ford transit 12 passenger van interior layout

If van drag-racing is your thing, the Transit deserves your consideration. That’s six-tenths quicker than the 16.5-second time we recorded in the significantly lighter, front-wheel-drive, V-6 2014 Ram ProMaster 1500 Cargo Van. The zero-to-60 run consumed 7.5 seconds with just a driver onboard, while the Transit slipped through the quarter-mile in 15.9 seconds at 88 mph. This EcoBoost lives up to the latter part of its name, with peak torque available from 2250 rpm, and, honestly, it’s much faster than it needs to be. With confidence at the wheel established, we had no qualms exploring all 310 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque provided by the Transit’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine. Planning ahead is essential when it comes to navigating tight parking lots and driveways. Transit does require 43.7 feet to make a U-turn (39.2 feet for the regular-wheelbase version). Sure, this van’s archenemy, the Mercedes-Benz/Freightliner Sprinter, offers a similar glass area, but the windshield and front-door windows in the Transit dive deep, making maneuvers in tight quarters far easier than you’d expect for a nearly 20-foot-long vehicle. Thanks in part to all those windows, outward visibility is a revelation. Our test example was a Transit 350 Wagon XLT HR, which means a 148-inch wheelbase, single rear wheels, a high roof, a massive sliding door on the right-hand side, and windows running from stem to stern. Over dozens of years, the Econoline remained largely unchanged, treated to only two significant makeovers: the first in 1992 to soften the corners of the bodywork, and the second in 2008 to square it back up and bring its cosmetics in line with those of Ford’s pickups.įord offers the Transit in a multitude of configurations, including low, medium, or high roofs a 130- or 148-inch wheelbase (the latter available with an extended body) single or dual rear wheels seating for 8, 10, 12, or 15 passengers (or as a 2-seat cargo van) and your choice of a 3.2-liter turbocharged five-cylinder diesel, a naturally aspirated gasoline 3.7-liter V-6, or a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. Dodge already had an extended-body 15-passenger van, and Ford eventually matched that with its own “Super Wagon” extended-body 15-passenger model. In 1975, Ford punched the front bodywork out even farther for improved interior functionality. Ford figured correctly, and Chevy and Dodge soon followed suit, both makers moving to a revised layout in 1971. But by the end of the decade, Ford figured it could make some significant gains in interior volume and packaging efficiency by moving the engine forward of the driver. Debuting in the early 1960s, the first-generation Econoline employed a forward-control layout that positioned the driver and passenger above the front axle and placed the engine between them.

Before we give our full attention to the 2015 Ford Transit 350 XLT that is the subject of this test, let’s take a moment to give a shout-out to its predecessor, the legendary Ford E-series/Econoline.

Ford transit 12 passenger van interior layout