So what is wrong with the Ford Transit...

[jrobe]

...that the major Class B companies haven't jumped on board yet. They have certainly had some time with the vehicle. There seems to be some major advantages. The name brand is well accepted, the dealer network is the best in the country, the engine has been well tested, the price is reasonable and competitive, access seems improved (there are 6 of them for sale at my local dealer), the reviews are very good and better than for the Promaster, ride quality seems very good. It is probably not perfect but neither are the competitors. The roof height options seem either a little too high or a little too low and the batteries under the drivers seat create a swiveling issue. What else is wrong with it that companies like Roadtrek and Pleasureway haven't rushed to beat each other to the punch.

[bobojay]

According to multiple sources, besides Ford not yet offering an RV package option on the van yet, Ford is not being very cooperative on the technical issues RV makers are running into with the van. One such issue is the park brake location not allowing a swivel driver's seat in present form...
Roadtrek claims that there's not enough difference in the Transit price vs the Sprinter, so they won't commit.

I've driven a newer Sprinter back to back with 5 different Transit vans, and I can say the Transit drives better, rides better, has a much better designed, and modern instrument panel and HVAC controls. Much, much better interface between the engines and transmission, not to mention the power of the EcoBoost and a higher torque diesel engine.
Doesn't have as much room in the space around the side of the seats, namely the dog house area, but that's something that can be lived with...

[wincrasher]

I doubt at this point that the Transit will displace any Promaster products. They may have a chance to displace some Sprinter models if (a) there is a big demand for a high-power rear wheel drive gas coach or (b) they offer some significant price delta.

So far, the difference in price is negligable - around $2,000. With the rapid escalation of Class B prices, there may be the expectation of the "premium" Mercedes chassis on a conversion van that tops $150k. Would you spend that much for a CS Adventurous on a Transit? It just smacks of being "lesser than" at that kind of money, even though I'm sure many of you would say that is just perception. But it is what it is.

[bobojay]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

I doubt at this point that the Transit will displace any Promaster products. They may have a chance to displace some Sprinter models if (a) there is a big demand for a high-power rear wheel drive gas coach or (b) they offer some significant price delta.

I don't think they'll displace the PM, except maybe in a couple cases in the class C (B+) market. The PM will be the low price leader from this point in the B market.....

[booster]

And nobody knows what GM is going to do once they are done milking out the last of the American body on frame units. It could get pretty crowded.

[wincrasher]

And there is the Hyundai and others who may get in. If the market got saturated with cheap vans, who knows what would happen in the RV space. Probably would take several years for any of these to work their way into the RV market.

[mlts22]

The Transit is extremely good, but there are two main reasons I see that it isn't commonly used:

1: Sprinters have the Mercedes logo, so even a bare van is considered a luxury vehicle in the US. Because of this, RV makers charge what the market will bear. Customers demand Sprinters by name, while Ford, even though it is a top notch unit, doesn't have the perception as an exotic brand that Mercedes does.

2: ProMasters are cheap. This means more profit for a RV upfitter for models.

In an ideal world, RV upfitters would choose the best unit for the job, and for 24 foot rigs, it would be the Sprinter, 21 feet and shorter, the Transit. So far, the only real bad thing I've heard about the Transit is that Ford can't make them quickly enough.

[bobojay]

Yes, they have been running overtime almost since day 1 to build them