Newbie trying to decide on a Sprinter van

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

...Another advantage of the Transit is it offers a low slung chassis design with low profile tires, so there is 50% less roll moment when compared to a Sprinter.



Regards - Mike

I'm thinking this would be a negative, at least for me, as most of my camping is boondocking on BLM, USFS, etc areas.

YMMV.

[papab]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

Most important - with a Transit you can get service and maintenance anywhere at an affordable price, while on the other hand, Mercedes dealers are few and far between and charge major funds for anything, plus they do not know how to fix anything quickly LOL

Regards - Mike

Have you verified this? I bought a Ram Promaster and thought that would be the case, but only some Ram dealers work on Promasters.

[jrobe]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

Most important - with a Transit you can get service and maintenance anywhere at an affordable price, while on the other hand, Mercedes dealers are few and far between and charge major funds for anything, plus they do not know how to fix anything quickly LOL

Regards - Mike

If BS was music, this guy would be a brass band.

I can get fast and reasonable service for my Sprinter at any Freightliner Dealer across the country. Freightliner is owned by the same Daimler company as Mercedes and sells Sprinters themselves under the Freightliner badge. There are several hundred Freightliner dealers and service centers across the country. I have 4 of them within 100 miles of my home in Wisconsin. My local Freightliner Dealer is even open evenings and weekends for the truckers (including Sundays) and will take walk-ins for Sprinter service. They have always treated me fairly and have been prompt with service that has been reasonably priced.

I think Ford Transits are nice vans, but there are multiple reasons that the largest majority of Class B RV's are built on the Sprinter platform.

[Van_Dreams]

Interesting point. Would you mind going through some of the reasons?

[jrobe]

Originally Posted by Van_Dreams

Interesting point. Would you mind going through some of the reasons?

This would be a good question to ask some of the big Class B companies like Roadtrek, Pleasureway, Winnebago, Advanced RV, etc.. You can look at their web sites and see how often they build on the Transit platform. I asked this question myself when we bought our RV because I would have preferred a Ford based gas RV myself and was given a variety of reasons including location of the pillars, less than ideal ceiling heights in the different models, no cost savings over a Sprinter, advantages to diesel for heating and hot water, etc.. I would also be curious as to why this trend doesn't seem to be changing much with most of these companies.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by jrobe

This would be a good question to ask some of the big Class B companies like Roadtrek, Pleasureway, Winnebago, Advanced RV, etc.. You can look at their web sites and see how often they build on the Transit platform. I asked this question myself when we bought our RV because I would have preferred a Ford based gas RV myself and was given a variety of reasons including location of the pillars, less than ideal ceiling heights in the different models, no cost savings over a Sprinter, advantages to diesel for heating and hot water, etc.. I would also be curious as to why this trend doesn't seem to be changing much with most of these companies.

For many years, the Sprinter was essentially the only game in town when it comes to modern, euro-style full-size vans. The Transit, for example, only became available in the US in MY2015. Its predecessor, the E-Series, was greatly inferior as the basis for B-van upfitting. This, the Sprinter had first-mover advantage in the US market, which is a big deal.

For a volume upfitter, switching platforms is not just a matter of deciding which vans to order for a given model year. Moving to a new platform is a hugely expensive proposition, involving lots of design, engineering, and fabrication of chassis-specific components. As just one example, fiberglass bathroom units must be carefully sculpted to the target platform. Because of this, there is signifiant "lock-in" in this market, with the upfitters wanting to squeeze as many model years out of their NRE sunk costs as possible.

This is one reason for the Sprinter's continued popularity. Another one is the perceived "prestige" value in the market of the "Mercedes" brand and the 3-pointed star. Many buyers have their heads easily turned by these factors, and so they have significant marketing value.

Neither of these factors is true in the European market. As a result, the Sprinter is far less dominant there.

For these and other reasons, the Sprinter is not going away any time soon. But the new Transit offering is very strong, and I suspect its relative popularity in the B-van market is going to increase over the next few years as the above factors run their course. This will be especially true if Mercedes continues to feature diesel engines as their primary offering. The Sprinter diesel emissions nightmare has poisoned this market for many buyers, and increasing desire for competent gasoline powertrains really threatens the Sprinter unless Mercedes gets with the program.

[IdleUp]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

I'm thinking this would be a negative, at least for me, as most of my camping is boondocking on BLM, USFS, etc areas.

YMMV.

Thanks for the reply - it really depends what you're needs are. For the most part, a van or even a Sprinter 4x4 van is not the best choice for off the road camping.

Having a low CG with a B RV is a big advantage because the coach is less acceptable to be upset from high cross-winds and passing trucks.

Once you get into a B+ or C the Transit offers a major advantage because since once you get the height over 9-10 feet the low slung design and low profile tires changes the whole perspective. A Sprinter is near the point of being dangerous with an un-expected quick turn of the wheel or in a situation where one wheel drops off the shoulder. In this same situation, the Transit chassis is fully controllable.

