2019 models: 3.5 Ecoboost, 3.2 Powerstroke I5 or Mercedes 3.0 V6

Trick

Member
Time for a van upgrade. I Currently own a 2004 & 2005 Sprinters. One is 290k miles and lots of rust. The other is 190k miles and medium rust. I use the van for work, loaded with appox 2000lb of shelving and tools and drive approx 80 miles a day. I also tow an enclosed trailer weighing just under 5000 lbs a couple times a month.

Doing research many are saying the current diesels are not worth the extra maintenance & repair costs. Which I understand it can be a bit more pricey. But what about life expectancy?

Is an EcoBoost going to fail very close to 150K miles while a Diesel will often go 300+k miles?

IDK and I havent found anything on the interwebs to help.

I think MPG is about the same on all 3 of these motors, very close to 16mpg.

What do we think of this and what is the best choice for me and how I use my van? (2019 Sprinter 3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel, 2019 Transit 3.2 I5 or a 2019 Transit 3.5 V6 EcoBoost)

I also don't plan to sell it after so many years or miles. I would drive it till the wheels fell off or it rusted out, which ever comes first.
 
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The Sprinter 2500 vans will tow 5,000 pounds, and have a payload capacity of nearly 4,000 pounds, so there is one other Mercedes-Benz engine to consider- the M274 turbo 2.0 4-cylinder gas engine.

And Ford has had problems with the turbos on the twin-turbo 3.5, but they are going to replace the 3.7 with a non-turbo 3.5, so you will be able to have a 3.5 without the turbo headaches.

And finally, Ford is going to replace the 3.2 turbodiesel with a more-powerful twin-turbo 2.0 diesel 4-cylinder, so that would be an option for you as well.

Any of those engines would work for your application. Just keep in mind that gasoline tends to be less expensive in the U.S. than diesel fuel, so even if a gas engine delivers less miles per gallon, it may still be less expensive to feed.
 

Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
All modern diesel engines have complicated emission systems no matter what brand.

Drive the vehicles to help make your decision.
 

danski0224

Active member
If I'm in a position to buy a new van again, it is doubtful that a diesel engine will be under the hood. Unless the van I want isn't available without a diesel, and that may require a reevaluation of why I want that particular van.

Additionally, based on my experience with Sprinters and rust, it would take a lot to go down that road again.
 

therabbittree

New member
Gm offers the 2.8 diesel in the express and savanna vans in 2wd models your looking 26-29 mpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DRTDEVL

Active member
Is there a reason you are avoiding the Ram Promaster 3.6 Pentastar? I have spoken with several expediters that have over 400k on the odometer with no complaints.
 

Garandman

Active member
We had a 2015 Transit with EcoBoost. It would tow 5,000 lbs like it wasn’t even there. The diesel was about $3,000 more and had similar tow rating. Our negative experiences with diesel emissions control was another reason we bought the EcoBoost.

And Ford has had problems with the turbos on the twin-turbo 3.5, but they are going to replace the 3.7 with a non-turbo 3.5, so you will be able to have a 3.5 without the turbo headaches//
Citation needed.

The 3.5 EcoBoost has been in F150’s since 2011. There are literally millions on the road with many, many high mileage examples.

Not to mention 5X the number of dealers.

Gm offers the 2.8 diesel in the express and savanna vans in 2wd models your (sic) looking 26-29 mpg
Got facts? Our V8 Express averaged around 15mpg and the best tank we ever got was 18. In our use diesels got 20-25% better mpg, not 60-70%.
 
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ENMeyer

Well-known member
When I was considering the Ford Transit, I wanted the Powerstroke diesel, but figured I'd skip the possible headaches of the diesel and go with the EcoBoost. Just a slight upcharge from the base 3.7L engine, and about the same fuel economy, but gobs more HP and torque. Why not?

I did test drive a base 3.7L as a rental for 3 days and 1000 miles and that 3.7 wasn't a bad engine. Nothing about it made it feel special, but it did it's job and had enough power.
 

asimba2

ourkaravan.com
Given your use case my order of preference would be:
1) 2014-2016 Sprinter with the 4 cyl diesel (not sure if you're willing to buy used)
2) 2020 Transit with the 4 cyl diesel (not available quite yet, can you wait?)
3) Sprinter V6

I wouldn't buy an Ecoboost V6 until Ford puts the Gen2 version in the Transit like they have the rest of their lineup. Gen2 includes dual injection to avoid the valve carbon deposit problem.


I'd shy away from the 3.2 Transit diesel....they didn't sell very many and repair may be an issue in the future. I think it's smart to not consider the Promaster at all.
 

Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
Given your use case my order of preference would be:
1) 2014-2016 Sprinter with the 4 cyl diesel (not sure if you're willing to buy used)
2) 2020 Transit with the 4 cyl diesel (not available quite yet, can you wait?)
3) Sprinter V6

I wouldn't buy an Ecoboost V6 until Ford puts the Gen2 version in the Transit like they have the rest of their lineup. Gen2 includes dual injection to avoid the valve carbon deposit problem.

