[Jeff]

I just found out from ford that the new transit is available to order. I think it will be here late spring. Question is should I wait for the diesel pm or order the new transit. The transit is available in diesel too. At least that's what I was told.
Wish I could test drive the transit to get a better feel for it.

 

[rbisch]

Compare price. Then buy the cheap one.

 

[carnut]

Do tell. Did you get pricing and model/option availability? Nothing on the web so far.

 

[alarmguy]

Good question. I would consider the transit if they had a 118" wheelbase version. Unfortunately, they don't. I drove an E150 for 12 mos and it was torture. I'm in and out of parking spaces all day long and that thing was like berthing the Queen Mary. Definitely not interested in another 50' turning diameter vehicle. They offer any specifications?

 

[Chance]

Good question. I would consider the transit if they had a 118" wheelbase version. Unfortunately, they don't. I drove an E150 for 12 mos and it was torture. I'm in and out of parking spaces all day long and that thing was like berthing the Queen Mary. Definitely not interested in another 50' turning diameter vehicle. They offer any specifications?

Ford issued specs prior to the delay so they may not be current if they made design revisions. Back when Transit was going to be a 2014 model, the medium wheelbase van (129.9 inches) had a 39 2 ft turning circle. The long wheelbase van (147.6 inches) had a 43.7 ft turning circle. Both of these are much better than my E-350, which as you stated, isn't great.

I drove a rented E-450 camper with wheelbase stretched to over 200 inches and the turning circle was horrendous. Front wheels on Econolines just don't turn enough. The Transit will have totally different MacPherson front suspension instead of Econoline Twin I-Beam. Front wheel cut is obviously much better.

 

[Chance]

I just found out from ford that the new transit is available to order. I think it will be here late spring. Question is should I wait for the diesel pm or order the new transit. The transit is available in diesel too. At least that's what I was told.
Wish I could test drive the transit to get a better feel for it.

They are quite different in many important ways depending on planned use.

The Pro-Master is roomier for similar length. PM is also higher inside by about 4 inches when compared to Transit with medium height roof. Ford list inside at 6 feet which may limit taller men from standing upright. It's a detail, but if you add a floor, headliner, and person wears shoes, standing upright may be limited to individuals well below 6-feet.

Ford will offer a high roof that makes the van about 10 inches taller overall than PM which should accommodate tall people looking to stand upright.

The Transit will also come with dual rear wheels and higher GVWR similar to Sprinter 3500 models.

Being RWD the Transit may work better for towing heavy trailers if that's part of the requirement. I haven't seen any tow ratings but expect that if Ford will use Eco-Boost as optional engine, then it will be higher than the PM's.

 

[uncubed]

Just like Chance said "quite different". The Transit is more like the Sprinter.
Me I would wait for the Pm because of lowfloor/lowroof/Incredible amount of
space inside because of the width and new vertical walls.

If you go with the medium roof height there is much less space than the PM.
If you go with the super high roof, Lots of space but is very very large.

Are you going to tow anything?

 

[DennisV]

I won't be doing anything until I take a meaningful test drive.

The PM cured me of that notion.

 

[Dwight]

I'd wait. I think Ford got too many things wrong. Like roof height!
I'm really hoping the RAM ends up great. So much to love already.

 

[bobojay]

If you want to know all that's out there right now about the Transit, head over to fordtransitusaforum.com.
All the specs and current prices are there. And yes, you can now order one...

 

[carryon]

going to have to test drive the transit to tell.

 

[Chance]

If you want to know all that's out there right now about the Transit, head over to fordtransitusaforum.com.
All the specs and current prices are there. And yes, you can now order one...

Thanks -- good info. Interesting to go through ordering and early specs.

A few things that caught my eye as Transit compares to ProMaster is that standard 3.7L V6 engine is rated a little lower in both power and torque than PM's. They are not final specs yet but it's hard to imagine they'll change much.

The 3.2L I5 diesel will have about same power as PM diesel but with a little more torque.

Also of interest is that standard V6 will have 3.73 gears standard and 4.10 optional. That along with Ford 6-speed auto having better gear spacing should reduce some of the PM shifting and high-RPM issues that have come up in this forum.

Lots of nice options for RV prep like rear air and heat and also second battery with high-capacity alternator. Not sure if RAM offers as many options for PM.

 

[carnut]

... Not sure if RAM offers as many options for PM.