Mike

[avanti]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

THaving a low CG with a B RV is a big advantage because the coach is less acceptable to be upset from high cross-winds and passing trucks.

Sprinters have been available with cross-wind assist for some time now. At first it was only available on 2500s, but it now can be had on all platforms. I do not have it, but from all accounts it is miraculous.

A Sprinter is near the point of being dangerous with an un-expected quick turn of the wheel or in a situation where one wheel drops off the shoulder.

Not my experience.

[IdleUp]

Originally Posted by avanti

Sprinters have been available with cross-wind assist for some time now. At first it was only available on 2500s, but it now can be had on all platforms. I do not have it, but from all accounts it is miraculous.

Not my experience.

Avanti, It appears as if you have a B van camper - the RV I was talking about is a B+/C something like the Tiffin Wayfarer or say a Winnebago View.

These campers are very high because they have a cab over bunk raising the roof line over 11 feet making the RV very top heavy. Keep in mind the Sprinter's rear and front track are very narrow for this top heavy load. In fact more narrow than the Transit chassis.

Mike

[avanti]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

Avanti, It appears as if you have a B van camper - the RV I was talking about is a B+/C something like the Tiffin Wayfarer or say a Winnebago View.

These campers are very high because they have a cab over bunk raising the roof line over 11 feet making the RV very top heavy. Keep in mind the Sprinter's rear and front track are very narrow for this top heavy load. In fact more narrow than the Transit chassis.

Mike

Fair enough. But please note that this is a B-van forum.

[papab]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

I'm thinking this would be a negative, at least for me, as most of my camping is boondocking on BLM, USFS, etc areas.

YMMV.

Originally Posted by IdleUp

Thanks for the reply - it really depends what you're needs are. For the most part, a van or even a Sprinter 4x4 van is not the best choice for off the road camping.
Mike

Any of the van platforms are fine for boondocking on BLM or FS. You just have to know your limits.

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by papab

Any of the van platforms are fine for boondocking on BLM or FS. You just have to know your limits.

Exactly.

There are obviously places that I can't get to with the Roadtrek. That's why ______(insert deity here, or not) invented dual sport motorcycles.

To clarify. My boondocking style is to find a decent spot to set up for 2-14 days and explore the surrounding area by motorcycle. One trip per year generally lasts about three months complimented by a few other trips of shorter duration, maybe 2-6 weeks.

[IdleUp]

There a wide range of use between boon docking and off the road. You can boon dock in a service plaza on asphalt. A 2WD van might be the worst choice of any vehicle to venture off the main roads, since they have almost no ground clearance. In addition, they can get stuck in a flat open field in wet grass.

While a 4x4 van can get you off paved roads, van type 4x4 systems are primarily designed more for "All-Weather" use rather than getting off the road.
The factory Sprinter 4x4 system regretfully has a few faults. While it will allow you to venture in places you would not think of going with a 2WD van, it certainly has its baggage with its noisy transfer box, electronic wheel slip system and limiting equal power to all 4 wheels. I'm not saying you can't go off road and climb some smaller rocks, but you're certainly not going to be tagging along a jeep expedition.

Here's a few images of my 4x4 Sprinter.

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

There a wide range of use between boon docking and off the road. You can boon dock in a service plaza on asphalt. A 2WD van might be the worst choice of any vehicle to venture off the main roads, since they have almost no ground clearance. In addition, they can get stuck in a flat open field in wet grass...

I agree on the wide range of boondocking, you can even do it in your driveway. But I don't take off on a 3 month trip to park at Walmart, though I may use them on the way. There are a lot of folks on this forum that go "off the road" with their "B's". Not too many service plazas out west in the back country. I think there is definitely a different mindset here than on most other motor home (think class A and C) forums as far as travelling styles

I'm thinking just about any class A, C, or "B+" would be a worse choice. And that's not even counting virtually all towables. Short of a Unimog or something similar, there are places that an RV will/should not go. That's what Jeeps, Sidekicks, ATV's, motorcycles, etc. are for.

[Van_Dreams]

If you’re talking about needing 4x4 for rough roads, or for those occasional spots where wheel slippage occurs (as opposed to general highway stability), these things work pretty well. FieryRed Traction Tracks - 2 Pcs Red Traction Mat Recovery for Sand Mud Snow Track Tire Ladder 4X4 - Traction Boards. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TBHW7TK..._tTN0DbSE5GYCC

[knitsafghans]

Forgive a potential very newbie question - but do the Transit platforms compare in terms of safety features like adaptive cruise control? We're in the market for our first RV and are leaning toward a Sprinter base primarily for safety feature reasons.

[bobojay]

Starting with all 2020+ chassis, yes. And a much nicer interior along with both seats that swivel. Adaptive cruise control not sure about....go to Ford's commercial truck website to confirm