Guest JudgeMental Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 The all new Ford Transit......designed with motorhomes in mind apparently http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/All-New-Transit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Design is one thing - execution in getting it right first time is quite another - as shown by Fiat! But I expect there will be plenty of willing buyers happy to help Ford finish off their product development for them! Experience suggests that it is better to wait and see with new commercial models and let the early bugs get sorted before rushing to part with the kid's inheritance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-06-01 4:18 PM The all new Ford Transit......designed with motorhomes in mind apparently. http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/All-New-Transit I'm not convinced at all. In fact i'm wondering which direction Ford are going with this "new" Transit. The largest made is the Jumbo Extended which has just over 4m 'load length'. That's not much to play around with. Since the Mk5 finished, Ford started building Transits smaller whilst other manufacturers such as VW, Mercedes and Peugeot built much bigger. My neighbour has a VW he uses for commercial use.....3.5TDi engine and the van length is huge. A perfect choice for MH conversion. Another neighbour has a Mercedes van....yet another good chassis base vehicle for MH conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Ford can probably sell all the Transits they want without worrying about motor home conversions. Their market is white van man in his thousands, not us. Fiat seem to be the only major manufacturer going out of their way to provide suitable chassis, which is why they dominate the MH market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the general Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Murvi have taken it on themselves to produce a PVC on the new transit. With their quality build I will be most interested to check out their finished product. One thing is certain the transit got to be more reliable than a fiat? Any comments? Bearing in mind fiat are updating their fleet as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I'm not convinced at all. In fact i'm wondering which direction Ford are going with this "new" Transit. The largest made is the Jumbo Extended which has just over 4m 'load length'. That's not much to play around with. Since the Mk5 finished, Ford started building Transits smaller whilst other manufacturers such as VW, Mercedes and Peugeot built much bigger. My neighbour has a VW he uses for commercial use.....3.5TDi engine and the van length is huge. A perfect choice for MH conversion. Another neighbour has a Mercedes van....yet another good chassis base vehicle for MH conversion. Just a few inaccuracies above. Peugeot don't make anything bigger than Fiat. Maximum van body interior length is 4m. Iveco make a van with a load length of 4.5m and this grows to 4.7m in 5 days time and will become the 'biggest' vans available. Mercedes and VW vans are too narrow for a stable conversion and are too softly sprung. VW do not make a 3.5TDi and in fact currently their largest engine offering is 2.0 litres for all Crafter's up to and including 5.0T! The Ford looks aggressive to me. Pig ugly in my opinion though at least they have finally copied Fiat / Peugeot with the realisation that van people need a square sided loading area to maximise the usable space. Probably the sort of thing that convertors are looking for too. The appearance will be pretty jarring with an elegant body on the back of it though! Their engines are also limited to a 2.0 unit and for me; for a coach-built especially, that is not big enough. I would always choose a 120hp 2.3 engine over a 140hp 2.0 motor and if there is a 3.0 available it's a no-brainer for me because i want things to last and that happens when the engine is always well within it's comfortable operating range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Bulletguy - 2014-06-01 5:35 PM JudgeMental - 2014-06-01 4:18 PM The all new Ford Transit......designed with motorhomes in mind apparently. http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/All-New-Transit I'm not convinced at all. In fact i'm wondering which direction Ford are going with this "new" Transit. The largest made is the Jumbo Extended which has just over 4m 'load length'. That's not much to play around with. Since the Mk5 finished, Ford started building Transits smaller whilst other manufacturers such as VW, Mercedes and Peugeot built much bigger. My neighbour has a VW he uses for commercial use.....3.5TDi engine and the van length is huge. A perfect choice for MH conversion. Another neighbour has a Mercedes van....yet another good chassis base vehicle for MH conversion. Your statement that Ford reduced the size of post-Mk 5 Transits is nonsense. You made this peculiar claim in this earlier thread http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/new-Ford-transit/34898/#M421801 based on incorrect assumptions and out-of-date data. Within the latest Transit Mk 8 range, the largest PANEL VAN is 6.70m in length. This model is wider and longer than any previous Transit van and is significantly longer than any current Ducato panel van. As I said in the other thread, its "maximum loadspace length (at floor with bulkhead)" is 4217mm, which is, again, a good deal greater than Ducato. Whether any converter will choose to build a PVC on the 6.70m-long model is anybody's guess but, as relative compactness is usually considered a plus for PVCs, I suspect not. Nevertheless, a really large Transit Mk 8 panel van does exist (and also existed with the Mk 6 and Mk 7) and could be transformed into a PVC if so wished. Obviously, when it comes to coachbuilt motorhomes, panel van sizes become largely academic, but I can't see many converters including the new Ford amongst their offerings. A few converters (eg. Chausson) were building on the Transit Mk 7 and it would be surprising if they did not continue to build on the Mk 8. But I can't see converters who were not producing coachbuilt motorhomes on the Mk 7 when the Mk 8 was introduced deciding to build on the latter. (For the record, the capacity of the diesel motor fitted to all Transit Mk 8s is 2.2 litres (not 2.0litres) with the most powerful version having 155PS/385Nm.