Ford Transit Van

[OneEyeJack]

Which engine would you choose for a Ford Transit van converted into a family camper.

3.7L Ti-VCT V6 Engine (standard)
3.2L I5 Diesel Engine (+$6,040)
3.5L EcoBoost® V6 Engine (+$1,910)

 

[copcarguy]

Diesel, no question.

 

[Bandito440]

Originally Posted By: copcarguy
Diesel, no question.

No question whatsoever.

 

[19jacobob93]

Those diesels are great engines. They have been out a few years here in the Ranger and I haven't heard any horror stories about them like I have with the Ranger's rivals!

 

[Olas]

3.2 I5 has all the torque and the best MPG - its a no brainer tbh..

 

[JHZR2]

+$6k is a hefty price tag though. And I'm a diesel fan...

 

[SteveSRT8]

With the price of fuel I'd look hard at the 3.5.

Well proven engine that loafs pulling heavy loads and has few issues.

 

[eljefino]

I see so many 20-30 year old campers with 20-60k miles on them. They don't get driven as much as anyone seems to expect. Be realistic when amortizing your diesel engine premium payback.

 

[glock19]

I would go with the 3.5L Ecoboost. It's got more HP (320hp vs 185hp), more torque (400 lb-ft vs 350 lb-ft), and it's cheaper.

 

[Silverado12]

I'm the oddball who would get the base 3.7 engine. It's a proven engine, is used both in cars and trucks and gets good mileage.

 

[MinamiKotaro]

The base engine. Doubtful you'll ever drive the camper enough to recoup the $6,000.

 

[earlyre]

Let's not forget, the 3.7 is just a bored out 3.5.… basically...

 

[IndyIan]

Are you going to tow behind it? If so, the ecoboost maybe is a good idea, especially if you spend lots of time at altitude. But probably the 3.7 is just fine too, its a healthy motor compared to almost anything in past.

 

[Shannow]

I always liked the Cosworth engined Transits.

 

[NateDN10]

I'd go with the Ecoboost. You get the turbo benefits like the diesel but $5K cheaper. Granted, fuel economy will be worse... but it would take a long time to recoup the initial costs.

 

[Food Scientist]

Besides the $6k up front you will need another $6k to fix the emissions equipment 10 years down the road.

 

[CT8]

The after treatment and egr is brutal on the diesel engines.

 

[Rand]

are you buying one or is this just a survey question?

 

[Olas]

This is probably the best choice of the Transit vans
http://www.commercialmotor.com/big-lorry-blog/the-original-transit-supervan

 

[mrsilv04]

If you want an auxiliary generator on this rig, then having a diesel engine under the hood will create additional issues, and cost even more money.

No surprise that those who think "diesel" is the answer here, haven't addressed that yet.

Unless you KNOW that you're going to put about 20,000 miles a year on this thing, then a gas engine is your answer.

I have a V-10 powered Class A unit, which I bought used. Even though it was driven to Florida and back for several years, it still only had 35,000 miles on it when I bought it.... and it was 10 years old.