Was it Price, Ride, Quality, Options available or other? Personally I'm still undecided. Though might wait to see if the rumors are true that the Daily Iveco maybe coming to the US market.
Gas engine option and dependability and service over Sprinter, quality and design over Ram and Nissan. Plus I wanted an American made vehicle that could be serviced anytown, USA.
There is no real competition for the Transit. It won't take much reading on the Ram or Sprinter sites, to see far more issues reported, than here, on the Transit site. Vs the Ram? Just look at it.
To be honest, I never actually looked at anything other than the Ford Transit. If there was one factor that kept me from going elsewhere it would have to be the Ecoboost engine. It's my belief that the Ecoboost gives you everything you could ever want from a Diesel without any of the other hassles. I have it in my F150 and now my Transit and it is truly just a gas and go engine that performs extremely well for it's size.
For me, the Promaster was just plain uncomfortable to drive.
The Transit, IMO, rides and handles better than the Sprinters I tried, driving position and the seats are more comfortable.
I wanted to know that there was a widespread service network, especially in low population areas. That and the reported Sprinter reliability issues left only Ford and GM.
Needed an OEM high roof, so that eliminated GM.
The EB has all the torque I'll ever need, with reasonable MPG, and without the extra diesel pollution control complexity. It's also been flawless in my F150.
Looked briefly at Ram and Nissan and didn't like them.
I actually began with Sprinter. At the time (early 2015) I had no idea there was a Transit. All my focus was upon making the Sprinter work. When I finally got to a dealership my hopes were dashed because they had none in stock to try out or look through and the dealer said they had 45 on order and just that morning Mercedes had told them they were only going to be receiving 3. The wait was not only unbearbly long, but uncertain at that.
After a few more months I began really looking around again...saw the Ram and Nissan... and then found the Transit. It was so much like the Sprinter design I had come to like but maybe less than 1/3 - 1/2 the cost!
When I read reviews they all preferred the Transit. One of the biggest things at that point was how they said it was easy to drive and the ecoboost was awesome. Many said they forgot they were driving such a large vehicle and it performed more like their regular vans. I need that. In fact I haven't even test driven one because the Transit appears to be the easiest to drive and in that sense "I have no other choice" ?
Now if you had told me the process for me would take over a year, I may have bought Nissan... but God must have wanted me to wait since the first van I special ordered didn't come as I wanted. My 2nd van order build date is next week (12/9)
The Promaster is just not a very good van from what I have read. The rear axle setup is great for cargo but bad for ground clearance. I did not want a fwd van.
The Nissan NV is old school inefficient and ugly. Having a traditional hood setup is good for service but sacrifices a lot of cargo area.
The Sprinters are nice but very $ and the ride quality is not as nice. They also have far fewer service options. I had some interest in a diesel but modern diesels are maintenance heavy and $ of you have issues. Sprinter does not offer a gas option in the US.
I considered an older e series van as well but this made little sense with the Transit available.
I initially was interested in a Sprinter - especially tempted by the 4WD option. Then I spent some time on the Sprinter forum reading about all the fun with the newer generation diesels... I also worried about ease of service if needed - I expect to find many more places that can work on a Ford gas engine than Sprinter diesel. (I also reminded myself that I really don't like the smell of a diesel anyway - neither the fuel nor exhaust!)
I must be one of the three people in the world who actually like the look of the NVs. Not in love with it but hey, I like it... Thought about getting one of them too until I started looking at measurements. My kayak fits in the Transit with the bow between the seats. It won't fit in the NV due to its much shorter cargo area. The MPG reports on the NV forum finished the idea - they generally get terrible mileage.
Never considered the Ram, didn't like the look. The cockpit looked very cramped and several people who test-drove one confirmed that they're not particularly comfortable to sit in.
I looked closely at the Promaster and Transit. There were some features of the Promaster I liked for a conversion platform, such as low step-in height and 4" more interior height than the MR transit. There is also a wide variety of conversion accessories for the Promaster, as the Ducato version in Europe is far and away the most popular van conversion.
On the other hand, I saw clear signs of inferior quality in the Promaster drive train, body integrity, and driveability. This lack of quality did not seem to be reflected in a lower price, and the Promaster sticker prices I saw in Canada were often more than a comparable higher quality Transit.
If one were to find a well priced new or used Promaster, it still could make a decent basic platform for conversion. But it would never be as good a choice, overall, as a Transit.
Looked at the Nissan - yes, it's a van but at least have some respect for aesthetics.
Next looked at the Promaster. Owned a couple of Fiats (as in "Fix-It-Again, Tony") and swore I'd never buy another one, but wanted to at least see if anything had changed in the last 40 years. Had a salesman tell me the only difference between the 2500 and the 3500 was "heavier springs." That was it - the only difference was the springs! Oh, and they just happened to have a 2500 in stock but not a 3500. I guess nothing had changed.
"Building" the Transit online showed it to be more than I wanted to pay, but a trip to a dealer proved there was a less expensive option. And it was nice to drive.
The Sprinter? Actually inquired about one long before I actually purchased the Ford. Was concerned about the maintenance and repair costs since we were simultaneously returning our Mercedes from its lease. (Quote the finance gal on trying to sell us prepaid maintenance, "You don't really think you'll leave our service shop for less than $500, do you?") Spoke to a salesman anyway. He never returned my call. Turns out he quit the dealership - and went to work for the Dodge dealer! Incest at its finest.
Had a salesman tell me the only difference between the 2500 and the 3500 was "heavier springs." That was it - the only difference was the springs! Oh, and they just happened to have a 2500 in stock but not a 3500. I guess nothing had changed.
