Sprinter 144 to 170 EXT am I going to regret it?

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ovrland6250

Member
I have a killer 144 with Adventure Wagon kit + smartfloor. Van is awesome...absolutely perfect...but I now have (3) kids (all newborns / toddlers that are in car seats for the next few years) and the van is getting small. Especially with the massive car seats. With the arrival of the 3rd I am at the crossroads of having to remove my sliding door galley / fridge (which is so nice) to fit the third seat. Biggest issue is with the small kids we like to sleep inside the van (ie..as opposed to using the van to get somewhere cool then tent camp) so the bed setup inside (AdWagon MOAB) above Lost Hiway fender box table / platform.

I found a 170 EXT 4x4 with Smartfloor and Adventure Wagon kit and Agile suspension etc... basically everything done but interior blank slate. Thinking I could grab it and move over a lot of my Lost Hiway interior and have a lot of extra space. Ideally I would just go 170 but its slim pickings for what I am looking (smartfloor / adwagon) for and I am not interested in building one or paying for a brand new build.

We are not hardcore offroad people. Like BLM roads and mild trails and live in snow country so use 4x4 a lot. Will I regret this? The only reason I am even considering the EXT is because it has the adventure wagon / smartfloor kit. I love the modularity and could actually complete the interior swap in a weekend.

Talk me off the ledge...
 
marklg

marklg

Well-known member
ovrland6250 said:
I have a killer 144 with Adventure Wagon kit + smartfloor. Van is awesome...absolutely perfect...but I now have (3) kids (all newborns / toddlers that are in car seats for the next few years) and the van is getting small. Especially with the massive car seats. With the arrival of the 3rd I am at the crossroads of having to remove my sliding door galley / fridge (which is so nice) to fit the third seat. Biggest issue is with the small kids we like to sleep inside the van (ie..as opposed to using the van to get somewhere cool then tent camp) so the bed setup inside (AdWagon MOAB) above Lost Hiway fender box table / platform.

I found a 170 EXT 4x4 with Smartfloor and Adventure Wagon kit and Agile suspension etc... basically everything done but interior blank slate. Thinking I could grab it and move over a lot of my Lost Hiway interior and have a lot of extra space. Ideally I would just go 170 but its slim pickings for what I am looking (smartfloor / adwagon) for and I am not interested in building one or paying for a brand new build.

We are not hardcore offroad people. Like BLM roads and mild trails and live in snow country so use 4x4 a lot. Will I regret this? The only reason I am even considering the EXT is because it has the adventure wagon / smartfloor kit. I love the modularity and could actually complete the interior swap in a weekend.

Talk me off the ledge...
Click to expand...
I kind of think it's like being a cat. If the whiskers (mirrors) fit through, it doesn't matter how long you are. We don't take narrow trails with right turns, so that's not a worry. We do have to park further out, so you get a nice walk. The only concern is using all that room for too much weight. Better weigh your axles.

Regards,

Mark
 
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sprint2freedom

2008 NCV3 170ext
A 170ext is still very nimble, IMO. Turning radius is excellent for a vehicle of its length. I have done many 15-point U-turns on forest roads.. all you need is one spot along the road that is open (no vertical walls, trees, etc) at least as wide as the vehicle is long. The main off-road limitation is departure angle. This can be overcome in milder cases by approaching and crossing culverts at an angle, picking lines carefully, etc. But it becomes a hard limitation when a mild tail strike becomes something worse-- the van resting on the body overhang.

So in practice, the only times I have wished I had a 144 are when we can't take a gnarly high clearance road (probably for the better), and very occasionally for extremely tight parking situations where fitting a 170 is a physical impossibility. 99% of the time whatever we want to do is doable, it just takes more skill and attention.

The main build-level problem is payload. It's VERY easy to be overweight, especially with all that space and all those kids. Pack light and keep a minimal build and you could be OK but don't take your eye off the scale.

I say do it. Unless you can make your 144 work well with three kiddos sleeping indoors, that ship has sailed and you are going to need a larger canvas or else have no van at all.
 
ECU

ECU

2006 T1n 118 Sprinter
My experience as a kid camping. I preferred a pup tent outside over the cramped family setup inside.
 
