Minivan VS Transit connect...?

[Ken in Anaheim]

Was hoping to get your opinions, pros/cons about a Toyota Sienna versus a Ford Transit Connect...
Thanks.........KinA

 

[titaniumaxle]

Was hoping to get your opinions, pros/cons about a Toyota Sienna versus a Ford Transit Connect...
Thanks.........KinA

I have a Ford TC, cargo version.  

1.  The internal height is ~59in, vs ~48in for most minivans?  I had a GMC Safari before, and the headroom was just not enough.  That was the biggest factor for me.

2.  Bigger GVWR.  I have a 20gallon water tank inside, wood furniture, etc.

3.  The TC drives like a minivan.  The Safari drove like a bigger Econoline.  I prefer the car-like drive of the TC.

4.  YMMV, but I prefer less windows.  The cargo version means less curtains, more stealth.

 

[BradKW]

I had a Sienna for a few years and used it both to work out of and for primary transportation, and I really liked it. A big part of that was the fact it was a Toyota and I felt good about its reliability. It was comfortable and drove like a car, but it was also very small inside compared to other mini vans. I believe it's actually the smallest interior space of all the mini's, but that was years ago when I was comparing, so who knows now.

So all in all, great little vehicle, but I would probably choose a TC due to interior dimensions.

 

[LeeRevell]

I am older, so don't care for the "Euro" styling of newer minivans like the Transit Connect.  Just personal preference.  These newer minivans do have some advantages, being intended for delivery and cargo, rather than being basically passenger vehicles like the older minivans.

 

[Reducto]

Minivan is better for stealth - black out the windows and it will blend in just about anywhere.

White, windowless vans really stand out and creep some people out but they are very practical! They stay cool in the sun, have a nice square blank space inside to build out, and will still have good resale no matter how beat up or customized they become.

Even a few inches of interior height is HUGE if you plan on spending any awake time in the back. I have plenty of headroom in an office chair in the back of my NV200 which is basically the same as the TC. I suspect I'd be hunched over in a Sienna.

The Toyota should be more reliable.

If you're planning a serious conversion with insulation and custom walls/floor it will be more difficult to do with the Sienna and you'll have to store or throw away a lot of interior parts.

So... part timer or not planning to do much more than sleep in the van in comfortable climates, I'd go Sienna. Full time I'd go TC/NV200/Dodge.

 

[BigT]

The company I work for has a large fleet of late-model Sienna's (think 2014-2016).  They don't seem to have a lot of interior room, but boy are they fast!  
Super comfy too with all the bells and whistles.  Switches everywhere.  As for their fuel economy...... not so good.  

I'm 6'4" so I chose the Transit Connect.  I wanted something I could sit upright in when sitting on the bunk at my fold-down table.  I also wanted a high-top where the extended roof was made of the same sheet metal as the rest of the body.  I didn't want a fiberglass top that would dry out or crack in the sun or with a seam that would eventually start leaking.  

I also liked the mpg rating I'd read about in TC: 27mpg highway.  Not bad for a van!  
The trade off with the 1st Gen. TC is that it's a wheezing dog with zero acceleration and no passing power, unless you want to beat the crap out of it trying.  
You really need to not be in a hurry when you drive the Ford.  Fortunately I've been driving super-slow 45' diesel coaches for the past 5 years, so I'm used to being a snail on the road.  

Still, I wouldn't trade the headroom for anything.

 

[ZoNiE]

I am older, so don't care for the "Euro" styling of newer minivans like the Transit Connect.  Just personal preference.  These newer minivans do have some advantages, being intended for delivery and cargo, rather than being basically passenger vehicles like the older minivans.

...Well, the TC IS built in Turkey...

 

[LeeRevell]

As per Wiki,
"The Ford Transit Connect is a compact panel van developed by Ford Europe and derived from the Ford Focus."

So, designed in Europe, yeah.....    Sounds Euro to me.

This is interesting,
"The Ford Tourneo Connect, a leisure activity vehicle, is a Transit Connect with side windows and rear seats.  All Transit Connects bound for the United States are imported in this configuration to avoid the 25% "chicken tax" on imported light trucks.[1] In 2013, US Customs told Ford that they must stop this practice of importing vans disguised as passenger cars.

So for the Second Generation TC minivan, if you want the 'cargo' version, it has been converted here in the States.
I have not seen many of the second gen TCs around yet, though they have been in production a few years now.  The first gens are all over the place, for local delivery work, which I guess means they are well entrenched in the used minivan market now.

 

[66788]

The company I work for has a large fleet of late-model Sienna's (think 2014-2016).  They don't seem to have a lot of interior room, but boy are they fast!  
Super comfy too with all the bells and whistles.  Switches everywhere.  As for their fuel economy...... not so good.  

I'm 6'4" so I chose the Transit Connect.  I wanted something I could sit upright in when sitting on the bunk at my fold-down table.  I also wanted a high-top where the extended roof was made of the same sheet metal as the rest of the body.  I didn't want a fiberglass top that would dry out or crack in the sun or with a seam that would eventually start leaking.  

I also liked the mpg rating I'd read about in TC: 27mpg highway.  Not bad for a van!  
The trade off with the 1st Gen. TC is that it's a wheezing dog with zero acceleration and no passing power, unless you want to beat the crap out of it trying.  
You really need to not be in a hurry when you drive the Ford.  Fortunately I've been driving super-slow 45' diesel coaches for the past 5 years, so I'm used to being a snail on the road.  

Still, I wouldn't trade the headroom for anything.

I see people in TC and Prius vehicles and think to myself, "Not me!"

At 6'4" I'm surprised you would want a TC.   I'm building a Grumman Olson step van with 7'6" of headroom, a 15' bed, and a 32" X 32" full size shower.   It will be a Class A when done and with the Cummins turbo diesel 4 cylinder motor with 4 speed manual transmission, 17 MPG is not bad.

After being in my Dodge High Top for the past 6 months, I would consider that to be as small as I would want to go.  I have a full size bed in that and it is a really comfortable rig.

I would like to hear from people who are your size and have lived in a TC for at least a year.

 

[jonsun]

No way would I ever try to live out of a van I couldn't stand up in.