That's not an unreasonable claim, since load capacity follows from heavier springs, and "heavier springs" IS the only difference between Transit 250 and 350, single rear wheel cargo van.
I don't know the Promaster, so, maybe there is something else he should have known about?
I've been a ford guys for a long time. I miss the days when I was able to purchase on the A plan. I did shop the Ram and Sprinter, but in the end, it was all about value. The Ram was just too close in price to the Ford and no where near it in design and tech.
Dang, I was sure there had to be something else different between the Promaster 150 and 350. I guess now I'll have to scrap the Transit and apologize to the Dodge salesman for doubting his word. And I finally got the 'Muprhy' bed to work.
we started looking over a year ago for a camper conversion. Sportsmobile was at the top of the list. the cost of the new ones was out of our range so the used were next in line. most of them are ford e250 or e350 conversions, must say something. however being retired we did not want to take on the potential cost of problems even at 45000 miles for $40k.
the research on the sprinter proved to be enlightening due to the egr and other problems in addition to access to service. we live in northern arizona so 2 hour drive to phoenix.
research on dodge resulted in horrible results and as others have said the nissan is ugly.
thus the ford transit. i had seen a few around and liked the styling. further research on this site and other places on the web came up with results i liked.
we ended up with an off the lot 2016 350 15 pass wagon with the eco boost. conversion prices from sportsmobile were another 45k (ouch) and over a year out (not acceptable). as a result we decided to finish as we go. the entire vehicle has performed as i expected (1500m) with an average of 19mpg in town and on the freeway.
with the removal of the seats we have built a three fold bed/couch with storage underneath leaving lots of roof for modificatons that we decide on in the future.
yes it may not be a daily vehicle but i could easily see it and actually prefer it over our 2015 4 runner on regular not snowy roads.
If MPG is your most important aspect, the ProRam diesel gets close to 30.
Sprinter offers a kind of 4WD.
Nissan offers Asian reliability mystique.
GM may bring over Chevy badged Vauxhall in the near future, perhaps even do a "luxury" edition and put Cadillac badging on it (similar to the Suburban remade into a "Cadillac Escalade").
Toyota may develop a US market Hiace.
You can wait for the "best" van, or you can buy what's available now and get a version/brand that is more suitable to you when it's offered. Myself, I'll dump the current T250 and get the plug in hybrid version if/when it's available.
I like the Promaster for high roof as I am 6ft, lower base so the bike and wife get on/off easier. I like the Transit's higher base so I can install a propane tank underneath. I will most likely fly down to Panama, buy a Hiace diesel with manual transmitsion and make it a pop tops conversion.
I have been looking at rusted out Sprinters and Provans (and Dodge pickups) all over the twin cities (MN) for years. They are really butt ugly with holes in their fenders and rust marks pouring down from their ladder racks. Serious body manufacturing issues most likely as they are still in service. I am sure the purchasers expected more life out of them and are still running them out of spite or budget concerns.
I really never gave any real consideration to the Sprinter. We went and test drove the Nissan because my wife liked the driver and passenger seats and extras a lot better. I do have to admit the whole operator area, including the factory seats were much nicer then the Ford. That being said, it road worse than my F250 and was a pig on gas. Additionally it had way last cargo area then the Transit.
I wanted and pre-built a Chevy cutaway with a 12' Unicell CW body for expediting. The 90° angles at the floor and ceiling with straight walls made it easy to insulate and finish. The inside width could accommodate a twin mattress that folded up against the wall (Murphy Bed). It offered a true walk-through cab with no crazyass parking brake interfering. A bullet proof 6.0 engine(820,000 miles on my last one and it is still running strong) and a 154" wheelbase. Unfortunately I had to wait almost a year for the next production schedule. So I ordered a Transit.
I love the performance and fuel economy of the EcoBlaster® and the 10 way power seat. The cargo area was a pain to finish. Over all I'm satisfied with the Transit but would trade it even up for a Chevy/Unicell CW.
Just go to the Promaster Forum webpage and you have your answer. Problems upon problems.
161k trouble free miles on the transit so far says I made the right decision.
Edit-- not quite trouble free, the guibo was replaced two times under warranty. It was free cost wise,(replaced under power train warranty, then replacement part warranty) just an inconvenience. Also until the air box was fixed it leaks water, okay after recall.
Wouldn't have been nice for Chevrolet to produce a medium or high roof vehicle. I've always had Chevy vans so I'm biased. I didn't want to drive around in a box. I didn't even look at the ProMaster, too many issues. I believe the 3.7 has been around since like 2009 and the transmission 6-speed is made by ZF a German company that transmission has been in production since 2005. I'm getting 2 miles per gallon better with the 3.7 as opposed to the 6.0. Both trucks weighed in at 6000 pounds within 50 pounds of each other. Of course I'm carrying around some stuff. Mercedes is a very pretty van butt just like the ProMaster too many issues and not enough service technicians. The Nissan has already proven to be a Workhorse. Butt with only 10 feet behind the seat to the door. Also this thing weighs about a thousand more pounds than medium or high roof Transit. In my gerbils Love The View
GM went bankrupt for a reason. The Promaster is a Fiat, the least reliable vehicles this side of Jeep. The NCV3 is diesel only, too big for my needs, and by many accounts utter rubbish. The Nissan has the turning radius of the Queen Mary. Hence the Transit. It wasn't a difficult decision at all.
My Fiat 128 was bombproof. I used to run it out of oil until it stopped, add a quart and continue on. It survived my teenage years and continued on.
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