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04-28-2014, 09:39 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 162
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promaster versus transit
Silly me -i actually looked at SMB's promaster specs and did not understand them
the high roof promaster gives you 72 inches of stand up height-AFTER conversion. the cargo van itself
has 76 inches stand up height.
the only question i have is if the danhard AC will fit under it.
during this video they actually go under the prmaster-i think it will fit.
also as far as i can determine the only difference between a 2500 promaster and a 3500 promaster is the rear sway bar. i think it's shown under this van-a 2500 can be made the same 9350 of the 3500 with the sway bar.the 2500 is about 8950 weight rating
tell me why i should wait for transit.
one more thing-in the video it shows this van(not extended which is 13 ft 3 inches) the floor accessible cargo length is a true 12 feet.
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gerry
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04-28-2014, 10:59 AM
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#2
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Bay Area, CA by necessity - Sun Valley, ID if I had a choice.
Posts: 55
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Re: promaster versus transit
The quote in the beginning of the video is awesome: "The Promaster is extraordinarily ugly, but it is ugly with a purpose".
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1998 Pleasure Way Excel with serious SMB envy
2014 R-Pod 182G
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04-28-2014, 11:34 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 598
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Re: promaster versus transit
I would wait for the diesel version because of the mpg. It may be in the 25 mpg area and that would be very cool even with fuel prices the way they are. I talked to Colorado camper van and Derek said he will put a poptop on the high top P.M. I called SMB and they of course will not. Imagine being able to walk around normally down stairs while someone is sleeping up stairs. The roof structure won't even be compromised because you only need an opening large enough to climb up to get up to the bedroom area. The bed will be huge. An advantage to being able to dedicate more downstairs space to storage rather than sleeping is the ability to create a generator box in the van so the worry of clearance is not an issue. This would be a big deal with a diesel genny as they barely fit under a Sprinter. The Trovato has a gas genny that doesn't seem to hang too low so that shouldn't be an issue with gas. Yeah. I've thought about this way to much.
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04-28-2014, 11:47 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 162
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Re: promaster versus transit
Quote:
Originally Posted by pjmjunior
The quote in the beginning of the video is awesome: "The Promaster is extraordinarily ugly, but it is ugly with a purpose".
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I can't disagree with the 'ugly' part.
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gerry
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04-28-2014, 11:56 AM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 56
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Re: promaster versus transit
not nearly as ugly as the Nissan.
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04-28-2014, 11:57 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 162
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Re: promaster versus transit
Quote:
Originally Posted by stanw909
I would wait for the diesel version because of the mpg. It may be in the 25 mpg area and that would be very cool even with fuel prices the way they are. I talked to Colorado camper van and Derek said he will put a poptop on the high top P.M. I called SMB and they of course will not. Imagine being able to walk around normally down stairs while someone is sleeping up stairs. The roof structure won't even be compromised because you only need an opening large enough to climb up to get up to the bedroom area. The bed will be huge. An advantage to being able to dedicate more downstairs space to storage rather than sleeping is the ability to create a generator box in the van so the worry of clearance is not an issue. This would be a big deal with a diesel genny as they barely fit under a Sprinter. The Trovato has a gas genny that doesn't seem to hang too low so that shouldn't be an issue with gas. Yeah. I've thought about this way to much.
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stan, there is no way i will have a diesel. i researched the sprinter diesel enough-although a diesel gets better mileage-thats it-between higher prices upfront,diesel usually(i say usually because someone will post they paid less for diesel the other day) is more expensive. in my area the price over regular gasoline is usually about 40 cents and sometimes in winter is nearly a dollar. Diesel maintenance is higher(i know people who do it themselves will say no). i have neither the equipment,knowledge or desire to to my own.
LAST but not least-the DPF filter will have to be cleaned at best and usually rplaced at about 125,000 miles-THIS IS NOT REGENERATION. like a campfire burns wood but leaves ashes that won't consume them the DPF burns diesel soot but stores inside it the residue that will not burn. a new dpf costs 3000 dollars. the dpf's in sprinters are not made to be cleaned only replaced.
