I drive for a limousine company and they have a Transit with the long wheelbase and high roof with a 15 passenger configuration. I absolutely love this truck! It has the 5 cylinder PowerStroke which has plenty of power, is super quiet and I've gotten as high as 21+ mpg with 12 passengers on board! The truck is a dream to drive, very comfortable, visibility is awesome and I can maneuver it through NYC like a standard sized car. From a driver's standpoint I have zero complaints, I look forward to runs in this truck.

The passenger area is attractive but I feel the 15 passenger rating applies to 15 children. The seats are very narrow and thinly padded, full sized adults are cramped to get full capacity in. Behind the last row of seats is a large cargo area, I would like to see a cage dividing this area from the passenger area so that luggage could be stacked to the ceiling. When you have 15 passengers going to the airport on a trip it's difficult to get all their accompanying luggage on and stowed safely so it doesn't become a projectile in the event of a panic stop. The step on the side sliding door is located in such a manner that nearly every passenger I've had has tripped on it, either getting in or out. I feel it needs to be just a bit wider, perhaps with a mechanism to tuck it under the truck when the door closes like newer SUVs have.

The truck has been trouble free with the exception of rear axle seals replaced under warranty. I don't know if this is a common problem or not, perhaps the axle vent became blocked? Aside from the few improvements I'd like to see this truck is the closest to a perfect vehicle I think that I've ever driven!!

 

Good review, and I agree on the rear seats, they aren't designed yet for American bottoms.

A word of caution on the cargo area bulkhead, the side curtain airbags are a primary concern with any sort of upfit. Everything has to be completely clear of the deployment area or else someone gets sued. A wire partition could still likely be devised to bolt down near the bottom and extend above the seat backs, though you'd need to isolate it away from the airbags. Same with cargo itself. If you' stack the cargo into the deployment area you might end up getting someone to find you liable. I'm not lawyer, but it seems you don't have to do too much to be found at fault these days.

 

The Post Office that I work at has rented three cargo vans, two Ram ProMaster 1500 and a Transit 2500 with the low roof line.

The Promasters are front drive and a great natural roof height but they seem to be very cramped in the cockpit area. The van oozes 100% commercial use only.

The Transit of course is a rear drive, 3.5L N/A with the full length option. The interior is much more refined even though it's a work van. The exterior is easier on the eyes than anything else that's Euro styled right now.

I haven't had occasion to drive either van as my route has an assigned LLV. However, the folks who can and do drive the vans typically ask for the Ford.