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-06-02 9:49 AM (For the record, the capacity of the diesel motor fitted to all Transit Mk 8s is 2.2 litres (not 2.0litres) with the most powerful version having 155PS/385Nm.) Fair point Derek. I don't know what I was thinking. I stand corrected. I still would not want an engine that small powering a coach-built of over 3.5T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 euroserv - 2014-06-02 9:53 AM Fair point Derek. I don't know what I was thinking. I stand corrected. I still would not want an engine that small powering a coach-built of over 3.5T. Notwithstanding your expertise Nick and having had a 3.8 tonne coachbuilt with the 2.3 130 engine I can say quite categorically that there is always more than enough power and torque and even in the Alpes I had no problems with hairpin bends or steep gradients. Maybe for your customer's type of use where the van gets hammered daily by white van man a bit more longevity makes economic sense both in overall durability and in lost down time but for the limited miles that most coachbuilts ever do in my humble view a 2.2 or 2.3 engine is just fine and a lot less expensive both to buy and on fuel than a 3.0 litre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 euroserv - 2014-06-02 9:32 AM VW do not make a 3.5TDi and in fact currently their largest engine offering is 2.0 litres for all Crafter's up to and including 5.0T! I'll have a look next time he comes home in it.....must admit i thought i saw 3.5 on the back because i remember thinking that's a sizeable engine. Derek Uzzell - 2014-06-02 9:49 AM Your statement that Ford reduced the size of post-Mk 5 Transits is nonsense. You made this peculiar claim in this earlier thread based on incorrect assumptions and out-of-date data. Post Mk5 PVC Duetto's built by A/S used the Transit MWB chassis. Up till then they used the only two chassis available.....SWB and LWB. It may well be "nonsense" to you Derek but it's a fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Bulletguy - 2014-06-02 1:13 PM euroserv - 2014-06-02 9:32 AM VW do not make a 3.5TDi and in fact currently their largest engine offering is 2.0 litres for all Crafter's up to and including 5.0T! I'll have a look next time he comes home in it.....must admit i thought i saw 3.5 on the back because i remember thinking that's a sizeable engine. Derek Uzzell - 2014-06-02 9:49 AM Your statement that Ford reduced the size of post-Mk 5 Transits is nonsense. You made this peculiar claim in this earlier thread based on incorrect assumptions and out-of-date data. Post Mk5 PVC Duetto's built by A/S used the Transit MWB chassis. Up till then they used the only two chassis available.....SWB and LWB. It may well be "nonsense" to you Derek but it's a fact. ....so, despite Derek repeatedly pointing out the error of your ways, you still continue to post what I can best describe as BS. ;-) I would remind you of what you have posted, both here: Bulletguy - 2014-06-01 5:35 PM Since the Mk5 finished, Ford started building Transits smaller whilst other manufacturers such as VW, Mercedes and Peugeot built much bigger. ....and in similar vein in other threads. So, listen carefully, I shall post this only once. ;-) Since the Mk5, Ford have in fact started building Transits bigger, rather than smaller. The Mk5 (at least as a panel van) was only available in SWB and LWB versions. The Mk6, and subsequently the similar Mk7, was/is available in SWB, MWB, LWB, and exLWB versions with dimensions much removed from the MK5. Of these, the MK6/7 LWB version was/is quite a bit longer overall than the Mk5 LWB, and the exLWB version very much longer. What is a fact, and appears to be colouring your argument is that the newly introduced MWB in the Mk6 was slightly shorter overall than the LWB Mk5 (somewhere about 5 inches). Whereas the Duetto was previously built on the LWB van, from the Mk6 Auto-Sleepers (presumably as a marketing decision), built on the slightly shorter MWB van (they could have chosen differently, and I'm sure Ford would quite happily have provided them with the, now longer, LWB, base). In reality, the greatest drawback in conversion of a Transit Mk6/7 panel van is, IMO, not the length, but that the overall width and "tumblehome" limit options and interior space. The exLWB version provides an overall length (and load length) greater than the longest available ubiquitous Sevel PVCs, but a less useable interior space. The new Transit may well address the above. (...and whilst I would agree that it appears to have been hit with the "ugly stick", I can vividly remember similar comments about the current Sevel range when it was released!