2020 Ford Transit promising

[IanF]

Ford will continue building the Focus, but not for the US market.

I suppose adaptive cruise control would be nice... but honestly they features I will miss the most when I go from my current 2017 Grand Caravan GT (loaded with options) to my 25 year older E350 will be things like heated seats and especially the heated steering wheel.

[Czar308]

Originally Posted by carringb

I have not seen any details on it, but my speculation is that it will be shared with the new RWD-architecture Explorer.

BTW - Chevy and Ram are phasing out true 4x4 on their 1/2-ton pickups. The F150 probably isn't far behind.

Didn't know Explorer was coming back on a rear drive based platform. Went to reading and found that the the Expedition and F150 have been running with a 10spd trans and 3.5 Ecoboost since 2018 model year per Wikipedia. Wonder if their 4wd t-case be a direct swap for the homebuilders and upfitters?

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by JWA

I'm just not a fan of any gasoline engine that has a turbo--so to me that makes the Ecoboost a nightmare.

I'm sure they've greatly improved over time and perhaps they're the best and only way for quite a few, just not me.

They seem to be one more potential thing to go bad that aren't easily DIY repaired when/if they do act up. Then again they might go 300K miles completely trouble free. Reliability and (relative) ease of repair at tops on my list of wants.

As I say I'm probably in the minority about not lovin' turbo's.

Gotcha JWA. I used to agree with you completely. My Transit changed my mind.

Unfortunately time marches on. It's a good and bad thing. So much in our society has become more cheaply made and disposable but many things have improved. I say turbos are one of those things. The 3.5l ecoboost makes V10 power twice as efficiently. I would not have bought one if not for the track record of the F150.

After a short affair with a 3v 5.4 (cam phasers, solenoids and all of that NASCAR type BS Ford tried on the later 5.4's) I'll take a turbo ANYDAY!!!! I do still have a very high opinion of the 2v v8/v10 modulars that are essentially bulletproof. Looking for one in a beater pickup as we speak!

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by simplesez

Wifey is gonna want one of these when she hears they are available. E350 EB drives like an old truck.

That's because an E350 IS an old truck! One week in a Transit and you'll really feel like an E-series is an old truck. I know people here don't want to hear that. I used to be one.

[IanF]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

That's because an E350 IS an old truck! One week in a Transit and you'll really feel like an E-series is an old truck. I know people here don't want to hear that. I used to be one.

I don't doubt it. When I can start working on my van, one of the tasks for me will be to simply use it as-is for awhile to see how I like driving it. I somewhat fondly remember using my old 1990 E150 conversion van as a DD, but that was way back in 2002. Especially since my current daily drivers are considerably newer: a 2017 Grand Caravan GT, a 2006 MINI Cooper S, and a 2003 VW Jetta TDI wagon (along with a couple of old Triumphs and eventually an old Volvo). Right now, I mainly drive the GC GT, but the plan is to eventually replace it with the van and go back to using the TDI as my main DD.

However, as I mentioned previously, I've started to become used to some of the more modern/current features the 2017 van has. So I'll have to see how well I can deal with giving up those luxuries (as much as a minivan can be considered "luxury").

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

That's because an E350 IS an old truck! .

And that's not always a bad thing. The E350 itself has enough sensors that if one fails in the backcountry, you're stuck. Now imagine how many more sensors, single point failure possibilities, that Transit (and all other modern vehicles) have.


Then there's also the fact that with my somewhat limited mechanical skills, I at least have a chance of working on my own older vehicle. New, modern vehicles I probably have the skills to add fuel to the tank and air to the tires.




Herb

[BrianW]

^^^ This. I love that I can go to a junkyard and have a choice of multiple Econolines and easily and cheaply get a myriad of small parts. Not to mention being able to do quite a few significant repairs myself.

But yes, the newer vans are nice! :-)

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

And that's not always a bad thing. The E350 itself has enough sensors that if one fails in the backcountry, you're stuck. Now imagine how many more sensors, single point failure possibilities, that Transit (and all other modern vehicles) have.


Then there's also the fact that with my somewhat limited mechanical skills, I at least have a chance of working on my own older vehicle. New, modern vehicles I probably have the skills to add fuel to the tank and air to the tires.




Herb

Agreed, not a bad thing at all. I would not personally worry about any gas vehicle in the backcountry leaving me stranded but I consider diesels different, be they 6.0 E-series, diesel Transit or Sprinter.

I found my gas Transit to be pretty easy to work on, but also it really did not need much (yet).

There used to be a million 3rd generation Econolines on the road, and they are tough, but even those are going away pretty quickly.

[IanF]

I suppose that is one advantage of the IDI in my '92. It's the diesel equivalent of a flat-head V8... While not very powerful, it's pretty darned simple.

[Lunatickn]

Darn it...I waited for months for some news about powertrain upgrades for my intended towing use-case before picking up a 6.0L Express. Oh, well, we'll see how this works out for towing capabilities. Maybe in a couple of years...