[MFos]

Hi all -

We ordered the 148 13 months ago, with plans to build out camper. Still no sign on that build - but we did have an EXT come on the lot that we have the option of purchasing. We originally did not look at the EXT because the departure angle is so bad and could hinder how we camp (big mountain bikers, climbers, skiers) especially since we are coming from a GMC and a 4 wheel camper.

However, it would be nice to have the extra room in the EXT (we do not need shower etc so the extra space would just be utilized for an extra seat for working remotely etc). I have seen threads here debating the two and I know it is totally up to use case. But I was hoping to get some insight from couples with pets (we have a dog and a cat and probably will add another dog soon) living in the Western states that have the EXT or the 148 - Looking to understand why you made your decision, if you regret or want to change sizes, and most importantly, if it has hindered your experience on but more importantly off the road. We have only ever camped at dispersed spots or BLM land really. Think Crested Butte dispersed, BLM land in Western CO, Oil well flats in Canon City etc.

Thanks all!! If this topic is too similar to other threads, totally get it just hoping for some more personalized feedback for folks that travel through the Rockies and Western US a ton.

 

[ERTBen]

We have the EXT and have never had an issue with it. We’ve backed into some very short, steep driveways that made me concerned but it has not bottomed out yet. We do t take it off-road because it’s a duallie and it’s not an off-road vehicle.

 

[timreg2]

We've had 5 RVs over the past 30 years, with each one bigger than the previous. When considering downsizing and location accessibility, we realized we were wasting (and paying for) a ton of space that we just didn't need.

Once we concluded that a van would meet our needs we settled on the 148 extended, primarily due to the need for a north/south bed. East/west w/flares wasn't an option for us for a variety of reasons. Our layout is comfortable for us. If we could handle the east/west bed, then I think we could've made the 148 non-ext work.

The departure angle can be an issue for some just getting out of their driveway. And others plan to take their rigs on Jeep trails and would probably do better with the 130" wheelbase and/or true 4x4. There are ways to help the departure angle with different tires and suspension components, including on-demand airbags.

We have a mini Dachshund who always travels with us. That did not impact our choice of vans at all. While moving, she's in her crate which is strapped to the bed. While parked she still spends most of her time on the bed since that's where she can see outside from.

We do plan on adding slightly taller tires when these wear out. And I'm considering adding a rear air lift option that's controllable from inside. That's both to help with departure and breakover clearance, and help in leveling out the van when parked (requires separate left/right control).

I love the idea of taking my van everywhere possible. But in reality it will spend 95% of its time on roads, so that's what we prioritized.

 

[kdenning]

My wife and I have two dogs (a lab and a golden both around 90lbs).

We spent one summer traveling the west from our home base in Ventura, CA out to my parents place in Leadville, CO and up through Idaho and back down through Tahoe where we're settled now. That summer we were in an extended RWD Transit. The extra room was incredible and makes a significant difference in how comfortable the four of us were when we were truly "living" out of the van.

The extended body is a hinderance without a doubt on and off road but when living out of the van for 2.5 months, we thought it was a fair trade. Since then we've had a 170" wheelbase sprinter (similar in total length to the ext body transit) and the 144" wheelbase sprinter as well (similar to the regular 148" Transit that you ordered).

Now we're settled permanently in Tahoe with a regular body high roof AWD Transit that we ordered in 2022. Our minimum trip is quick overnights and our maximum trip is 3 weeks down the coast/baja to surf and we find that we don't need the room that the extended body provides. We don't spend enough time living out of the van to justify the daily headache caused by the extended body.

Our transit is my daily driver. Personally, I would not want to drive an extended transit on a daily/commuter basis. Every time we go to the ski resort and it's remotely busy I express out loud how grateful I am to not be driving an extended body transit. Any time that we have to make a three point turn at a surf spot I have the same feeling. BUT if we had an extended rig, I bet we'd talk all the time about how glad we are to have so much more space for gear storage. To me, the regular body feels very small and the extended body feels very big.