I'd shy away from the 3.2 Transit diesel....they didn't sell very many and repair may be an issue in the future. I think it's smart to not consider the Promaster at all.
Good analysis. You did leave out one other choice which is the new 3.5 liter non turbo gas 2020 Transit engine with the new 10 speed transmission. This engine does have the intake port injection with direct injection. That choice has the benefit of eliminating the diesel emission issues and has more performance than a diesel and lower scheduled maintenance costs. Negative is lower mpg if that is important to the user.
 

Trick

Member
Is there a reason you are avoiding the Ram Promaster 3.6 Pentastar? I have spoken with several expediters that have over 400k on the odometer with no complaints.
I stopped at the local dodge dealer and they said they didn't have any I will look into it further.
 

Trick

Member
I know a lot of people are saying diesels are dead due to the complicated emissions, additional maintenance and fuel costs. But what about longevity, is a gas motor going to last past 150k miles?

I haven't had a gas motor last greater then 150k miles, unless it was build before the yr 2000.
 
I know a lot of people are saying diesels are dead due to the complicated emissions, additional maintenance and fuel costs. But what about longevity, is a gas motor going to last past 150k miles?

I haven't had a gas motor last greater then 150k miles, unless it was build before the yr 2000.
That's odd. What post 2000 gas engines of yours have died before reaching 150,000 miles, and what killed them?

Being fueled by diesel, does not make engines last longer.
 

Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
That's odd. What post 2000 gas engines of yours have died before reaching 150,000 miles, and what killed them?

Being fueled by diesel, does not make engines last longer.
Now with the new emissions dumping soot into the engine I suspect the new diesels are not the same as old diesels without the soot.
 

Garandman

Active member
I know a lot of people are saying diesels are dead due to the complicated emissions, additional maintenance and fuel costs. But what about longevity, is a gas motor going to last past 150k miles?

I haven't had a gas motor last greater then 150k miles, unless it was build before the yr 2000.
Our 2006 Outback 3.0R (flat 6) has 234,000 miles on it at present.

We’ve replaced a couple radiators but the engine is original. Runs great. We will probably keep it to 300K.
 

DRTDEVL

Active member
I know a lot of people are saying diesels are dead due to the complicated emissions, additional maintenance and fuel costs. But what about longevity, is a gas motor going to last past 150k miles?

I haven't had a gas motor last greater then 150k miles, unless it was build before the yr 2000.
My van prior to my Sprinter was a 97 Ford E150 5.4... I retired it at 302,000 miles, original engine, original transmission, never broke down. I overloaded it and bent the rear axle housing. Being a one-year-only axle, I couldn't find a replacement and didn't feel like retrofitting it. The only issues I ever had were a couple of plastic vacuum lines cracking, the coil packs needed replacement at 238,000 miles (ACCEL Supercoil set was on sale for $160 at the time), and the HVAC control panel broke at 280,000 miles (junkyard replacement was only $10). Everything else was just standard maintenance, and the engine ran as smooth as a new one. People were shocked to hear it fire up and then look at the odometer reading.

The E-series kept the same version (2V) 5.4 from 97 all the way until 2016, so I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if the right one came along.

My 93 Chevy truck has 260,000 on the original 350 and 4L60e.

Newer than 2000? I rarely buy anything that new to pick from. My Harley is a 2010, my van a 2004, my car is a 73, my RV a 79. My GF's car is an 03 Passat, but it only has 122,000 miles. Runs like a top, too.
 

Garandman

Active member
We had both E250 and Express 2500 vans at work. Sold both with 165,000 miles, and on both I could have rolled the odometer back to 65,000 and you would believe it.

What soured me on late model diesels was our two Chevrolet Cruze turbodiesels, Which used the VM Motori 2.0L Turbo four. We had significant emissions-related problems with both: one needed a new fuel tank assembly that was in national back order for a month. We also had a Cruze Eco - 1.4L gas turbo. Zero problems.
 

Trick

Member
That's odd. What post 2000 gas engines of yours have died before reaching 150,000 miles, and what killed them?

Being fueled by diesel, does not make engines last longer.
2001 F150, tranny went at 70k. 2004 grand am, lemon law before 80k, 2007 saturn aura, transmission and head gasket before 100k. 2014 Sonata, transmission at 60k. 2002 Chevy express, engine went before 150k, 2018 buick encore, engine bearing? at under 40k.

Lucky most of these have been covered under warranty, but imo vehicles are built like **** nowadays.
 
2001 F150, tranny went at 70k. 2004 grand am, lemon law before 80k, 2007 saturn aura, transmission and head gasket before 100k. 2014 Sonata, transmission at 60k. 2002 Chevy express, engine went before 150k, 2018 buick encore, engine bearing? at under 40k.
I was born and raised in the auto industry, and I have never heard of someone with an automotive history that bad.

The only common denominator I'm seeing in all that failure is you.
 

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