Rumors of a Winnebago Transit "B"?

[bobojay]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I'm not familiar with diesel engines other than the pickup trucks that all sound like noisy rattle traps. Will the Transit diesel be as smooth sounding as the Sprinters?

I agree with Greg that if EcoBoost were offered it would be goodbye diesel. I'm not so interested in torque as much as I am in high altitude driving.

David the 2 Transit diesels I've driven were quieter than the Sprinter V6, and they have more torque by about 20 ft lbs. Imagine a very muted sound of your old I-5. Inside you don't hear anything other than the normal engine sounds.
Ford also seems to have a better handle on the emissions side as they don't seem to be having the check engine light issues MB has been having

[Davydd]

When Mercedes Benz went to the new model style with the V6 diesel in 2007 they did briefly import a gas engine model. I guess it never sold well as it didn't last as an offering. It wasn't until the 2010 model year they went to that DEF system and increased horsepower and torque with basically the same diesel V6 engine.

America is dominantly a gas market with no or token diesel pumps at service stations for the non-commercial market (i.e. not truck stops). Canada integrates diesel at most of their service station lanes to a greater degree. All the times we've been in Canada diesel has been cheaper than regular gas. It was that way in the U.S. when we bought our first Class B Sprinter. Diesel was spottily cheaper or equal most of last winter and spring. With higher mileage per gallon with a more energy efficient fuel it is great for a trip. Maybe harder to justify over the long term payback given the extra cost of diesel engines.

I would be surprised given the U.S. market that when Mercedes Benz starts building Sprinters here that they wouldn't offer a gas engine. And I find it interesting that a Transit Class B RV would first come out as a diesel.

The bottom line is I bought the Class Bs that satisfied my needs at the time for many reasons. The type of engine never entered into the equation. It was what it was. If Ford feels the best answer for a Transit RV is diesel, so be it.

[gregmchugh]

I would think Winnebago would decide which of the engine options to offer in their Transit Class B and either the diesel or ecoboost would seem to be a good choice from a power point of view..,

[bobojay]

It's up to the RV makers what they order for an engine option. I guarantee you after driving both the 2 diesel Transits, 1 of which was a 350 dually, and the same van with the EcoBoost, all with 3k lbs of cargo, the EB will be the most powerful class B you'll ever drive.
The expediters over on the Transit forums are reporting 13-15mpg with the EB, the current class C Transit owners with the diesel are reporting 15-19....

I might add, that maybe Ford won't currently sell the EB to RV makers because of supply constraints on that engine. The F-150 is setting sales records every month, taking most of the EB production my guess. Just speculation

[wincrasher]

Don't expect a company like WGO to provide a bunch of engine choices. I suspect that they will choose one drivetrain for both their B and C lines if Ford cooperates.

I had heard that Ford was only offering the diesel on the cutaways, so that is what is in the Fuse. Most likely the vans for WGO will be gas, as that is probably best price on fleet sales - weather that will be EB or normally aspirated I don't know. I would think the customer preference would be the boosted engine as it will be a good performer, especially at high elevations.

Whatever they decide to do, I can assure you that there will be one van type supplied - no engine choices, no length or height choices. You'll get a choice of 2 or 3 colors.

[gregmchugh]

Remember, we are talking hundreds of vans in a year for the Transit from Winnebago not thousands so I expect there would be no issue with Ford not allocating whatever engine Winnebago chooses.

[mlts22]

There are two engine platforms for the Transit cutaways as of now. The diesel I-5, and a normally aspirated V-6. IIRC, Forest River is using the NA engine on the Forester TS. The EB V-6 is only on the vans, not cutaway or cab chassis models. It would be nice if Ford could use the EB in the cutaways, but I wonder if the current sized EB engine doesn't have the strength for that heavy an automobile application.

I hope WGO goes with the EB for the Transit "B". It is a nice middle of the road engine choice between the gasser on the Travato and the M-B diesel. The Transit also fits well between the length of the Travato and the Era as well.

Of course, there is market differentiation. Winnebago has done a decent job on the class C side with the Minnie Winnie, Trend, and Fuse, so I would not be surprised to see the Transit model taking the Era's place as a midrange "B", the Era being turned into a flagship model to compete with Hymer/RT, and the Travato keeping its market niche.

From what I see with the Fuse and the Travato, Winnebago does a good job at constantly improving.