A lot of members are compensating for the poor departure angle with the Van Compass 2" lift and bigger tires. If you can swing that and factor it into the budget I think that would be a way to mitigate the departure angle issues. I can say for certain that the extended body will feel like a real chore on and off road compared to a GMC with a 4WC.

BUT if the extended body is sitting on the lot and ready to start adventuring in today, you can make a case for that being a great fit and learn to deal with the departure angle if/when it becomes an issue.

If you have any more specific questions or want to hear more about our experience in the extended body van compared to our regular body van you can give me a ring at (561) 459 7517. We got a lot of help from forum members when we were shopping for various vans years ago now and owe it back to he community ten fold.

 

[gregoryx]

We're long and tall with AWD and loaded up close to 9,000 pounds. Still drives great and is super comfortable for adventuring. Thanks to the short-ish wheelbase, it's easy to park - had more than one person stop then applaud while I've whipped it into a tight parallel park spot. Thanks to the short-ish wheelbase, it's got a long overhang, which looks funky and /looks/ like it'd hinder it on any decent trails.

Our previous rig was a Sprinter 170: wheelbase almost two feet longer, body one foot longer; plus taller tires and visibly higher ground clearance. But it was RWD and that long wheelbase was a hindrance off the highway. The Transit consistently goes further, smoother, and more confidently in every place the higher-clearance Sprinter would go.

I really wish we'd taken photos and videos of a couple of the trails we've navigated with the big boy. The jeep trail off the back of Minaret Vista is probably the riskiest one: my missus was outside eyeballing all the angles while I was crawling the rig between rocks and pine trees. I touched the front and rear a bit here and there; and touched the tops against trees. That trail and others wouldn't have been possible without removing the tow-hitch and raising the butt up a bit; but those are easy remedies. Early season road up Black Mountain /looks/ impossible, but the rig rolls through with confidence.

If I trusted that the lift kits wouldn't destroy the front CVs, I'd do it; but it's not worth replacing CVs every six months for us. We're doing 20K miles a year or so in the current rig and will continue to do that or more and there's really no way to raise the front end without putting additional strain on the CVs.

We're considering an additional Transit that would be a daily driver. Second one would either be the trail version (if it becomes possible to get one with all the features) or I'd lean toward risking the CVs with the Q-lift - and just plan to replace them every year or two if we're lucky.

If you're not planning to lift it, I'm not sure the extended is as much of a hindrance as it looks like it would be. By the time the rear-end became the risk, the front-end was already hitting. We've added RAS as "helper springs", which lifted the rear back to empty height; and we've added Air Lift, which will give another 3-4 inches at the rear bumper - between the two, the overhang is not the limiting factor.

WRT the interior space, our build would fit into a mid-length pretty easily. The extra length is used for our shower module OR additional seat - similar to what you mention. We usually keep the extra two seats in place, which makes for nice seating without spinning the fronts OR just a good hang-out space with friends. Our second row is usually placed against the driver's wall facing the slider but we'll swing it facing forward for longer trips.

This is a favorite spot off an OHV trail in Mammoth. I wouldn't take our Tesla there; but the Transit does great getting there.

 

[kdenning]

That trail and others wouldn't have been possible without removing the tow-hitch

The tow hitch was a big issue in our extended. I think we would have had better results without the tow hitch.

Thanks to the short-ish wheelbase, it's easy to park

Especially compared the 170" wheelbase in the Sprinter! I really felt the length of that wheelbase making tight corners in parking lots. We frequent a surf spot down south with one entrance/exit and a half circle at the opposite end that our 170" sprinter could not make in one go. Extremely embarrassing to struggle with that in front of the entire lineup lol

 

[gregoryx]

The tow hitch was a big issue in our extended. I think we would have had better results without the tow hitch.

Agreed. We had it thinking we'd be able to put the bikes back there... but I actually prefer everything /inside/ the rig for peace of mind, so it's just as well without it. Saves a few inches right there.

