Transit vs Sprinter

[Farfrumwork]

The pop-top is from Sportsmobile in Austin, TX. From what I've seen, the Austin location does the best finish work (but I haven't seen a lot of others... so ymmv). SMB had three locations, but the CA shop is now some other business.
Very easy and fast install in Austin.

Biggest reason for a us getting a pop-top was for sleeping. We are a fam of 4, and I didn't like any of the options for sleeping 4 in a high-top. The pop provides a full size+ bed up top, and we built a fixed full sized bed on the main floor. This gives both up and down (my wife and I downstairs) more space and privacy.

My youngest when we had the top put on (May '18)


Two kids sleeping.

We also had a Vanagon for 12-13yrs and loved the pop-top. Closed and you have a shorter van (better for offroad excursions), raised and you have magical space.

But, the bed can also be attached to the top anytime (or removed entirely) which then makes for an well lit and ventilated auditorium inside your van. It's 8feet to the ceiling when popped.





There are other pop-top suppliers - Colorado Camper Van and GTRV are the 'bigger' names.

Non of the pop-tops are cheap though ($13k powered and paint matched, with a bed and exterior roof rails) so prepare for that. A hightop is a LOT cheaper (~$2500 when I bought ours)

 

[coguzzi]

some recent thoughts on this Transit vs Sprinter subject. Im still building out my Sprinter, 99% done. i know i know, but during that time ive done a complete build on a Delica (also 95 % done right now) 2 trailer to camper conversions, and a few other vans here and there for small work. I have the sprinter because Mercedes was able to deliver me an ordered van (not with out its own trials and tribulations more related to shipping it from germany, it sat at the dock for months) so that is what i am building. I ordered the Mercedes when i was fed up with Ford. I had 2 Transit orders in (2 different body styles because needs changed slightly since initial order) with 2 different dealer (last one was more knwledgable than the 1st).

Order #1 finally did show up last summer after 35 months.....yes, 35 fricken months. originally ordered as a 21 model year, reordered as a 22 and again reordered as a 23 and showed up as a 23. Anyway, when i went to see it they "scratched it" at the lot and was at the body shop. another month passes and they say its back. go down to see it and they never prepped it and all the "scratched" body panels were in there, we are talking hard hit to the front. bumper, inner bumper, fender, mirror, all the trim etc replaced, even installed wheel well liners, poorly i might add (which i didnt order because they are cheaper from parts counter) to hide damage in the wheel well. still wanted full sticker which was more than when i ordered. i let them keep it.

Tuesday this week order #2 showed up 19 months later. ordered as a 23 and came as a 24 but never asked (dealer) how i wanted to adjust my order to the options that are no longer available in 24, like the black leather heated 10 way power seats (top end) and just replaced them with the lowest end grey fabric 2 way seat. other options went away as well or never swapped correctly. long story short, a lot less optioned van than ordered for $7K more $$$. Told them to keep it as well.

So im done with Ford i would say even if i prefer the ecoboost to merc diesel. And the Ford answer to the Transit trail recall is just a joke. convinced they are one of the worst companies in existence right now

 

[dman93]

Updating my comment from a year ago, at 50K miles and almost 250 nights of camping in half the US including Alaska, plus BC, Alberta and Yukon, our 2020 AWD EcoBoost Transit is still humming along with ZERO issues except for one conversion issue easily fixed, and a front end clunk which may be VC lift related. That said, as fuel prices go up and traveling to many places where diesel is cheaper than gasoline, Sprinters do look attractive. And Ford’s handling of orders, not to mention the whole Trail fiasco, would possibly put me in a Sprinter if I were doing it over again.

 

[Trail Talk]

We were attracted to the Sprinter legend for our first build too. After two years dreaming and scheming , we arranged delivery of a brand new 2018 Sprinter 4X4 cargo van to an authorized M-B upfitter "down east" for a pop-top camper conversion. We were duly alarmed when the builder notified us that the engine blew up while driving it from the dealership and would be replaced under warranty when one was available, followed a series of delays for various other reasons. Fast forward a year and we got the invitation to fly down and drive it home. Sadly, what was delivered was so deficient that, immediately upon arriving home, we demanded to return it. I'll also admit to presenting a lengthy document with photos and threatening to pass it on to M-B Upfitter Program administration. That had the desired effect; we received our money back, dropped it off at our local dealer, and never saw it again. The whole scenario left such a bad taste that, unfairly or not, we just couldn't consider another Sprinter. My take-away for our next build was that the vehicle is only part of the equation; integrity of the builder will make or break a project just as surely.

 

[tlrols]

So…Sprinters are on the lot right now and being sold at MSRP. Both 144” and 170” in 2WD and AWD. Ford Transit Trails not so much. I saw one long wheel base Transit with a dealer mark up on it.

I bought the Benz 144” with the 2.0 liter boosted diesel. It’s new, it performs well, and it’s expensive!

I sprung for a 5 year/100K warranty on it which they discounted to make the sale. Discounting being a who really knows if they threw me a bone or not. It was $2K which I thought was reasonable considering what a turbo costs!

I have driven both the Transit and the Benz (obviously). The ecoboost is very powerful . The 2 liter Benz diesel feels like my 4.7 liter Toyota V8 as far as torque goes. When you start out there is a touch of lag until the turbos kick in. I have yet to build out the Sprinter so I am running empty.