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 To my mind the new Trannie is no beauty but a touch better looking than the current Sevel I keep threatening to come out with the ultimate Sevel cosmetic add-on. A stretch rubber front bumper cover with heavty duty designer stubble to complete the Desperate Dan look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-06-02 2:38 PM Whereas the Duetto was previously built on the LWB van, from the Mk6 Auto-Sleepers (presumably as a marketing decision), built on the slightly shorter MWB van (they could have chosen differently, and I'm sure Ford would quite happily have provided them with the, now longer, LWB, base). Yes.....a shorter van. Almost 13 inches less than the Mk5 Duetto. To be precise 330mm or 12.9921 inches less on O/L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Bulletguy - 2014-06-02 10:24 PM Robinhood - 2014-06-02 2:38 PM Whereas the Duetto was previously built on the LWB van, from the Mk6 Auto-Sleepers (presumably as a marketing decision), built on the slightly shorter MWB van (they could have chosen differently, and I'm sure Ford would quite happily have provided them with the, now longer, LWB, base). Yes.....a shorter van. Almost 13 inches less than the Mk5 Duetto. To be precise 330mm or 12.9921 inches less on O/L. Auto-Sleepers figures may differ (due to for example use of, and dimensions of, a non-standard rear step), but the respective Ford figures for overall length are: Mk5 LWB 5358mm O/L Mk6 MWB 5230mm O/L ...a difference of only 128mm, or roughly 5 inches shorter. This may well account for A/S electing to use the (cheaper) MWB Mk6 van, when the LWB at 5680mm would have been 322mm or over 12.5 inches longer. The new MWB was simply a closer match to the previous length. The load length of the Mk6 MWB van was however around 10 inches less than the Mk5 LWB. Depending on the redistribution of internal space, this may well not be quite as bad as it seems. If the cab has more space at the expense of a bit of load space, this is arguably much less of an issue in a PVC motorhome than it is for "white-van man". But, whilst an interesting diversion, none of this supports your assertion that Ford has been making shorter Transits since the Mk5; it has patently been making longer ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Who in their right mind would argue with Derek Uzzell about motorhome technicalities? This man could tell you off the top of his head which gas mantle a 1950s' Dormobile used! Four years ago when I decided to swap my first British 'van for one with a Continental fixed-bed layout I eventually plumped for the Hobby Van Exclusive, simply because D Uzzell and B Kirby had one! I decided that if these two real experts had chosen this model that it must be the best choice. And I've been very happy with it. I now have a huge dilemma. I'm considering another new 'van for next year and was again impressed by Brian Kirby's choice of the Hymer Exsis A Class - narrower than most with a huge payload. However, Uzzell has announced that he too is looking for a new 'van so what do I do? I'll now have to wait to see which one he chooses before I make my final choice! Decisions, decisions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-06-03 9:33 AM I eventually plumped for the Hobby Van Exclusive, simply because D Uzzell and B Kirby had one! I decided that if these two real experts had chosen this model that it must be the best choice. And I've been very happy with it. ......I think you'll find it's me that has the Hobby Van Exclusive. :-D Brian and Derek had/have other Hobby models. I have to say that, four years on, this 'van has probably been the best (overall) I've had, despite a few little niggles (and the design flaw with the fridge installation!). I still struggle to find anything similar that would give us a better (or even equivalent) combination of payload and layout without further compromise or issues. Next change will probably complete our downsizing exercise from the giddy heights (or lengths) of an A-class so may be a PVC. My experience of the cost/ease of servicing and availability of spare parts would still keep me interested in a Transit, however, so a wait is on the cards to see what, if anything, the converters come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-06-03 9:48 AM Had Enough - 2014-06-03 9:33 AM I eventually plumped for the Hobby Van Exclusive, simply because D Uzzell and B Kirby had one! I decided that if these two real experts had chosen this model that it must be the best choice. And I've been very happy with it. ......I think you'll find it's me that has the Hobby Van Exclusive. :-D Brian and Derek had/have other Hobby models. I have to say that, four years on, this 'van has probably been the best (overall) I've had, despite a few little niggles (and the design flaw with the fridge installation!). I still struggle to find anything similar that would give us a better (or even equivalent) combination of payload and layout without further compromise or issues. Next change will probably complete our downsizing exercise from the giddy heights (or lengths) of an A-class so may be a PVC. My experience of the cost/ease of servicing and availability of spare parts would still keep me interested in a Transit, however, so a wait is on the cards to see what, if anything, the converters come up with. They both had Hobby Vans though, based on a Ford Transit. Brian's is more or less the same as mine but whereas mine's an L with twin singles, his is the shorter version with a transverse double. Derek's is similar I think. When you came along with the same as mine it just confirmed that I'd made the right choice as you also seem well informed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-06-03 11:00 AM When you came along with the same as mine it just confirmed that I'd made the right choice as you also seem well informed! I think you'll find most posters on here are well-informed. (At least in their own opinion.) ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antony1969 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-06-03 9:33 AM Who in their right mind would argue with Derek Uzzell about motorhome technicalities? This man could tell you off the top of his head which gas mantle a 1950s' Dormobile used! Four years ago when I decided to swap my first British 'van for one with a Continental fixed-bed layout I eventually plumped for the Hobby Van Exclusive, simply because D Uzzell and B Kirby had one! I decided that if these two real experts had chosen this model that it must be the best choice. And I've been very happy with it. I now have a huge dilemma. I'm considering another new 'van for next year and was again impressed by Brian Kirby's choice of the Hymer Exsis A Class - narrower than most with a huge payload. However, Uzzell has announced that he too is looking for a new 'van so what do I do? I'll now have to wait to see which one he chooses before I make my final choice! Decisions, decisions! Buy both Frank , you keep going on and on and on about how well the empire is , one for weekends and one for during the week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-06-02 2:38 PM (...and whilst I would agree that it appears to have been hit with the "ugly stick", I can vividly remember similar comments about the current Sevel range when it was released!) That's a pretty apt description of the way vehicle design has gone in recent years Robin ;-)..............I can only assume vehicle designers are horror movie addicts 8-)............... As they say...............beauty is in the eye of the beholder :D............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-06-03 11:00 AM ...They both had Hobby Vans though, based on a Ford Transit. Brian's is more or less the same as mine but whereas mine's an L with twin singles, his is the shorter version with a transverse double. Derek's is similar I think. Not so, my Hobby is a T-600FC (example here) http://www.suchebiete.com/details_Wohnmobil_Wohnwagen,Hobby-T600-FC-Wohnmobil-Diesel,12733762.html Besides 'look' differences, models in the T-Series range are about 15cm wider than Vans and, consequently, a good deal roomier inside. The T-Series range was subsequently renamed "Siesta" and "Siesta Exclusive" models (with curved side bodywork) were marketed later on. I bought my Hobby in 2005 when I had very specific requirements and found I could obtain a new T-600FC cheaply in Germany. The choice at the time was a Hobby T-600FC or nothing. Now considering replacing the Hobby with a Rapido 640 (assuming that model is in Rapido's 2015 collection). This would mean me choosing a Fiat Ducato-based motorehome, a decision equivalent to the Pope choosing to become a Buddhist. However, it's either a 640 or nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-06-03 1:50 PM Had Enough - 2014-06-03 11:00 AM ...They both had Hobby Vans though, based on a Ford Transit. Brian's is more or less the same as mine but whereas mine's an L with twin singles, his is the shorter version with a transverse double. Derek's is similar I think. Not so, my Hobby is a T-600FC (example here) http://www.suchebiete.com/details_Wohnmobil_Wohnwagen,Hobby-T600-FC-Wohnmobil-Diesel,12733762.html Besides 'look' differences, models in the T-Series range are about 15cm wider than Vans and, consequently, a good deal roomier inside. The T-Series range was subsequently renamed "Siesta" and "Siesta Exclusive" models (with curved side bodywork) were marketed later on. I bought my Hobby in 2005 when I had very specific requirements and found I could obtain a new T-600FC cheaply in Germany. The choice at the time was a Hobby T-600FC or nothing. Now considering replacing the Hobby with a Rapido 640 (assuming that model is in Rapido's 2015 collection). This would mean me choosing a Fiat Ducato-based motorehome, a decision equivalent to the Pope choosing to become a Buddhist. However, it's either a 640 or nothing. Anyway, I knew it was a Hobby. One out of three's not bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 HE, Have a look at the euramobil terrestra range.... http://www.euramobil.de/terrestra_t_galerie.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-06-03 2:44 PM HE, Have a look at the euramobil terrestra range.... http://www.euramobil.de/terrestra_t_galerie.html Thanks but I want one with a dealer that's reasonably handy. They have just one for the whole of UK and they're in Nottingham. It's much handier for you to nip over to Belgium if you have a serious problem but for me it's a different kettle of fish. 300 miles to Dover to start with! I also want RHD and don't mind paying a bit more for a RHD UK model. I know that I can save a few quid by buying in Belgium or Germany but if I save £10K there are many other add on costs and when I trade it in I'll probably get less than the UK RHD model, all of which reduces the £10k saving to much less. I do a bit of motorhoming in the UK as well. If I lived in the south and did all my travelling in Europe I would probably consider importing. Thanks anyway. They do look nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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