Purchasing Soon

[cubsflfan]

Hello.
We have been travel trailer owners for years. My wife and I are now in the market for a Class B, most likely with twins and a rear bath. I’m interested in feedback on class B’s on the 3500 ProMaster Chassis. I like the cost savings and the wider dimensions but am curious what others think of the front wheel drive and reliability vs the AWD Ford Transit. We live in Florida and travel mostly in the SE but don’t want to regret not having AWD if we do hit elevation. There are so many options on the Ram so I assume it’s adequate. Any feedback is welcomed.
Thank you

[MsNomer]

252,000 miles on our 2014 PM. We spend a lot of time in high mountains—like all summer. I highly recommend it.

[sparkyfourhire]

While it may seem extreme, I have seen a FWD ProMaster struggle to navigate an inclined dirt road with the front wheels wanting to spin instead of grip. On the flip side, rear wheel drive can spin a vehicle around in slippery conditions (snow or mud). I am a big proponent for AWD, even over 4x4, and happy to see it being offered on a greater amount of vehicles in general.

[booster]

I am not a front drive hater at all, as I got my first fwd car in 1972. A Saab 96. I have all my commuters as fwd since, except for hotrods and classics.


That said, I am not a big fan of front drive for heavy in the rear vehicles because they lose their advantage of "highest weight over the drive wheels" that make cars good in slippery conditions. Other than from weight, fwd, in general, as fwd generally has worse traction because the front tires are moving the vehicle and doing the steering at the same time. When power is on, steering grip drops, for instance. Weight transfer is also the wrong way on acceleration. You also can not have a limited slip axle in the front unless you are suicidal.


As Sparky found, front drive Bs will spin the front tires more easily than a rear drive will in low traction situations. I found that towing a small trailer with a small front drive car it would spin the tires on wet grass even and not move.


IMO a rear drive, especially with a limited slip or lockable rear axle will be noticeably better for being able to move in slippery areas, but you will need to be aware of the rear trying to slide out on you, instead of loosing you steering ability with a front drive.


Others will certainly disagree about this and that is fine, but the vans are different than cars and that needs to be considered IMO.

[avanti]

We always buy AWD vehicles. It makes almost no difference under normal driving conditions. But when the occasional extreme situation presents itself, it can be a godsend. We greatly value this as it gives us the confidence to travel under marginal conditions that we would otherwise avoid. I suppose that theoretically, the extra complexity might reduce reliability, but FWIW we have literally never had an issue, and this was across a lot of vehicles.

[sparkyfourhire]

FWIW, we recently had to cross a set of railroad tracks that were fairly elevated enough that the approach from each direction to cross them was quite steep and sharp. I had my wife get out and check the undercarriage tanks and plumbing to make sure we didn't ground out, and we cleared by about an inch. We also ended up dragging the hitch receiver leaving one particularly steep driveway. Having a slightly elevated ride height would have been nice for those moments, which is why we are considering an AWD (Sprinter) which provides a few additional inches of ground clearance over the RWD. I don't know if there is much difference between the ProMaster and Transit, but that is worth considering as well.