DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – As the “Van Life” style of living has grown in popularity in recent years, the Ford 2023 Transit Trail van aims to fulfill that need for its nomadic customers.  Van Lifers live on the road full time.  

Ford’s plan is to take their safe and convenience-featured vehicle model, and allow for after market sellers to transform the relatively blank slate van into a mobile Taj Mahal on wheels.  The first Transit Trails are expected to be on dealership lots beginning in Spring of 2023.  

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The base price for the bare model is $65,975, though additional interior features and materials will make it higher.  Based on the current Transit Cargo Van model, this new model is more than $20,000 higher than the basic cargo van. 

“Do it yourselfers are the growth segment” of RV sales, Transit Trail marketing manager Julie Ellen said, “They want to do their own interiors.” 

Some of the standard interior features include: swiveling front seats, storage shelf above front seats, a 12-inch touch screen, 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, HD radio, Dual 12-volt batteries, 110-volt, 12-volt, and USB outlets.  

The Ford warranty can be helpful to DIY owners on a lower budget.  It features Ford’s standard warranty: three years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper and 5/50 powertrain. 

“The Transit Trail is the missing piece of our RV pie,” General Manager of Ford Pro Tim Baughman said, “We’re doing the stuff that’s difficult for the customer and leaving the inside customization to them.”

While the latest addition to the RV is not Ford’s first large mobile van, it is one designed for more long term travel and meant to provide more of a living environment for customers. 

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“No matter the task at hand – delivering packages or enjoying life off the grid – customers can rely on their Transit to get the job done,” Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis said in a statement, “Our decades of experience in the motorhome industry and insights from the van-life community helped us design a vehicle that makes it easier for adventure seekers to start their next journey.”

The Transit Trail will have to compete with the Mercedes Sprinter Van, which has been one of the more popular vans for the 24/7 “Van Life” way of living.  The sprinter van has 396 cubic feet of cargo space, 91 cubic feet less than the Transit.  Built to accommodate a dynamic set of user needs, the Transit is equipped with five different drive modes (normal, eco, mud/ruts, tow/haul, and slippery), and has a tow capacity of 6500 pounds if one chooses the Heavy-Duty Trailer Package.  For long distance users, an optional 31 gallon fuel tank can replace the standard 25 gallon tank. 

The Kansas City-assembled Trail vehicle may have a high upfront cost, but has many customizable features.