Transit vs Promaster for motovan

jridout12 wrote:

Does anyone know if the standard height 136 wheel base will fit bikes properly? I can get 3 full size bikes in my express easily. Wondering...

Does anyone know if the standard height 136 wheel base will fit bikes properly? I can get 3 full size bikes in my express easily. Wondering if it’s the same with the transit

deadlo wrote:

I just ordered a 2021 high roof extended transit AWD with ecoboost. I’ve heard the maintenance cost of the sprinter is terrible. They do look good...

I just ordered a 2021 high roof extended transit AWD with ecoboost. I’ve heard the maintenance cost of the sprinter is terrible. They do look good though.

If anyone is ordering brand new transit custom, let me know and I can help you out some. I just ordered mine and there are a ton of options! Don’t use the 2020 Ford build website (there have been changes to the 2021). Also, expect 4-5 months from order to delivery to dealer. You’ll need to find a dealer with allocation. Don’t just speak to any salesman if you are custom ordering.

friday10 wrote:

Promaster with 70K miles, trans went out. Before that, the trans mounts went bad, and various other recall stuff. The dealer had the van for 4...

Promaster with 70K miles, trans went out. Before that, the trans mounts went bad, and various other recall stuff. The dealer had the van for 4 weeks fixing the trans.I sold it and bought a Transit, only 5k miles on it, so far its fine and the eco boost rips! BTW warranty on the PM is 60k, so be sure to get an extended warranty if you get one, those repairs would have been over $10,000.00

DE262 wrote:

I have a 2019 Promaster 2500 with the V6- absolutely love it. I had a Chevy Express before- I will never buy anything other than a...

I have a 2019 Promaster 2500 with the V6- absolutely love it. I had a Chevy Express before- I will never buy anything other than a tall roof van (I'm 6'2")

I did a lightweight "bare bones" build in the van to keep rear weight low as the van is front wheel drive.
Insulated and fabricated interior panels and storage boxes and built a fold down bed with a work bench that doubles as bed legs when folded down. I also built a removeable partition wall to separate the garage area from the rider lounge if needed.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, and the front wheel drive is amazingly capable in slick conditions- however I do suggest the suspension upgrade and leveling kit!

I've put thousands of miles on Sprinters , Transits, and now the Promaster while hauling bikes/gear/surfboards/etc-
I have to say that out of the long body high roof vans, the Promaster handles better than any of them. When insulated properly it's also amazingly quiet due to no rear drivetrain.

All of these vans will have small details that will make you scratch your head- go test drive them all!

If you do decide on the Promaster, try to keep the overall weight towards the front of the vehicle!

jridout12 wrote:

Does anyone know if the standard height 136 wheel base will fit bikes properly? I can get 3 full size bikes in my express easily. Wondering...

Does anyone know if the standard height 136 wheel base will fit bikes properly? I can get 3 full size bikes in my express easily. Wondering if it’s the same with the transit

deadlo wrote:

I just ordered a 2021 high roof extended transit AWD with ecoboost. I’ve heard the maintenance cost of the sprinter is terrible. They do look good...

I just ordered a 2021 high roof extended transit AWD with ecoboost. I’ve heard the maintenance cost of the sprinter is terrible. They do look good though.

If anyone is ordering brand new transit custom, let me know and I can help you out some. I just ordered mine and there are a ton of options! Don’t use the 2020 Ford build website (there have been changes to the 2021). Also, expect 4-5 months from order to delivery to dealer. You’ll need to find a dealer with allocation. Don’t just speak to any salesman if you are custom ordering.

ccullins wrote:

I have to ask, did you order it with the 2nd left side sliding door? I would have paid thousands more for that on my van!

friday10 wrote:

Promaster with 70K miles, trans went out. Before that, the trans mounts went bad, and various other recall stuff. The dealer had the van for 4...