Definitely not. Looks like Transit will be available as a wagon with any body option. No actual pricing on the forum though other than a panel one guy priced out. The eco boost would be a no-brainer for me at only $1600. Other options seem pricey to me. To get the sync radio was $1800. Makes the U-Connect look downright cheap. I'd go aftermarket before I paid that. Overall it looks about as flexible to configure as an E -Series.

 

[Dwight]

Was anyone else shocked by the prices posted on the Transit forum. That guy priced out a basic van with not much more than what most people would order. Invoice was $41,500. We can guess the window sticker would be $45,000

Up there in Sprinter fantasy land on price.

I just hope RAM doesn't join fantasy land when it's time for me to buy.

Here is the guys post so you don't have to searching for it

Sure thing, I'll just list the option number and invoice price. You can get all the details from the post in the orders forum. I'm not sure what I'll get yet, but here are the prices I got so far:

R3X - 33979.00 (250, hi-top, long body)
21F - 626.00 (power seat)
21D - 52.00 (reg seat)
UJ - 129.00 (color)
43R - 252.00 (parking assist)
53B - 397.00 (trailering package)
96C - 912.00 (interior upgrade)
57G - 734.00 (rear AC)
63E - 252.00 (dual batteries)
584 - 1850.00 (myford touch 6")
647 - 337.00 (alloy wheels)
67C - 78.00 (upfitter switch)
67D - 196.00 (brake controller)
90C - 85.00 (power invertor)
52C - 81.00 (keyless entry)
99G - 1590.00 (eco-boost v6)

dest/deliv - 995.00
fuel charge - 81.75
adv assessment - 669.00 (WTF? this varies and is some mandatory charge from Ford?)


I'm trying to get it under $40k but I think I'm at $41,500 right now, plus TT&L.

 

[Chance]

Was anyone else shocked by the prices posted on the Transit forum. That guy priced out a basic van with not much more than what most people would order. Invoice was $41,500. We can guess the window sticker would be $45,000

Up there in Sprinter fantasy land on price.

I just hope RAM doesn't join fantasy land when it's time for me to buy.

........cut.........

There are a lot of options there I can do without and never miss them, like power seat since I'm the main driver and rarely adjust seat. Would also not consider EcoBoost engine unless needed to tow what I want -- haven't seen tow specs and or GCWR yet.

I would want RV Prep Package but don't know exactly what that buys, and have no idea of its cost. I'm also not that familiar with MyFord touch but almost $2,000 seems expensive (even though I don't know what it buys, it still sounds high for electronic gadget).

Inverter sounds great but probably too small to be that useful for RV application. May be nice to charge laptop or iPad. Second battery from factory is a nice option.

Overall cost is probably similar to PM, or a little higher. Should be lower than Sprinter when equipped similarly.

Since the PM and minivan use similar drive trains, and the cost of steel to build a larger box is relatively cheap, I expect that in time the price for a PM could drop some.

 

[Brian P]

Looks to me like the Transit is priced a bit higher than ProMaster, although the lengths and heights don't really correspond. Selling point for me was the lower floor on the ProMaster because it's easier to load and unload. Transit still has an axle and diff bouncing around back there.

 

[uncubed]

Now that the Transit is here and the Pm, Why would anyone consider the Sprinter?
Thousands $$$$ more for doing the same job. Is it a status thing?

 

[carnut]

...Why would anyone consider the Sprinter?
...

Resale. If they depreciated like everything else I'd buy a used Sprinter. No way I'd spend $15 - $20K on a 10 year old vehicle with no warranty. But people do it routinely. In contrast my 2003 Mercedes ML with 120K miles and near mint condition is worth maybe $6K retail / 3K trade in. The ML cost considerably more than the Sprinter new.

 

[fuzzy]

Will the sprinter resale prices on older vans stay the same 2-4 years from now since there will be other used van options? I don't think so. The reason they are pricey used is that there are no alternatives at the price points...

 

[bobojay]

Will the sprinter resale prices on older vans stay the same 2-4 years from now since there will be other used van options? I don't think so. The reason they are pricey used is that there are no alternatives at the price points...

I agree to a point. Having owned 2 different Sprinters converted to RV's, and been around a bunch of owners of Sprinters, that MB name & 3 pointed star has a mystical quality to a lot of the owners. Nothing else matters, or ever will. Nothing can or ever will be better. Almost fanatical.

Having been a car guy myself since the high school years, late 60's, and spent 34 years working for GM, I don't get it. I have yet to see anything there that would warrant that devotion.
Another factor to me against the Sprinter, is that they are way too over engineered. Talk about complicated!
They do have a wonderfully smooth, quiet and relatively powerful V6 diesel engine though....It's best trait