Dodge Pro Master or Ford Transit

Ryan Hamilton wrote:I saw this article yesterday and found it pretty enlightening...http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/autofeature/2015-ford-transit-150-power-stroke-vs-2015-mercedes-benz-sprinter-2500-bluetec-2014-ram-promaster-1500-ecodiesel/ar-AAfiPQE

That's the same C&D article that pretty much completely missed the boat (comparing ride quality of empty vans & noise level of a bare metal promaster to paneled sprinter/transit). Not saying the Transit is a bad vehicle, but the 147" wheelbase version actually has the SAME cargo volume as a 118" wheelbase promaster.

reboot wrote: That's the same C&D article that pretty much completely missed the boat (comparing ride quality of empty vans & noise level of a bare metal promaster to paneled sprinter/transit). Not saying the Transit is a bad vehicle, but the 147" wheelbase version actually has the SAME cargo volume as a 118" wheelbase promaster.

Not to mention biased

reboot wrote: Not saying the Transit is a bad vehicle, but the 147" wheelbase version actually has the SAME cargo volume as a 118" wheelbase promaster.

Is that true? I see 357 for 148 transit/med roof vs 259 for the 118 PM and 353 for the 136 high roof PM.

Just read that article and it is worthless.

Matt Stroebel wrote:The real takeaway from this thread is that Old Lady H is only 1 inch away from being considered a dwarf by the Little People of America (LPA). 4'10" is the cutoff.

Hey, but my ape index is going up as I shrink (sad but true. +.5 now)!

Jeremy Kasmann wrote: Is that true? I see 357 for 148 transit/med roof vs 259 for the 118 PM and 353 for the 136 high roof PM. Just read that article and it is worthless.

That's from the article, which compared all low roof versions.

But in general, the transit is about the same size as the sprinter cargo volume wise for equivalent wheelbase/roof height. But compared against the promaster, the 130" wheelbase transit is slightly longer than the 136" promaster, but would require the 147" med roof to have comparable volume to a 136" high roof (about the same exterior height).

FWD, more boxy cargo area & less front overhang definitely help the packaging.

OAW King wrote: Don't waste your money. Go Mercedes Sprinter! They are just that much better! Don't let anyone try to reason to reason otherwise. They are full of shit! Ive done my research and talked to many who have owned both. Just ordered my 2016 MB 4x4 Sprinter Van and can't wait to convert it out!

not everyone can afford a 60k 4x4 sprinter, go home

OAW King wrote: Don't waste your money. Go Mercedes Sprinter! They are just that much better! Don't let anyone try to reason to reason otherwise. They are full of shit! Ive done my research and talked to many who have owned both. Just ordered my 2016 MB 4x4 Sprinter Van and can't wait to convert it out!

Until he is Limp mode because of the numerous reason the new Sprinters have with admissions stuff breaking. 

I own a Sprinter and have tons of friends with newer ones and most are disappointed when they break right outside of the warranty range, or they break and take months to get back in warranty.

Promaster is better in the snow, the build out is easy (because they are fairly square inside.

Only issues I have of Transits were transmissions and it wouldn’t be part of this convo as it was used to tow trailers while loaded up with tools.

I say go with whatever has the better deal.

Briggs Lazalde wrote:

2.5 years later

But think of all the Hashtags you can add to you blog, seems like a better investment. 

Plus you can tell the ladies you drive a luxury car that cost as much as a house, so they know you are all about investing in depreciating objects. 

I’d be curious if he is still keen on it? 2.5 years later was the sprinter worth it? What’s the verdict. Real world review! People wanna know!

Dan Cooksey wrote: Thanks for all the replies! Im not paying 20k for a Sprinter with 200k miles. I am sure they are great. Im leaning pro master high roof. I drove one yesterday and it handled like a dream for a big van. I like the boxy interior for building options as well. The rear wheel drive on the transit is the deal breaker for me I think. Anyway Ill let you know what I decide.