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gas_sprinter

Well-known member
You will not regret the decision.
We have a single offspring, which makes 3x total humans spending time inside 170 AdvWagon interior camper van when we go camping and always thought we made a right choice.
Can't imagine doing this with 144 if it's not just two of us without a kiddo TBH.
 
marklg

marklg

Well-known member
We did our our camping with kids in a big tent and it was fine as long as it wasn't freezing out. The Sprinter came long after they were out of the house. We do have three seats in the back, with seatbelts, a 24" monitor, sound system, Starlink fir streaming, etc. Grandkids like it.

I have a bike rack on the back that results in.a lousy departure angle. Some curbs are a problem. But that's not a super common occurrence. So maybe you have to give up on 5% of situations.

Regards,

Mark
 
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sampchains

Member
going from 144" to 170" I felt no difference accept fitting in parking spots. I removed the rear step which increased my departure angle a lot. still off roads great even before I added 8" lift front & rear. One of the best mods i added was a sway bar disconnect. It handles soooo much better on trails and rough roads. with the sway bar on it's jittery and too sensitive to any bumps. washboard roads were unbearable with the sway bar and the van would tip and roll into every single divot. now the axle just articulates and I have more traction too. I still never noticed a huge change in cornering on roads and swaying so I always drive with the sway bar disconnected anyways.
 
Happy29

Happy29

2025 Custom 3500XD AWD 144"
I went from 170” non-ext to 144” and find the shorter wheelbase drastically more nimble both on and off road. We have the same overall length and same overall max width as 170 did with sleeping bump outs. See profile to see habitat on 144” wb. It lives MUCH larger than the 170” with the fully rectangular interior and only ~2" thick walls, floor and ceiling. A bonus is vastly better R-value vs metal van as well.
 
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NMmonkeyman

Well-known member
As a 144 owner I like the size but can't image having 5 people in it unless you want to spend most of the time outside the van. 3 people gets a little crowded. I guess one option would be to add a pop top for $10,000 to the 144 for additional sleeping space. A roof top tent, long way to climb up, or even a trailer would be another option.
 
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mv1

mv1

"I just work here..."
We went from 144 Revel to 170 Storyteller Crew and the interior usability difference is night and day. Also with kids I'd definitely say a popup was a must to ensure everyone can actually sleep properly. Not sure what your plans are further down the line, but if you intend to keep the new van then I'd encourage you to look into ones with popups or similar space extension solutions.
 
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AK_Sprinter

Well-known member
We have a 170 (NOT extended). Like everything else, it’s a matter of trade offs. Having more room is nice. I have found the extra length can occasionally be an issue on some roads with tight switchbacks. Finding a place to turn around can also be an issue on narrow roads. A 170 ext would be even more problematic in those situations.
 
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mercedesstern

Active member
We went on tent camping trips through BLM and NF up to two weeks with three kids in a large SUV for about 20 years. Then we bought a 144" Crew Sprinter and did with our in meantime adult children winter camping for one week last year. In meantime I built it out with galley, fridge, cabinets aso and we went on a trip with two of our adult children. Most of the time we are driving or doing activities outside, so the time spent in the van is mostly for eating and sleeping. Although more space is always nice, a 144" has many advantages: fits on my driveway, parks in normal parking spots, turns around on narrow roads easily, not restricted by vehicle length limitations (sometimes they don't allow vehicles longer than 20').
 
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Jr22

Member
We bought our first ever sprinter/camper this Feb. anything less the a 170 EXT was not even an option since we are a family of 5 (3 younger kids not newborns). I have zero problems getting around town and going to camping spots with a 170 EXT. I do not think you are giving up that much capabilities going from a 144 to a 170 ext. With that said I would give up what ever off road capabilities on the 144 just to have the extra space of the 170 or EXT. You can always go around and find a different path, But you cant add space to your van when your on the road.
 
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ovrland6250

Member
Thanks all. Appreciate the insight!! @Jr22 is your 170 EXT a 2500 or 3500 chassis? I am nervous that the 2500 does not have the payload to handle the family...
 
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