Promaster with 70K miles, trans went out. Before that, the trans mounts went bad, and various other recall stuff. The dealer had the van for 4 weeks fixing the trans.I sold it and bought a Transit, only 5k miles on it, so far its fine and the eco boost rips! BTW warranty on the PM is 60k, so be sure to get an extended warranty if you get one, those repairs would have been over $10,000.00

Natester551v wrote:

you're scaring me, Thad!...lol. I'm at 52k mi...guess I better slow down and pay attn for the next 8k...

cable wrote:

after driving an ecoboost i dont know how you can buy anything else. my wife has one in her 4wd expedition. big truck, very fast, and...

after driving an ecoboost i dont know how you can buy anything else. my wife has one in her 4wd expedition. big truck, very fast, and tows the 26' camper better than my full size van with 5.4v8. "The 3.5-liter EcoBoost now produces 400 horsepower (up 25) and 500 lb-ft of torque (up 30) and can tow up to 14,000 pounds"

oceantrav wrote:

I’ve had two transits and one promaster. First transit was the eco boost, wasn’t really needed. The second one was the 3.7 and was more than...

I’ve had two transits and one promaster. First transit was the eco boost, wasn’t really needed. The second one was the 3.7 and was more than enough.

Only had the promaster a short time, but just felt like i was driving a piece of shit. Liked the transit a lot more.

Now I’m driving a 2018 Chevy 3500 express because it has a 10,000 pound tow rating and I need to tow my toy hauler. If the transit rating wasn’t 5,000 pounds I’d get another.

JeffWalker841 wrote:

I've been driving the tallest/longest ProMaster for 2 years now and it's been great! Bought it used with 80k miles and it now has almost 140k...

I've been driving the tallest/longest ProMaster for 2 years now and it's been great! Bought it used with 80k miles and it now has almost 140k and I have had zero issues. Around 16mpg fully loaded down. The turning radius is NUTS! You can do a U-Turn anywhere. I'm 6'1" and can stand up straight no problem.

My only gripe is how dang SLOW it is. On a flat highway with no wind you can cruise 80 no problem. However, climbing through the Rockies or driving through a Nebraska headwind is not fun at all. If you ever plan on towing any kind of trailer, forget it. I'll be selling mine soon and moving over to a full-sized transit just so I can pull a 14' x 7' trailer to the nationals. If you never plan on pulling a trailer, it's hard to beat the ProMaster for the price.

cloud41 wrote:

Buddy has a transit power stroke and has a handful of issues with both the Diesel engine and transit body (doors and brakes). Don’t know much...

Buddy has a transit power stroke and has a handful of issues with both the Diesel engine and transit body (doors and brakes). Don’t know much about the pro master but heard it’s not much better. The Chevy express and Ford e series seem to be the most durable although you give up fuel efficiency and space in return.

cable wrote:

after driving an ecoboost i dont know how you can buy anything else. my wife has one in her 4wd expedition. big truck, very fast, and...

after driving an ecoboost i dont know how you can buy anything else. my wife has one in her 4wd expedition. big truck, very fast, and tows the 26' camper better than my full size van with 5.4v8. "The 3.5-liter EcoBoost now produces 400 horsepower (up 25) and 500 lb-ft of torque (up 30) and can tow up to 14,000 pounds"

deadlo wrote:

Just so you guys know, they detune the ecoboost in the transit. I just ordered the 2021 awd 3.5l ecoboost and it shows 310hp, 400 torque...

Just so you guys know, they detune the ecoboost in the transit. I just ordered the 2021 awd 3.5l ecoboost and it shows 310hp, 400 torque. Still good though.

friday10 wrote:

Promaster with 70K miles, trans went out. Before that, the trans mounts went bad, and various other recall stuff. The dealer had the van for 4...

Promaster with 70K miles, trans went out. Before that, the trans mounts went bad, and various other recall stuff. The dealer had the van for 4 weeks fixing the trans.I sold it and bought a Transit, only 5k miles on it, so far its fine and the eco boost rips! BTW warranty on the PM is 60k, so be sure to get an extended warranty if you get one, those repairs would have been over $10,000.00

Natester551v wrote:

you're scaring me, Thad!...lol. I'm at 52k mi...guess I better slow down and pay attn for the next 8k...