Especially compared the 170" wheelbase in the Sprinter! I really felt the length of that wheelbase making tight corners in parking lots. We frequent a surf spot down south with one entrance/exit and a half circle at the opposite end that our 170" sprinter could not make in one go. Extremely embarrassing to struggle with that in front of the entire lineup lol

Totally with you on that: the Transit looks like a bus but handles like a mini-van. The Sprinter is a bus.

 

[SnoDrtRider]

The tow hitch was a big issue in our extended. I think we would have had better results without the tow hitch.



Especially compared the 170" wheelbase in the Sprinter! I really felt the length of that wheelbase making tight corners in parking lots. We frequent a surf spot down south with one entrance/exit and a half circle at the opposite end that our 170" sprinter could not make in one go. Extremely embarrassing to struggle with that in front of the entire lineup lol

I had issues going in and out of some residential driveways even without a hitch... the factory installed "Recovery Hook" scraped on several driveways. I convinced myself that once I installed a receiver hitch in the center I would be able to go in and out at an angle without the hitch dragging.... Stupid me!
I have a Transit Off Road Rear bumper coming this week which has a 2" receiver in the middle of the bumper which is 4-5 inches higher than a regular bolt on receiver.
I will put up a thread with both before and after photos with heights as well as departure (or in the case of backing in) approach angles with the stock bumper and Curt Class IV receiver and the TOR bumper with the built in receiver.

Ford Transit Heavy Duty Rear Bumper - Transit Off-Road

Integrated 2″ Receiver Hitch for increased ground clearance Bolts on installation - no modifying! Non-slip texture powder coating Includes 7 pin RV-style trailer connector socket Includes cut-outs for factory sensors and Baja Designs S2 & S2 Pro Lights Includes mounting hardware

transitoffroad.com

 

[Ranger Robin]

I'm on the West Coast and lived in the CA & AZ low desert for a bunch of years. I was in a FW Pop Up Hawk camper and an F150 4WD truck for 20 years. Actually two different trucks over that time, same ol camper. It had the roll over bench. Great camper and we went to so many out of the way 4WD places with bikes on a hitch on the back.

With two of us and two 45-50'ish pound dogs in the FWC it was cramped for sure. Started camping a ton more during covid (instead of international travel) and decided a little larger rig would be nice. I debated between the two 148" WB lengths for a month or two. Vans were hard to come by so I did a lot of reading and evaluating of my actual planned uses and frequency where 4WD and high clearance was necessary etc. Stalked a lot of Amazon vans looking at dimensions......

Fast forward, now in a HR Extended AWD 2022 van - bigger tires, no lift, had it almost a year. It's usually just me and one dog now but the space is amazing. It drives and parks so easily. I don't regret getting the EL. Just the other night three of us, the dog and cat sat inside doing a rainstorm and the space was so nice. Everything has its place and I feel like I still have so much room. I'm not finished with the build yet but loving the space and still happy despite some of the perceived limitations.

I'm not familiar with the spots you listed, but I'd say 80% of the time when off road, I'm on forest service roads, dispersed camping and decent dirt roads. (I know that spot @gregoryx !) The height of the thing has been more of a limiting factor than departure angle or off road ability. I'm planning a sway bar and air shocks so I can raise the rear end when needed but I think I've only scraped the hitch once or twice. Tree overhangs have been more of an issue in my year of forest roads use FWIW.

I have an EW bed and I could have easily gone with a non-extended van but I don't regret getting the extra space. You weren't asking about this, but I live in an urban part of San Diego and I use the van for town errands way more than I thought I would because it maneuvers so well. I don't find any problems with parking in most locations. Some parking lots are just a no go but I find that true now with my crew cab F150 so 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️.....