Which to buy? Roll those dice! The Benz seats are great. The Ford, meh. If you buy new consider a purchased warranty. Turbos are everywhere these days and forced aspiration is expensive to fix.

The Benz in AWD looks tough. The Transit looks like a Dust Buster but it improves with lifts and off add-ons.

 

[coguzzi]

should also note that pricing between the 2 is getting closer all the time. Used to be a huge price savings by going transit, still is but gap is much much smaller

 

[fotojoh]

View attachment 831922

The pop-top is from Sportsmobile in Austin, TX. From what I've seen, the Austin location does the best finish work (but I haven't seen a lot of others... so ymmv). SMB had three locations, but the CA shop is now some other business.
Very easy and fast install in Austin.

Biggest reason for a us getting a pop-top was for sleeping. We are a fam of 4, and I didn't like any of the options for sleeping 4 in a high-top. The pop provides a full size+ bed up top, and we built a fixed full sized bed on the main floor. This gives both up and down (my wife and I downstairs) more space and privacy.

My youngest when we had the top put on (May '18)
View attachment 831763

Two kids sleeping.
View attachment 831764
We also had a Vanagon for 12-13yrs and loved the pop-top. Closed and you have a shorter van (better for offroad excursions), raised and you have magical space.

But, the bed can also be attached to the top anytime (or removed entirely) which then makes for an well lit and ventilated auditorium inside your van. It's 8feet to the ceiling when popped.

View attachment 831765



There are other pop-top suppliers - Colorado Camper Van and GTRV are the 'bigger' names.

Non of the pop-tops are cheap though ($13k powered and paint matched, with a bed and exterior roof rails) so prepare for that. A hightop is a LOT cheaper (~$2500 when I bought ours)

Thank you for the reply and pictures. It seems the ideal setup to me; fairly low profile when driving or parking in a garage and then near instant extra space and headroom or sleep space. Do you still have the rig?

 

[DoKarider16]

We have 2016 4wd 144 Sprinter w/120,000 miles on it. Been a pretty good vehicle for us. We have used every inch of ground clearance. We bought the longest biggest warranty we could and have used it.

I wanted low roof with pop top and wife wanted high roof. We got the high roof and she was 100% right in that decision. We have never not been able to get into a place because of height but we constantly camp places we wouldn’t feel comfortable with the top popped.

Self build inside. Love the van, hate Mercedes. Comfortable on road and does more than one might think off road. It has been awesome for us. Plan now is to drive the wheels off of it.

 

[rruff]

the high roofs on Transit/Sprinter actually have very low COGs. The stock extended height is lighter than an aftermarket fiberglass topper, so then it really comes down to how you build it out (keeping weight down low, having insulation & paneling being really the only things up high).

Singing my song! The idea that the tall roof means it will tip over, is an illusion. This is true of any camper that you build out as well. Just avoid putting heavy stuff up high.

 

[Farfrumwork]

Thank you for the reply and pictures. It seems the ideal setup to me; fairly low profile when driving or parking in a garage and then near instant extra space and headroom or sleep space. Do you still have the rig?

Yup! still have it (and likely will for a long time)

And my 'kids' still sleep in the penthouse. They are 21 and 14 and both man-sized. The extra space is welcomed.

Like DoKarider16 above, we discussed the merits of both hightop and pop-top a LOT before ordering our van. Like I mentioned, it mostly came down to space to sleep 4 (and a small dog). That, and my wife loves the 'magic' of the pop-top - short side story, she travelled to 48 states as a kid with her family in various full sized vans (late 70's - 80's) and she would see Vanagons every now and then and thought they would be great (vs sleeping 5 people in an extended Dodge).

We had a Cargo Astro for ~10yrs that we traveled/camped all over with. (low top, super low budget), then we had a weekender Vanagon for ~13yrs (loved that manual pop-top!) - which was a Syncro for the last ~5yrs.




Also - low top Sprinters just look better (in our opinion).

fwiw - If it were just the 2 of us, we would have probably gone with a hightop to build. But, I wouldn't trade out our existing van for a hightop now, as we still really like it (even once the 'kids' don't go with us any longer).

 

[Highlander]

the whole Trail fiasco

Yeah, I remember there supposed be a Trai version of the Transit.
Do you know what happened?

 

[dman93]

Yeah, I remember there supposed be a Trai version of the Transit.
Do you know what happened?

Ford announced the Trail version last year. Mostly a package of existing options, but also a lift kit, different wheels, 245/75 AT vs standard 235/65 all-season tires, and wider flares and more marker lights. The larger tires rubbed the fenders, and Ford put the Trail on a stop ship, then recalled all of them. The fix: revert to the standard tires which are smaller than the stock tires on Sprinter or ProMaster. And, the “lift kit“ was spacers that dropped the entire front subframe. The advantage is that both front axle CV joint and front driveshaft angles were unchanged; some aftermarket lifts run into problems here. The disadvantage is no ground clearance increase under the engine/transmission/front diff. No added skid plates. They didn’t even bend the exhaust system - they just extended the hangers so the tailpipe hangs down 2 more inches below the body than stock. Folks that were hoping for something like an FX4 equivalent, let alone a Transit Tremor or Raptor, got a mostly cosmetic lift that doesn’t even clear bigger tires.