Ian_McGregor wrote:

Is a Promaster a Fiat Ducato in Europe

friday10 wrote:

Right Nate! I loved the van but I guess I got spoiled when my GMC Savana got 400K miles with hardly any issues! Sorry we are...

Right Nate! I loved the van but I guess I got spoiled when my GMC Savana got 400K miles with hardly any issues! Sorry we are not going to Soboba this year.

Natester551v wrote:

Mine has been solid, but my buddy's puked a transmission. Luckily it was still under warranty.... I like my Promaster, but like others have said it...

Mine has been solid, but my buddy's puked a transmission. Luckily it was still under warranty....

I like my Promaster, but like others have said it has an odd seating position (cab over), which is great for short stints but sucks for longer hauls.

I love the space, and I absolutely love being able to lock up my stuff in the garage in the back. That feature alone is pretty awesome, but you can get that with a Transit or a Sprinter. I'd look hard at all three rigs...

I hate the lack of leg room for the driver in the Promaster...it's really hard to stretch your legs, and for those of us that have beat up knees from decades of moto and desert racing that's like torture. You can't put your feet up under the dash like most vehicles and straighten your legs...it just dead ends, so you end up having to kind of "stand up" while driving to give your knees some relief once in a while.

CHaynes wrote:

I just took delivery of a new Transit 250, high roof, extended (whatever the longest length is). Took our first trip to Florida on Wednesday. Previous...

I just took delivery of a new Transit 250, high roof, extended (whatever the longest length is). Took our first trip to Florida on Wednesday. Previous vans were a E350, and an Express 3500. The Express is a great van in my opinion, if you have just you and one other person going with you. We have 2 kids with a 3rd on the way, big bikes, little bikes (PW's), and pit bikes along with bicycles. I went with the Ford for many reasons, some of which were friends previous experience with the vans as well as price. The only complaint most people had with the Transit were that they go through rear brakes and people have had issues with the turbos on the Ecoboost. Ours has the regular 3.5, non Ecoboost. With all this being said, our first trip showed average MPG of 15.2, cruise set at 75-80 on the highway. I will be doing a small buildout on it, nothing too crazy.

cable wrote:

after driving an ecoboost i dont know how you can buy anything else. my wife has one in her 4wd expedition. big truck, very fast, and...

after driving an ecoboost i dont know how you can buy anything else. my wife has one in her 4wd expedition. big truck, very fast, and tows the 26' camper better than my full size van with 5.4v8. "The 3.5-liter EcoBoost now produces 400 horsepower (up 25) and 500 lb-ft of torque (up 30) and can tow up to 14,000 pounds"

deadlo wrote:

Just so you guys know, they detune the ecoboost in the transit. I just ordered the 2021 awd 3.5l ecoboost and it shows 310hp, 400 torque...

Just so you guys know, they detune the ecoboost in the transit. I just ordered the 2021 awd 3.5l ecoboost and it shows 310hp, 400 torque. Still good though.

ccullins wrote:

If that’s detuned then we don’t need the full HP version! Makes lots of power as it is. I was pulling our old steel horse trailer...

If that’s detuned then we don’t need the full HP version! Makes lots of power as it is.

I was pulling our old steel horse trailer to AZ with ours, had the cruise control set at 65. Came to a steep grade so I clicked it off. Starting passing a few trucks and going with the flow of cars, then look down and I’m doing 80mph up the hill and not really pushing it! Backed her down as I don’t need to be pulling horses at that speed 😬

Natester551v wrote:

What is this suspension and leveling kit you speak of? I have definitely noticed that the front is pretty bouncy...

DE262 wrote:

It's made by Van Compass- I did the levelling kit for the front and added Bilstein struts on the front and Fox Shocks on the rear.