Like kdenning pointed out, it's a van in hand and if you can see some positives in an EL (some folks can't) then it might be worth it. The AWD is great in snow in both lengths.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[palmer1991]

I had issues going in and out of some residential driveways even without a hitch... the factory installed "Recovery Hook" scraped on several driveways. I convinced myself that once I installed a receiver hitch in the center I would be able to go in and out at an angle without the hitch dragging.... Stupid me!
I have a Transit Off Road Rear bumper coming this week which has a 2" receiver in the middle of the bumper which is 4-5 inches higher than a regular bolt on receiver.
I will put up a thread with both before and after photos with heights as well as departure (or in the case of backing in) approach angles with the stock bumper and Curt Class IV receiver and the TOR bumper with the built in receiver.

Ford Transit Heavy Duty Rear Bumper - Transit Off-Road

Integrated 2″ Receiver Hitch for increased ground clearance Bolts on installation - no modifying! Non-slip texture powder coating Includes 7 pin RV-style trailer connector socket Includes cut-outs for factory sensors and Baja Designs S2 & S2 Pro Lights Includes mounting hardware

transitoffroad.com

Do you know the tow and tongue ratings of the bumper? They have no ratings on their website.

 

[OldMadBrit]

We do lots of off-road and there are only ever 2 of us on-board. For us the deal breakers for the EXT were the huge overhang and poor departure angle, the inability to park in regular parking spaces and the potential nightmare of trying to turn around on a blocked dirt trail.

In 30,000 miles, I have never regretted the decision to get the regular 148 MR and know for sure that an EXT would have left us stuck several times over. Best of all, we are never short of a parking space, when we are out camping and need to pick up supplies. Our 148 regular is the same length as an F150 pick-up.

 

[MFos]

The tow hitch was a big issue in our extended. I think we would have had better results without the tow hitch.

Thanks for the insight! So did you sell the 148 EXT and get a 148? @kdenning

 

[coguzzi]

ive always been a "keep it shorter" guy and i consider Colorado home, spent most of my life living there but am now living in Quebec . always have 2 dogs (biggest is 80 then a small 8lber) and also spent years in a four wheel camper hawk (was even a FWC shop manager). i built, and stupidly sold a 2020 HR "long" that had plenty of room inside (can see my buildthread) but didnt worry about it because i had another exact same van on order (been waiting 25 months for that van now). in the mean time i have done several partial builds for people, 1 was a 148 extended, and 3 sprinter 170's as well as a full build on a sprinter 170 i just finished. before that i did work for a sprinter upfitter and did a few 144 but mostly 170's. SOOOO, what im saying is ive spent so much time in the big vans now i almost find them normal. i met another dealer several months ago who was way more knowledgable than my original dealer (original is the big fleet dealer though) so pretty much put in the exact same optioned order for another van, but this time made it extended. I also have a sprinter 170 order in (i can not make a sprinter 144 work for me since it narrower and just that much less usable space). I'm taking what ever van actually decides to show up to build for me since my life has been held hostage enough by FORD. and since i dont consider Quebec home (brought on by not having an escape vehicle) plan on escaping for months on end in winter, so we decided the bigger van might fit our needs better.

 

[MFos]

ive always been a "keep it shorter" guy and i consider Colorado home, spent most of my life living there but am now living in Quebec . always have 2 dogs (biggest is 80 then a small 8lber) and also spent years in a four wheel camper hawk (was even a FWC shop manager). i built, and stupidly sold a 2020 HR "long" that had plenty of room inside (can see my buildthread) but didnt worry about it because i had another exact same van on order (been waiting 25 months for that van now). in the mean time i have done several partial builds for people, 1 was a 148 extended, and 3 sprinter 170's as well as a full build on a sprinter 170 i just finished. before that i did work for a sprinter upfitter and did a few 144 but mostly 170's. SOOOO, what im saying is ive spent so much time in the big vans now i almost find them normal. i met another dealer several months ago who was way more knowledgable than my original dealer (original is the big fleet dealer though) so pretty much put in the exact same optioned order for another van, but this time made it extended. I also have a sprinter 170 order in (i can not make a sprinter 144 work for me since it narrower and just that much less usable space). I'm taking what ever van actually decides to show up to build for me since my life has been held hostage enough by FORD. and since i dont consider Quebec home (brought on by not having an escape vehicle) plan on escaping for months on end in winter, so we decided the bigger van might fit our needs better.

