I'd value some crowdsourced input from the Transit owner community about a T-350 HR EL Cargo Van I presently have scheduled for production.
My present E-350 SD XL is one of very few cargo vans equipped with SYNC and factory navigation. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed owning a van equipped with the same infotainment system as my passenger cars, but I’m also frustrated by how much functionality his stripped-out to match the Econoline’s spartan cabin and available comfort and convenience options.
I pulled no punches. Except for diesel, my Transit as well-equipped from the factory as any W3X can be - save dual rear wheels which would’ve encroached far too much upon the load space floor. I’m thrilled that most of Ford’s best products with most of their best features finally are becoming available to North American buyers whom, despite my affinity for The Blue Oval, Ford has neglected as second class consumers with half-hearted products for far too long. But I digress.
This only is relevant in trying to communicate a context for the van’s intended purpose which is a hauler of commercial goods, remote operations base and occasional support vehicle for towing cars, tires, tools and related items to track and road racing events. A sliding door partition will separate the passenger cabin from the cargo area which eventually will select upfit accessories suited to the van’s purpose and a secondary A/C unit to keep any cargo area contents and occupants comfortable during track events and while napping between driving sessions where temperatures often easily exceed 100°F.
Beyond merely its massive additional capabilities and capacity, I’m especially looking forward to enjoying a relatively full complement of advanced comfort, convenience and safety features from leather power seats and climate control to auto-sensing headlamps and blind spot monitoring that previously simply weren’t intended for North American vans, period. This Transit is one of my most eagerly-awaited vehicle orders ever.
Here’s my dilemma:
I ordered the Transit with Rear Door Privacy Glass instinctually, probably because it’s how my Econoline is equipped whose windows were easily tinted and small and situated high enough not to be significant privacy or security problems. Otherwise, given the existence of a partition and backup camera, I can’t ever remember deriving any functional use from windows in the rear doors.
The Transit is a different animal. It’s 3’ longer than even the Extended Length E-Series. Its windows also are substantially larger and lower. Even with Privacy Glass, I’m beginning to wonder if the van wouldn’t be better-configured without them instead. I realize certain half-way options exist like adhesive wraps which would make the windows less apparent from a distance, but they still would exist and be inherently less secure than solid rear doors.
I’d be grateful for input from any Transit owners who weighed the same question. I’d appreciate the rationales behind the decisions and especially any regrets about having chosen one configuration rather than the other. In particular, I’d hope to hear from others with extended length high roof Transits given their unique volume and scale and whether or not the existence of rear door windows has made the van any more or less useful or more or less easy to maneuver.
Thanks in advance to all with relevant input to offer.
My present E-350 SD XL is one of very few cargo vans equipped with SYNC and factory navigation. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed owning a van equipped with the same infotainment system as my passenger cars, but I’m also frustrated by how much functionality his stripped-out to match the Econoline’s spartan cabin and available comfort and convenience options.
I pulled no punches. Except for diesel, my Transit as well-equipped from the factory as any W3X can be - save dual rear wheels which would’ve encroached far too much upon the load space floor. I’m thrilled that most of Ford’s best products with most of their best features finally are becoming available to North American buyers whom, despite my affinity for The Blue Oval, Ford has neglected as second class consumers with half-hearted products for far too long. But I digress.
This only is relevant in trying to communicate a context for the van’s intended purpose which is a hauler of commercial goods, remote operations base and occasional support vehicle for towing cars, tires, tools and related items to track and road racing events. A sliding door partition will separate the passenger cabin from the cargo area which eventually will select upfit accessories suited to the van’s purpose and a secondary A/C unit to keep any cargo area contents and occupants comfortable during track events and while napping between driving sessions where temperatures often easily exceed 100°F.
Beyond merely its massive additional capabilities and capacity, I’m especially looking forward to enjoying a relatively full complement of advanced comfort, convenience and safety features from leather power seats and climate control to auto-sensing headlamps and blind spot monitoring that previously simply weren’t intended for North American vans, period. This Transit is one of my most eagerly-awaited vehicle orders ever.
Here’s my dilemma:
I ordered the Transit with Rear Door Privacy Glass instinctually, probably because it’s how my Econoline is equipped whose windows were easily tinted and small and situated high enough not to be significant privacy or security problems. Otherwise, given the existence of a partition and backup camera, I can’t ever remember deriving any functional use from windows in the rear doors.
The Transit is a different animal. It’s 3’ longer than even the Extended Length E-Series. Its windows also are substantially larger and lower. Even with Privacy Glass, I’m beginning to wonder if the van wouldn’t be better-configured without them instead. I realize certain half-way options exist like adhesive wraps which would make the windows less apparent from a distance, but they still would exist and be inherently less secure than solid rear doors.
I’d be grateful for input from any Transit owners who weighed the same question. I’d appreciate the rationales behind the decisions and especially any regrets about having chosen one configuration rather than the other. In particular, I’d hope to hear from others with extended length high roof Transits given their unique volume and scale and whether or not the existence of rear door windows has made the van any more or less useful or more or less easy to maneuver.
Thanks in advance to all with relevant input to offer.
