OffroadHamster
Well-known member
My wife and I have been all over the map, both figuratively and literally in our quest for adventure. Once we had our first child, adventure changed and became less....relaxing. A 4x4 truck and a tent suddenly resulted in numerous camping trips cut short. We started talking about RV's, Camper shells, slide in campers and vans. We purchased a 4x4 high top E350 diesel van and began exploring in that. It was not the right vehicle. From a comfort and safety perspective it just didn't fit the bill.
I started looking at the Sprinter 4x4 and the Ford transit with a Quigley conversion. I like the 4x4 system on the transit much more than the sprinter's. I also like the fact that you are never more than about 100 miles from someone who can fix a Ford in a pinch. And then I drove a transit van...give me a break. I have an F150 with the 2.7L ecoboost. The truck drives great and has TONS of pick-up-and-go even with 34" AT's. I was expecting the transit to be a rocket with the 3.5 ecoboost. The transmission could never find the right gear, it had significantly less power than I was anticipating and it felt like it was going to fall over in corners. While the front cockpit was nicer, and the seats were an order of magnitude more comfortable than the Sprinter's I just couldn't do it. The transit felt poorly rendered. Incomplete if you will.
We went back and forth between a high top which we would build a double platform modular bed system into the back of and a low roof with a CCV pop top. My wife grew up camping in tent trailers and the pop top scratched a serious itch for her. I had a deposit on a May build 144 crew and yesterday I found a Passenger with everything I wanted in it and importantly didn't have the rear AC package. We pulled the trigger.
2016 Passenger 4x4 in Blue Gray:
Comfort, efficency and active safety packages. Low range and DSR. Aux Battery. Alarm and roof rails (could have done without these). Trailer hitch package. Premium appearance package (could have done without the $800 alloy wheels I will be getting rid of)
Plans are
CCV Top
Insulation
rear galley and cassette toilette.
Rear platform bed.
Solar, water and heat (hot water and hot air)
Rear outdoor shower
4x4 goodies (as many as I can convince my wife we "need") Tires, bumpers, nerf bars....
Awning
I will have CCV install the top but will do the rest of the work myself.
I started looking at the Sprinter 4x4 and the Ford transit with a Quigley conversion. I like the 4x4 system on the transit much more than the sprinter's. I also like the fact that you are never more than about 100 miles from someone who can fix a Ford in a pinch. And then I drove a transit van...give me a break. I have an F150 with the 2.7L ecoboost. The truck drives great and has TONS of pick-up-and-go even with 34" AT's. I was expecting the transit to be a rocket with the 3.5 ecoboost. The transmission could never find the right gear, it had significantly less power than I was anticipating and it felt like it was going to fall over in corners. While the front cockpit was nicer, and the seats were an order of magnitude more comfortable than the Sprinter's I just couldn't do it. The transit felt poorly rendered. Incomplete if you will.
We went back and forth between a high top which we would build a double platform modular bed system into the back of and a low roof with a CCV pop top. My wife grew up camping in tent trailers and the pop top scratched a serious itch for her. I had a deposit on a May build 144 crew and yesterday I found a Passenger with everything I wanted in it and importantly didn't have the rear AC package. We pulled the trigger.
2016 Passenger 4x4 in Blue Gray:
Comfort, efficency and active safety packages. Low range and DSR. Aux Battery. Alarm and roof rails (could have done without these). Trailer hitch package. Premium appearance package (could have done without the $800 alloy wheels I will be getting rid of)
Plans are
CCV Top
Insulation
rear galley and cassette toilette.
Rear platform bed.
Solar, water and heat (hot water and hot air)
Rear outdoor shower
4x4 goodies (as many as I can convince my wife we "need") Tires, bumpers, nerf bars....
Awning
I will have CCV install the top but will do the rest of the work myself.