Man I wish I saw that build in 2021 - that thing is exactly the set up I would want in a 148. Great job. And yeah, looks like we will make a decision today based off availability. We found a 148 on a lot that may be unclaimed. If it is, we would move forward with that - if not, we will go EXT. But I am really enjoying all the feedback here so thanks a ton for your input and hopefully we can get ya back to the Rockies soon.

 

[coguzzi]

should also add my vans are never daily drivers, i have my shop truck for that (jeep gladiator right now) even when i had a FWC on a tundra and later RAM2500, i still had a tacoma shop truck daily driver (commonly called "beater with a heater"). even when i had Vanagon syncros i didnt drive them daily. then again motorcycles are a real passion of mine so warmer months is always on 2 wheels. I considered my rigs to always be ready to go if i found i had some freetime, which can never be planned as a self employed person. if it goes from camping rig to daily driver after every outing it would take to long to put it back to camping rig

 

[anthony79]

I'm new to the 148 platform but I thought there was a standard,long and extended?
3 choices

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[Chainman1]

The extended was a no brainer for me and I am glad we have it. Everything is inside and out of sight. MTBs, skis, inflatable paddle board all ride in the garage. I also have a tray that pulls out and holds 6 mid to large totes and 3 small totes under the passenger side of the bed. I'll never understand why people (mainly Revel owners) spend $100K + and then have to put their MTBs on the back of their vans.

Adding air bags and an on board compressor, will give you 3" of adjust ability and really helps with the body overhang and departure/approach angles

 

[JeffWest]

Hi all -

We ordered the 148 13 months ago, with plans to build out camper. Still no sign on that build - but we did have an EXT come on the lot that we have the option of purchasing. We originally did not look at the EXT because the departure angle is so bad and could hinder how we camp (big mountain bikers, climbers, skiers) especially since we are coming from a GMC and a 4 wheel camper.

However, it would be nice to have the extra room in the EXT (we do not need shower etc so the extra space would just be utilized for an extra seat for working remotely etc). I have seen threads here debating the two and I know it is totally up to use case. But I was hoping to get some insight from couples with pets (we have a dog and a cat and probably will add another dog soon) living in the Western states that have the EXT or the 148 - Looking to understand why you made your decision, if you regret or want to change sizes, and most importantly, if it has hindered your experience on but more importantly off the road. We have only ever camped at dispersed spots or BLM land really. Think Crested Butte dispersed, BLM land in Western CO, Oil well flats in Canon City etc.

Thanks all!! If this topic is too similar to other threads, totally get it just hoping for some more personalized feedback for folks that travel through the Rockies and Western US a ton.

We're in Colorado and camp frequently in dispersed near Crested Butte as well as forest roads or BLM....and we have an extended. Not once have we not gone somewhere because of the departure angle -- nor have we ever scraped or had real trouble beyond taking an extra few minutes to make a few extra points turns. We have airlift bags and in the summer slightly larger tires...but even with our stock tires the first season we still got into the same tight spots.
For us -- it's a non issue -- whereas putting mtn bikes, skis, kiteboards or anything else on the back would've been.
Our two cents.

 

[MFos]

We're in Colorado and camp frequently in dispersed near Crested Butte as well as forest roads or BLM....and we have an extended. Not once have we not gone somewhere because of the departure angle -- nor have we ever scraped or had real trouble beyond taking an extra few minutes to make a few extra points turns. We have airlift bags and in the summer slightly larger tires...but even with our stock tires the first season we still got into the same tight spots.
For us -- it's a non issue -- whereas putting mtn bikes, skis, kiteboards or anything else on the back would've been.
Our two cents.

Super helpful insight, thank you!

 

[Ranger Robin]

I'm new to the 148 platform but I thought there was a standard,long and extended?
3 choices

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

They make one in 130" wheel base and two lengths with 148" w/b long and extended (these are the two we are talking about.)