Sportsmobile Cut-a-Way Body @ Overland Expo

[ujoint]

Could always buy one from SMB in 2WD and ship it east (or order parts from that guy with the kit to do it :sombrero

yes, very true

 

[mk216v]

Sort of nice that it looks like a van for the stealth campers and those that need their campers to be pretty. However, if you've got to build a complete body, straight side walls like an ambulance or box truck give a lot more inside space and open up the option of a bed sideways that can fit a 6' tall person.

Unfortunately the walls won't be 90deg like an ambo. I too have been talking to Jonathan at SMB about this. The body will have more width than a standard E350, but won't be vertical walls.
They're still nailing some stuff down for final design. Hopefully he or Alan can chime in here.
I've been impressed with their customer service so far, and I haven't even bought anything yet(I must also say the same goes for Chris at UJOR on a larger scale!!).

 

[lndhark]

Jonathan and the sales staff there are great. They have answered countless emails of mine about options and configurations and I haven't even set a date (or committed to an SMB build).

When I heard about the cutaway project I was hoping for more than just an E-Series rear body. Something along the lines of the early ProVan Tiger would have been cool. Pop-top (or tall roof) with a wider body to allow for a wider bed, larger galley, lav, etc. But then again, you can only go so big with a van regardless without going to a full-on Class C until the vehicle gets too big for practical trail use.

I think that what they've done is pretty cool. If they manage to eek a few more inches out of it, even better.

 

[adventureduo]

It's nice because now the penthouse pop top lines up flush with the body. I just want to see how they attached it and how it handles the flex and vibration.

 

[lndhark]

I wonder if Fiberline will make a Voyager-style top available for this new body? We're still kicking around the idea of a high-roof build. Nothing wrong with the PH, but we'll be doing a lot of cool, wet-weather camping once we move back west.

 

[Chazz Layne]

It's a neat truck, but I'm a little disappointed to see them put so much effort toward continuing production on an obsolete platform that will be discontinued completely in a few years. I'd much rather see what they can come up with for more modern, efficient, higher-capacity platforms (like the Sprinter and Transit) that will continue to have new units produced for the next 10+ years.

 

[ujoint]

It's a neat truck, but I'm a little disappointed to see them put so much effort toward continuing production on an obsolete platform that will be discontinued completely in a few years. I'd much rather see what they can come up with for more modern, efficient, higher-capacity platforms (like the Sprinter and Transit) that will continue to have new units produced for the next 10+ years.

I don't speak for SMB, but there are 5 more years of E series cab/chassis production and the E series can't be beat for value & strength. For off road use the new uni body vans just won't hold up the same way.

 

[southpier]

wondering if other manufacturers will jump in on the cutaway?

 

[mk216v]

For off road use the new uni body vans just won't hold up the same way.

Tell us more ObiWon(seriously).

 

[pugslyyy]

It's a neat truck, but I'm a little disappointed to see them put so much effort toward continuing production on an obsolete platform that will be discontinued completely in a few years. I'd much rather see what they can come up with for more modern, efficient, higher-capacity platforms (like the Sprinter and Transit) that will continue to have new units produced for the next 10+ years.

I'm not a van guy, but from a business perspective I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't want to continue investing in a legacy platform if they didn't have to. This buys them several more years producing a proven platform that they have deep knowledge of and gives more runway to make the transition. Risk management/mitigation and all that.

 

[ujoint]

Tell us more ObiWon(seriously).

There's no frame to attach anything to and these unibody rigs weren't engineered to be 4x4 by the factory so there will be some compromise. There are unibody 4x4's available that work great and hold up but they were designed that way.

I'm not a van guy, but from a business perspective I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't want to continue investing in a legacy platform if they didn't have to. This buys them several more years producing a proven platform that they have deep knowledge of and gives more runway to make the transition. Risk management/mitigation and all that.

Exactly. They already have a 4x4 system, the frames are basically the same, its a no brainer.

 

[lndhark]

So that's it? No more chatter on this subject? I thought for sure there would be more information leaking out about the new build.

 

[DEFENDERBEAM]

I think its a perfectly good idea. I wonder it the new rear cab shaves any weight from the former steel shell?

 

[mk216v]

So that's it? No more chatter on this subject? I thought for sure there would be more information leaking out about the new build.

I believe they're in still some sort of R&D phase.

 

[DiploStrat]

A Different Take on the Issue

Examining Sportsmobiles and showing my Tiger to Sportsmobile owners, I was struck by how much smaller the Sportsmobile is on the inside, the penalty of keeping the van's curved sides.

Going to their own body would give them the opportunity to fix this and make a much larger living space, while retaining the advantages of the short van snout, a swiveling passenger seat, and the MUCH easier walk back as opposed to the "crawl back" of the Tiger and the Earthroamer. I would love to see what they could do this this direction, especially as a bit of good design would allow them to get rid of all the exterior boxes that tend to garbage up Sportsmobiles.

Assuming that their 4x4 conversion is as reliable as a factory 4x4, this would allow them to create a fixed and/pop top camper with as much room as a Tiger/Earthroamer in a vehicle which was about a meter shorter.