Dodge coming out with a new van based off a Fiat Euro style van
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/02/07/ram-promaster-van-brings-italian-style-cargo-carrying-to-new-world/?intcmp=features
They seem to be staging an ugly van contest with Nissan. Yuck!
I agree mleich. Have all the great automotive designers died off? Anyone can do ugly.
Chrysler, another great American brand name, made in Mexico. At some point, Mexico will have to get tougher with it’s immigration laws to keep illegals from America from taking their jobs in all the so called, American plants.
It looks like 2014 may be the last year for the ford Econoline dinosaur van. All the new vans coming down the pike are more efficient vans with questionable styling pictured above. It looks like there will be big changes in the engines, no more 7 Liter V8 gas hogs that get 10MPG, instead there will be fuel efficient small turbo diesels that double the MPG. Based on the vans GVW, they will probably not have as strict emission regulations as new diesel cars.
It looks like GM maybe be the only manufacture left that will still be producing its old style G series dinosaur vans after 2014
Well, I don’t think a 3.6 liter V6 would handle something that large (for me).
The 3.6 liter V6 is standard on the Ram 1500 pick, and I have seen some very good reviews on it. The engine puts out 306 HP and gets 25MPG highway, not to shabby. It looks like the engine will be slightly de-tuned to only 280 HP in the van. The diesel engine will put out almost 300 Foot pounds of torque. Think the power is pretty adequate.
I remember in the day when I drove a fully loaded (meaning weight) Dodge B series van with a 225 slant six, thats a 3.7 liter engine, and maybe 110 HP. When the company purchased these vans everyone was talking how these thing would fall apart, and not last more then a couple years. The vans proved us wrong, they spun the odometers around at least two or three times. Our theory behind how long they lasted was the under powered but durable engine did not have enough power to hurt the transmission in-spite of the load the van was carrying.
It’s basically a Fiat Ducato. I think that all of these vans are ugly. But they are built for utility, not beauty.
A lot of the fuel economy of the 3.6L in the Ram pick-up is the 8-speed transmission. I imagine that the same power train will be used in the Ram Ducato.
I thought Ram Trucks were spun off from Chrysler a few years back…Dodge doesn’t build trucks anymore…
Maybe this will be the end of the disaster known as the Sprinter. Even a FIAT has to be better than the german equivalent of the Yugo. our company wants high mileage diesels but
I’m afraid these nightmares may have sworn the owners to never go near another one.
Ram was set up as a separate brand, but that’s the only change. No real difference.
And yes, Sprinters are back under Mercedes/Freightliner, no more at Dodge/Ram. But Sprinters are still out there.
I haven’t heard a lot of bad about the Sprinter. The only thing I’ve heard about it was from a fellow I knew who bought one to replace a cargo trailer and Chevy 2500HD Duramax/Allison he had used for his business. He said he decided to sell his truck and trailer due to frequent transmission problems (odd considering how great the Allison is supposed to be) and could not have been happier with his Sprinter.
I looked up 5 year M&R estimates for the 2007 Sprinter, Econoline, and Savanna/Express. The Econoline is estimated to cost 18% more and the Sprinter 25% more than the Express/Savanna. Based on repairs alone, The Sprinter is estimated to cost almost 40% more than the GM trucks.