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by mlts22

There are two engine platforms for the Transit cutaways as of now. The diesel I-5, and a normally aspirated V-6. IIRC, Forest River is using the NA engine on the Forester TS. The EB V-6 is only on the vans, not cutaway or cab chassis models. It would be nice if Ford could use the EB in the cutaways, but I wonder if the current sized EB engine doesn't have the strength for that heavy an automobile application.

I hope WGO goes with the EB for the Transit "B". It is a nice middle of the road engine choice between the gasser on the Travato and the M-B diesel. The Transit also fits well between the length of the Travato and the Era as well.

Of course, there is market differentiation. Winnebago has done a decent job on the class C side with the Minnie Winnie, Trend, and Fuse, so I would not be surprised to see the Transit model taking the Era's place as a midrange "B", the Era being turned into a flagship model to compete with Hymer/RT, and the Travato keeping its market niche.

From what I see with the Fuse and the Travato, Winnebago does a good job at constantly improving.

I think this is spot on. Also, the way WGO product management is set up, the B and C class are managed by the same small team, so you can expect the same philosophy between the two.

[mrshowtime3]

I just can't figure out the use of the diesel in these transit RVs. In the cutaway you cant get the EB engine yet so that makes it a tougher choice in the Fuse. But id rather have the gas engine there as well. In a B van they can get the EB. No brainer. I would think there have got to be a good number of people like me that were excited about the Transit because it was a gas alternative to the Sprinter. With a much better service network. Making them diesel takes away a good chunk of their advantage.

And did you say it was a single rear wheel model? I'm confused by why they would do that as well. Guess we will see how it shakes out. Hope its at Hershey.

[booster]

This discussion got me to go back and look at the Ford specs for the Transit and some of their other trucks.

As I had guessed would happen, the EB in the Transit does not have as much power as some of the pickup truck versions, which seems to be pretty typical in a lot vans compared to the "same" engines in pickups. Most likely it is due to the tighter engine compartment that can limit intake and exhaust designs and also make it hard to get rid of heat.

What did surprise me (I am not a big Ford follower, so probably won't surprise others) is that Ford only seems to use the EB in the light duty pickups, and when you go to a Super Duty, you can get 6.2 normally aspirated gas engine, or a big turbo diesel. The 6.2 has similar specs to the EB, but looks to be all bit higher in the RPM range, which would be expected. Ford must think the NA engine is more suited to heavy use than the EB.

I wonder if Ford is looking at the cutaways more along the use pattern of a Super Duty pickup, than as a light duty vehicle like a standard van. Many cutaways do get loaded up with lots of weight, and all see lots of wind resistance.

Turbos are great for making gobs of power, but have always had the issue of getting rid of the heat generated in making that power. We all have seen the turbo additions to stock design engines that make great short burst acceleration vehicles, but will quickly melt down if you tried to use all that power to tow a trailer up a big hill. I have heard of a few EB pickup owners that said they did have the EB go into reduced boost mode when pulling heavy, so that they either had to slow down or stop and cool off. I have no idea is this with all EBs though. Extra fans or bigger radiators usually don't help this kind of heat for most turbo setups, as it is the cylinder head, head gaskets, pistons, etc that are the failure points, not just a general overheating type problem.

I have been waiting and thinking that eventually Ford would do EB V8 to cover the market that has been using the much loved V10 for so many years, but haven't heard much about that lately.

[bobojay]

Like booster says, turbo engines do make a lot of heat, not to mention twin turbos. I believe that to be a "Transit" factor.
Also the fact that cutaways sold to the RV industry will be such a small volume number that is it worth it to Ford to certify them with the Feds at this time?? Dunno?

Someone mentioned above about single rear wheels. The WGO's will be 350 HD's which is the dually version, and all diesel, at least for now.
I"m one of the moderators on the Ford Transit USA forum, and over there at least, at this time, we aren't seeing near the diesel problems that Sprinters have been seeing. Ford seems to have a better handle on the diesel issues, be that software, sensors, whatever. Also their engine is certified to use up to B20, and can idle as long as needed with minor adjustments in driving style and oil change frequency, which Ford's system lets you know that via dashboard notices. It also lets you know what it's doing when it's doing it as far as DPF regen etc. Neat! Also the engine uses the easy to find & cheaper CJ spec motor oil which starting December 1st will be the new CK spec