The Ford Transit is the newest off–road #vanlife vehicle.
The choices for vehicle-based travel are dizzying. Even if you rule out the myriad trailers, there’s still many decisions to be made about which sort of vehicle you’ll use for your explorations. A friend of mine chose a Hyundai Tucson for his big lap, and I’ve seen others in a giant 6-wheeled MAN truck.
One popular option is to live in and out of a van, your Toyota Hiace sort of vehicle. These are pretty much the same length and width as a large car, have lots of space thanks to their forward-control cabin, can carry a heavy load and are relatively cheap run. So popular are these vehicles that #vanlife is a much-used tag. A van differs from a motorhome; the van’s exterior dimensions aren’t changed, whereas a motorhome is a small house built on the chassis of the vehicle, and typically has wider and longer dimensions than standard.
There’s a gap in the vanlife market, and that’s an off-roader
The Hiaces of this world might handle a dirt road, but they’re not going much further without driving all four wheels, let alone clearance problems. There are options of course if you don’t want to tow; you can buy a proper truck motorhome based on something such as the Fuso Canter, Isuzu NPS or Hino 300 – that’ll out-4WD a 4WD while carrying the equivalent weight of a 4WD, but you’re looking at $250,000 plus. And those are trucks which means they’re slow, uncomfortable, thirsty and bulky compared to the vans. Such are the tradeoffs in life.
There are some vans which offer all-wheel-drive such as the VW’s 4Motion models. And Mercedes have the Sprinter Safari 4×4 which even has low range albeit only a 40% reduction not the 100% (twice as low) or better found in true off-road 4WDs.
The vans also tend to run smaller-diameter tyres than 4WDs (29″ vs 31″), and have longer wheelbases. Nevertheless, the all-drive vans offer better handling on traction on loose surfaces like dirt roads. Plus some off-road capability for terrain such as beaches or rutted roads. But they are unlikely to be your vehicle of choice for slogging up and down rocky, rutted mountains in the Victorian High Country. Buyers should also know that any AWD van which runs dual wheels on the rear axle – four tyres – is not suitable for off-road use. This is because the four tyres at the back and two at the front create two sets of ruts. Debris is prone to lodge between the two tyres. All serious off-road vehicles run single wheels on each end of an axle.
Ford to bridge the gap
Now Ford has released the Transit Trail into the off-road #vanlife market. This is more than a Transit that drives all four wheels. The body is lifted 90mm, and the tyres are 30.5″ diameter on 16″ rims, so nicely high-profile, a decent diameter although ground clearance is only 170mm compared to a 4WD’s typical 210+, and there’s Goodyear Wrangler off-road tyres too. Ford has fitted their adaptive terrain system so there’s five drive modes like Mud/Ruts, Slippery and Tow/Haul. However, there’s no low range. And there’s a long wheelbase with limited clearance. Plus no locking differentials so you won’t be keeping up off-road with Ford’s own Ranger or Everest. Particularly as the Transit is both taller and longer so manoeuvrability is limited.
Features
The Transit Trail has a body lift but not a suspension lift. Ford specifically say the powertrain joint angles are unchanged. So don’t think of lift as having a huge impact on clearances as a suspension lift would. The track is wider (distance between two wheels on an axle) but the body is the same as a standard Ford Transit. And there’s flares to cover the extra wheel protrusion as a result.
There are aftermarket kits for Transits to give them the wider track and lift of the Trail. But these will not have the integration of the electronic stability and traction systems.
What you do get is three different body styles of varying length, all designed for #vanlife as there’s a couple of swivel chairs up front. But other than that, the vehicle is what Ford likes to say is a blank canvas. And it’s a modern van so there’s cruise control, safety features and a 10-speed automatic with a 3.5L V6 petrol engine. Plus a large touchscreen. You also get a 400w inverter, auxiliary fuse panel, provision for an auxiliary battery and/or second alternator, HID lights, corner lights, tinted privacy glass, a wifi hotspot and option for a 140L long-range fuel tank compared to the standard 80L. Towing capacity is 3 tonnes and a hitch is standard.
So has there ever been a van which is truly off-road-capable, as opposed to a truck? Very few. And the most well-known is the aged but brilliant Mitsubishi Delica. It was essentially a forward-control Pajero with all the capability that entailed. Sadly they are no longer made, but many of us hope something equivalent will be created. They’re ideal for those of us who enjoy the idea of a van with true off-road capability.
Every travel vehicle is a tradeoff. Many travellers will find their sweet spot in an all-drive van that offers some rough or soft terrain capability, yet drives nicely on-road and offers decent safety and modern luxury.
What do you think? Is this a solution for #vanlife?
