Ford Transit Trail

[Spaceman Spiff]

Probably too late for some of us but younger van lifers might be able to take advantage of this in a few years:
https://www.motortrend.com/news/2023-ford-transit-trail-coming-united-states/

 

[peteg59]

Looks interesting but would need a lift and 33's to be a serious off roader in the US!

 

[rruff]

Looks interesting but would need a lift and 33's to be a serious off roader in the US!

Easy enough to do with the current model... but it still wouldn't be very serious. Prices are getting ridiculous though... $55k for the cheapest high roof long cargo van with AWD! RWD saves $4700. Opting for a Cab-chassis saves ~$9k.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Looks interesting but would need a lift and 33's to be a serious off roader in the US!

How many people here do serious off roading?

Forest Service roads, mild 2 track, off road boondocking sites; that covers about 99% of us. I don't think many of us do rock crawling, mudding, or technical trails.

As to price, from a casual watching on this site most of us buy vehicles 10 to 20 years old when the prices become affordable.

 

[rruff]

How many people here do serious off roading? Forest Service roads, mild 2 track, off road boondocking sites; that covers about 99% of us. I don't think many of us do rock crawling, mudding, or technical trails.

It depends on how restricted you want to be and how far out in the boonies you want to get. I know it wouldn't be acceptable for me. I like the newer vans but they are just too limited offroad.

Ground clearance is the biggest limitation... and in stock configuration these new vans are sorely lacking it. The Transit for instance has 5.5" at the shock mounts (6.5" at the diff). That can be kinda fixed with a few $1000, but they still won't be as good as a pickup. With bigger tires that were easy to fit, my Tundra has >12". And real 4wd.

I think an older E series or Express would be better as they start off with 8-9" and it's easier to improve clearance. I'd much rather have one of those and 2wd than a Transit with Awd.

 

[afblangley]

The Transit Trail is not catering to the folks who are thrilled by the challenge of getting their vehicle somewhere no one has ever gone. There's no doubt the best vehicles for getting to the spot are "jeeps", pickups, and overlanding rigs. Though it's possible to increase the off road capability of Transits and Sprinters, the folks who buy these vans place a higher priority on comfort once at the spot.

This cute video captures the essence of why some folks prefer campervans:

 

[Dingfelder]

The Transit Trail is not catering to the folks who are thrilled by the challenge of getting their vehicle somewhere no one has ever gone. There's no doubt the best vehicles for getting to the spot are "jeeps", pickups, and overlanding rigs. Though it's possible to increase the off road capability of Transits and Sprinters, the folks who buy these vans place a higher priority on comfort once at the spot.

This cute video captures the essence of why some folks prefer campervans:

Lovely. Wish it looked like something I could afford!

 

[RVTravel]

The Transit Trail is not catering to the folks who are thrilled by the challenge of getting their vehicle somewhere no one has ever gone. There's no doubt the best vehicles for getting to the spot are "jeeps", pickups, and overlanding rigs. Though it's possible to increase the off road capability of Transits and Sprinters, the folks who buy these vans place a higher priority on comfort once at the spot.

This cute video captures the essence of why some folks prefer campervans:

The carado rv owners care so much that their website expired. Red flag?

 

[rruff]

The carado rv owners care so much that their website expired. Red flag?

https://carado.com/de/en/our-vehicles/camper-van
Full camper motorhomes in Germany for only $50k including 17% tax. Even larger one for ~$60k. https://carado.com/de/en/our-vehicles/alcoves

They even have fiberglass and aluminum skin panel construction... much better than typical US crap. Why so cheap?

 

[bullfrog]

^^^Why so cheap? Lol!!! Tnttt.com foamies to build your own! Lots of cheaper options!

 

[rruff]

In the US a bare cargo van costs that much. A camper conversion like that would be $100k or more.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Looks like this is one of those 'car show queens', the concept vehicles manufacturers display at shows to gauge interest. Doesn't look like it will be produced any time soon. Ford has a serious log-jam building regular cargo vans.

All of the serious off-road enthusiasts that I know (I ran around with a bunch for about 30 years) build/modify their own rides. They don't buy off a dealer lot.