This was my main reason for buying a Promaster. Cheap and handles well. I drove my Promaster from Colorado through Wyoming on I-80 during a blizzard and it handles just fine. Definitely will never do that again but I was impressed with what it can get through. IF you aren't going to have 4wheel you better have FWD 

I would say reliability is not that big of a problem. The promaster is the cheapest to fix when things go wrong. If you are only going to be using it for the weekends you shouldn't be destroying it to fast. The engine inside is not super complicated. 

Easier to build out is a plus as well. I am 6'3 and can stand up perfectly in mine. 

Also it gets decent gas mileage (I have a 2017 got a screaming deal on it) I average around 18 in town and 22-24 on the highway. (I drive pretty conservatively and those MPG's can drop significantly due to mountain passes or head wind) 

I was torn between the Promaster and Transit but because of what I talked about I went with the Promaster. 

Eric Danner wrote:

This was my main reason for buying a Promaster. Cheap and handles well. I drove my Promaster from Colorado through Wyoming on I-80 during a blizzard and it handles just fine. Definitely will never do that again but I was impressed with what it can get through. IF you aren't going to have 4wheel you better have FWD 

I would say reliability is not that big of a problem. The promaster is the cheapest to fix when things go wrong. If you are only going to be using it for the weekends you shouldn't be destroying it to fast. The engine inside is not super complicated. 

Easier to build out is a plus as well. I am 6'3 and can stand up perfectly in mine. 

Also it gets decent gas mileage (I have a 2017 got a screaming deal on it) I average around 18 in town and 22-24 on the highway. (I drive pretty conservatively and those MPG's can drop significantly due to mountain passes or head wind) 

I was torn between the Promaster and Transit but because of what I talked about I went with the Promaster.

Stoked you're happy with the Promaster! TBH I don't know how so many people spend the money on the Sprinter or think it is the only real option when the Transit, Promaster, and Nissan NV are all awesome options and can be found for substantially less money. 

N Nelsen wrote:

Stoked you're happy with the Promaster! TBH I don't know how so many people spend the money on the Sprinter or think it is the only real option when the Transit, Promaster, and Nissan NV are all awesome options and can be found for substantially less money. 

The appeal of the Sprinter was the T1N was super Reliable. The NvC3 was a more comfortable van and the only option at the time (but with more expensive emissions issues). The advantage of Diesels have dropped so much with the newer models that the additional cost doesn’t really justify them anymore (less mpg, more emissions, oil change prices, etc). 

I worked for the largest aftermarket diesel parts company in the country and my friends there have even said the market is changing so much since the power/mpg just won’t be what it was like without violating laws and paying big fines.
Not knocking Sprinters, but they really just no longer have the market they used to since there are more affordable options. Luckily for them some people can cough up $100k on a vehicle

I have a 4 y.o. gas Promaster (136" WB) that has so far served me well. The only major issue was a faulty oil pressure sensor, which is a known issue with Rams (~$160 fix since it was just out of warranty and it's not in an easy to access spot).  I have once gotten it stuck on a deep sandy uphill in Ticaboo Mesa, but at the time neglected to disable the electronic stability control.

If you do get one, avoid the diesels.

Briggs Lazalde wrote:

2.5 years later

HAHAHAHA well the promaster has been great!  I am actually re-doing it now from a weekend warrior rig to a full-time home.  I can't think of one complaint save for the shorter wheel base.  Go with the longer model if you choose this van. 

We spent last year driving around the country (27000 miles) in our Winnebago Travato (2017 Promaster 3500 chassis, gas engine, 16mpg).  No issues or problems with the Promaster.  My two cents...  The Promaster is a bit wider inside than other vans.  This small difference makes it feel much more roomy.  You definitely want to be able to stand comfortably upright in your van.  t's much easier to get RAM (and Ford) vans serviced outside of metropolitan areas.