Privacy glass, vinyl or leather, low level radio and go aftermarket. Vinyl floor, power running boards, backup cam n proximity sensors. Sticky keypad just in case kids lock themselves or keys in. Aftermarket t-window or slide windows. Cargo nets, more head rest bag holders, tupperware containers.

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The HR Extended Wagon you are asking about will have the dual rear wheels and a lot different from the GMC van you now have. You can still get the 15 passenger seating in a MR or HR regular 148" WB rather than the extended body.

For heavy towing, you would possibly need the diesel engine. Lighter towing you could go with the 3.5L EcoBoost and the 3.73 rear axle ratio. Most of the Transit MR & HR wagons have the factory rear air and they seem to be adequate in most cases. What part of Texas are you located? There is a lot of difference in the coastal areas of Texas like Houston and the East Texas area where I live as far as the type of heat you have. Some areas are high humidity and others a little less but still hot in temperature.

Would definitely go with the privacy glass and either vinyl or leather interior seating with the smaller children and the vinyl floor covering. For a lot of traveling with the little ones, I would go with the SYNC 3 Navigation or go with a aftermarket unit with those specifications. Good to have the keyless entry as you would not have to mess with locating your keys and these could be placed on the sliding door area as well as the drivers side door.

 

Wagons come with rear AC as a standard item.

Towing shouldn't be a problem unless you're looking to tow more than 8000lbs, or like to set land speed records while towing. Of the 3 engine choices, the ecoboost twin turbo seems to be the favorite for people who tow. The diesel has had reports of being problematic by some, and it's $4000 more than the ecoboost 3.5. There are no disadvantages other than the additional $1800 cost of the 3.5 over the base 3.7 engine, they get the same MPG. Also, the 3.5 allows you to get the 3.31 rear end if you want, but since you'll be towing occasionally you might want to get the 3.73 or even the 4.10. If you live and drive somewhere hilly and expect to always be carrying a heavy load or towing, the 4.10 might be best. Remember, 10 average Americans will weight over 2000lbs. You're in Texas where everything's bigger, so maybe even more.

http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/ford-transit-general-discussion/19410-axle-ratios.html

I'd recommend getting the Limited Slip axle option, because it's CHEAP from the factory, a couple hundred dollars, and gives you a little more piece of mind on sandy or loose gravel roads, or on snow and ice when you venture up to Colorado in the winter. Aftermarket is well over $1000 installed and can be tricky to install and set up correctly. There are no negative aspects to a LS that I know of.

 

The LR 130" WB base wagon does not have rear A/C as standard equipment.

 

I have a very dynamic family. 4 Bio Kids, Mother-in-law, and anywhere between 2-4 Foster kids at any one time. I have a 350, 3.5L Eco, 148" LR with 12 passenger seating. As part of our Fostering we meet many people that have Transits, Nissan NV and other large vehicles. Here is a list of things that I would get and do if I were to get a new Transit.

- The 148" in the 12 passenger is a great configuration. Seating for 12 and room for stuff. I have spoken with other parents that have NV and 15 passenger Transits, and they all say they don't have enough room for "stuff"
- Don't get the Sliding door, unless you add the aftermarket power kit. I always have to get out and open/close the door for kids and M.I.L. because they can't open or close it.
- Rear AC is a must. I live in Alabama with a dark blue van, and without the Rear AC my kids would melt. As a note, If you can, spend the time to insulate the ceiling. The AC ducts are in the ceiling and get heat soaked, causing longer to get the air to come out cold.
- Get the Privacy Glass, but also get the vehicle tinted. Do all the windows including the Privacy Glass. Privacy Glass is just colored glass and has no UV/Heat blocking. I put 30% on the Driver Passenger, 20% Rear Windows, and 50% on the front windshield.
- I like the backup Camera and proximity sensors in the van better than aftermarket.
- I got the 4" screen with basic radio, and changed it out for an aftermarket. This integrated well with the backup camera and proximity.
- I did not get the towing package. I did add the Curt Hitch, and wiring without issue. I tow a covered 5x8 trailer fully loaded with no issues.

 

I get your point about the slider but I just wait til everyone loads and then close it. If someone parks too close, you're kinda screwed with barndoors or everyone goes in from the back doors. Plus a family of that size can likely benefit from a Medium-roof if availability/$$ are not a huge concern.

A lot of the parents in our family Transit group have 15s and remove the seats they don't need. Once the slider jumpseat and 3/4 in the rear are removed there's a ton of room. Even just the center two (depending on which seat config you get) makes a lot of room for stuff.

We currently carry a double stroller w/ buggy board, four small bikes, 3 scooters, rain jackets, water, tools, etc.

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You might want to look at Fords towing guide if you will have a need to tow. In the mid roof long wheelbase configuration, the max tow rating is 4,500 with the EcoBoost and 4,200 with the diesel. This number would be lower if you load the van up with people and cargo.

2017 Transit Towing Guide

 

Wow! Thank you everyone! Those are some good suggestions. Our GMC Savana has a sliding door and we really like it. The back A/C on our Savana doesn't keep the kids there cool in the middle of summer (we are close to Houston) so it would be nice to have a system that kept everyone comfortable. Where would we get the ceiling insulated?
Janiece

 

A custom RV upfitter, coach builder, maybe car audio shop if you buy materials. Might be of worth to try local limo company and they could maybe turn you towards someone.

Shmoo - LWB 15 pass Wagon Low Roof. 3.7L - 3.73

 

We rented a 15 seater, regular length, mid height Transit before we ordered one. Configuration-wise we found that if you actually had 15 people there would be no room for the groceries to feed them. So we got the extended length 15 seater dually. Totally love it. Lots of room but it does catch wind so that needs to be considered in windy country. We have done a bit of towing that is over Ford's specs and have not been disappointed but it remains to be seen if one can be found liable in an accident if you are past manufacture's spec. The tow rating is low for the van but the brakes are really small, the tail is long, and it is a unibody. A year later, if I had to do it over again I wouldn't change a thing. Maybe add the door lock key pad.

 

I have yet to come across someone with a van full that has the 15 non-extended but there are several people with 10-12 that I know of and they have to get quite creative. They use things like the collapsible crates that stack, regular tupperware containers, additional bag hooks so that you have 2 per seat, etc. There are only the 6 of us and we have bag hooks all over that do 15kg per hook, we usually get by using hooks on 4-5 seats (and sometimes our cooler where the jumpseat was). It is therefore theoretically possible to get by with a full LWB15, but you'd take some time hanging groceries everywhere. The back is a pain to hang groceries because the bag has to be only so full.

 

Isn't extra insulation an option?

 

We just bought a 15, Low Roof. I plan on removing some, if not all of the rear seats to allow for cargo space. We've got 6 kids right now. We had a Nissan NV, SL (top of the line model). We liked it a lot, but I found it to be less practical. There is more body work, so you get less interior space in a van that's actually a few inches taller and longer. We like the seats in the transit because they all seem like an individual seat (like an airplane), but the NV is still the best for reconfiguration. I really liked how you could do 300+ configs. We switched out some of the back seats to make space. The Transit seats are pretty much set. Overall though, we just got the Transit but really like it.