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gerry
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04-28-2014, 12:09 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
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Re: promaster versus transit
Quote:
Originally Posted by gerrym51
tell me why i should wait for transit.
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1) Its rear wheel drive. I prefer the driving dynamics of RWD, at least in anything Camry-sized or larger. That said the Promaster won't be a powerhouse, so it may not matter.
2) FWD tends to be harder to service, and also need service more frequently (think transaxle).
3) Transit will have Turbo diesel or Twin-turbo gas (EcoBoost) available. I would pick the EcoBoost myself. It's a smooth, quiet motor with lots of power, and it's easily tuned to make much more. Some of the F150s and Flex's are pushing 500HP with programming and exhaust, and in either of those platforms doesn't seem to hurt reliability one bit.
4) Fords always have had more aftermarket support. From accessories to full 4x4 conversions, you can be pretty sure it will support the Transit too.
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2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
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04-28-2014, 12:24 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 162
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Re: promaster versus transit
Quote:
Originally Posted by carringb
Quote:
Originally Posted by gerrym51
tell me why i should wait for transit.
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1) Its rear wheel drive. I prefer the driving dynamics of RWD, at least in anything Camry-sized or larger. That said the Promaster won't be a powerhouse, so it may not matter.
2) FWD tends to be harder to service, and also need service more frequently (think transaxle).
3) Transit will have Turbo diesel or Twin-turbo gas (EcoBoost) available. I would pick the EcoBoost myself. It's a smooth, quiet motor with lots of power, and it's easily tuned to make much more. Some of the F150s and Flex's are pushing 500HP with programming and exhaust, and in either of those platforms doesn't seem to hurt reliability one bit.
4) Fords always have had more aftermarket support. From accessories to full 4x4 conversions, you can be pretty sure it will support the Transit too.
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I actually agree with everything you post-it's a matter of positives versus negatives.sprinter has practically no support. dodge/chrysler/ram/fiat-yada yada yada. plenty of support
so far -at least for my situation-the promaster is still ahead. thanks for info-since sportsmobile is not ready for either yet i still have time to mull it over.
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gerry
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04-29-2014, 11:00 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 598
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Re: promaster versus transit
If you go to Motorhome magazine online you will find a review on the Travato class b van. They say they averaged 17.7 mpg so it's a good indicator of what can be expected on a Sportsmobile build. I do see the downside to diesel myself but would never say never. I am not planning a build any time soon so maybe the Ford with Ecoboost will have seen some good mpg numbers to completely rule out diesel altogether.
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08-18-2014, 09:21 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 4,208
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Re: promaster versus transit
This weekend I was at a local county fair, and one of the sponsors was a large automotive sales group. The cool thing was that they had new Transit and a Promaster cargo vans literally parked right next to each other and open for display. Both had the standard-height roof. It really highlighted the differences in body style and sizing. As has been already noted, the Transit sits up higher, and required a bit of a step up to get inside the rear cargo door. When inside, I could just barely stand up without hitting my head in the Ford (I'm 5'8" or so). The Promaster had more standup height, maybe and extra two inches or so. It was also much lower to the ground, and was easy to step into. The wheel wells inside the Promaster were much less intrusive, too, obviously due to the FWD setup. I'm sure this would translate into easier conversions.
In the cockpit, the Ford felt more comfortable and refined, but that was just sitting in them while parked, not driving.
The Promaster had cargo doors on both sides of the van, which was kind of cool. But in a conversion that wouldn't make much sense as you'd lose interior real estate.
All things consider, I liked the look and feel of the Ford better. But I can definitely see the advantages of the Promaster for RV conversions. When I was over in Europe this summer I looked at several Fiat (Promaster)-based campervans and they were REALLY cool and well thought out, and not all that expensive (50,000 euro or so for a new van conversion). I wish we could get some Euro-style van conversions over here in the USA.
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