Ford is rolling out its replacement for the venerable E-Series van starting this summer, and the new van gets as much as 46% better fuel economy than the model it is replacing.
What started as the lowly Econoline way back in 1961 has been the best selling van in America for the past 35 years. Originally a bare bones work vehicle, it morphed over the years into a full zoot luxo-barge suitable for wafting the entire family down the highway in climate controlled, leather trimmed comfort while towing a 7000 lb boat.
Mercedes started the trend toward the high roof cargo van 10 years ago, and the rest of the industry has been playing catch-up ever since. The Transit is Ford’s take on the idea, and production has just commenced. It will come standard with a 3.7 liter V-6 engine rated at 14 mpg city and 19 mpg highway, compared to the available 10 cylinder engine in the E-Series which was rated at 10 mpg city and 13 mpg highway. That’s a whopping 46% improvement that can save the owner almost $2000 a year in fuel costs. When compared to the standard engine in the E Series, fuel economy is up nearly 20%. Ford also debuted a new painting process that uses less water, making it that much more eco-friendly/
The Transit is also available with a 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine that pumps out 400 ft/lbs of torque, the most among all its competitors, thanks to a combination of direct gas injection and twin turbos. It also is rated 14 city/19 highway, meaning more power without sacrificing any efficiency. If load carrying capacity is important to you, the Transit has more than any other van sold in America at 4,650 lbs. All across the line, it totes 600 lbs more weight than the E Series it replaces, with its maximum towing capacity rated at 7,500 lbs.
So, let’s see. The new model has a higher load capacity, much better fuel economy, best in class torque and tows almost 4 tons? Goodbye, E Series. Hello, Transit!
Source: Gas 2.
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