal sitting around the yard gathering dust?