Piss Poor: Ford Transit Trail 

still confused. What is wrong with the transit trail?

Happy I saw this video. My eyes were set on a trail. But will get the normal transit and get more with upgrades after.

Transit Trail also has an 84 mph limiter built in. Also cannot be ordered without the side door and rear door glass. These reasons and more is why I went with a stock Transit and I'll upgrade over time with aftermarket. Plus Ford's latest recall for the Trail is replacing the larger tires with smaller diameter ones so part of the "lift" will be reduced on the Trails.

You can do a lot of upgrades for the 12k Ford charges for the Trail package.

I wouldn't pay the added $12k but it should be noted the 4x4/awd Sprinters use the same type of spacer block lift from the factory, with no actual increase in ground clearance over a 2WD.

Wow! Great review! So helpful with my future Ford Transit purchase.

Helpful video. Didn’t know about these deficiencies. It’s a complicated subject and everybody’s off road camping goals are different , driving styles, weight requirements etc. We had our Chevy roadtrek lifted and new bigger tires and custom exhaust but we like to be out for long periods and therefore we’re very loaded down with potable water. Making it up steep dirt grades has been a real challenge sometimes. Nothing to do with our 9” clearance which has been fine. Our departure angle is a limiting factor. We could care less about rock crawling to be honest. Turning radius is also important in some camping spots.

Have a FTC which I love - perfect for my camping purposes. Was thinking of upgrading to a Trail … not any more. Thanks for the video and all the tips.😊

Glad I walked away from trail I ordered after waiting so many months. Saw the gone mobile vans trail comparison to stock aftermarket less clearance was clear. The 79-81 mph speed limiter that can’t be overridden is another deal killer. This is best detailed review wish, it was out before I even wasted my time. Ford did trail wrong, could have been so much better. So I went sprinter and are same price now. Ford pro wants high profit margins to pay for ev market mistake

Ford should refund the trail owners their $12k, should they go with smaller tire size solution. False advertising is against the law in California.

Background music should be in the background if it’s necessary at all.

Stock Transit + aftermarket

You can repair a Transit yourself and there's plenty of aftermarket parts. With Sprinters is the contrary. But all Mercedez will last a lifetime if and only if you make all the repairs with an official Mercedez service.

Problems with power saving mode on ford transit custom sport model 2022 hard to start after two to three days sitting idle, older models you could delete that mode now not an option. Battery on trickle charge to overcome option , to me not good enough, ford sells these vans take your money , then goes missing when you call them out on this issue, no integrity very disappointed Ford Australia!!!

I already converted my Ford Transit. Sad to hear Ford cheated out on the Trail. I hear thare's a Facebook group the been complaining about all the problems with the trail. I love mine and am glad I upgraded it all on my own and not Ford.

Hopefully Ford will listen and address deficiencies highlighted in this video, although I doubt it.

Pro tip: buy regular transit and put your own mods. Save $10k and have better mods

The "standard" Transit 150 AWD comes with 235/65 16 tires, FYI. I have a 2022 AWD, just got a 2" lift kit & new 245/75 16 tires, my van was about $26,000 less than the "trail", lol. I like the twin turbo V6 too, I call it the race van.

I recently put a deposit on the transit trail knowing it had a recall . I went home and started to read what a disaster this thing is so the next day went and bought a sprinter . The next day got my money back from ford . So happy with the sprinter 144 AWD

What Ford did with the Transit Trail is pretty cheesy for sure. The Q-lift is the only other sub frame lift/drop out there. It's still mostly a body lift but, from my understanding, it only drops the front differential/t-case and not all the other stuff that the Trail does. So it's better in that regard. I have a 2023 AWD Transit and went the VC Stage 4 route. This includes the additional leaf pack, Falcon external reservoir shocks, the shock relocation brackets and I also got the larger 2800lb Sumo bump stops. This rear setup has really been quite good for a full build out. But in my experience, it has been pretty unimpressive in the front. You get a total of less than 2 inches of lift in the front and the strut spacer ends up putting a pre-load on the OEM strut, that for many of us has resulted in a loud annoying banging sound from the strut topping out. Maybe a bit more up travel with a decrease in down travel? So, I'm not sure I totally agree with the idea that a suspension lift is the better option in the Transit application, at least up front. Better in the rear, yes. Personally, at least for now, I think the best route might be to go with a VC lift in the rear and a Q-lift with B6's up front maintaining all the original axle geometry. Then when the new struts finally come to the market from VC and King, they could be upgraded in both lift applications. That's the route I'm going. But good video. Appreciate what you guys do.

He explained a lot is wrong. Ford’s transit trail suspension height clearance will still scrape the bottom chassis if you go off-roading in the real world. The mudflap is starting to already rub against the tire. Poor Marker lights for wide wheelbase. What he is implying, is that you get a better off road capable vehicle if you buy a normal transit and add aftermarket upgrades than going with the transit trail. Not sure what the first commenter was watching.😩

Trail seemed like an overpriced money grab, based only on the specs ford listed. Don't recall the premium they are charging for this but seemed way too much.

Just ordered a W2X Cargo. Really glad I didn't go with Trail. When I thought the Trail was awesome, it not having a windowless option was a deal breaker for me. But now Cargo seems much better. I want the flairs and grill of a Trail one day though ha ha.

So much more money for spacers and A arms lol insane

Thanks for the great advice it’s 12k additional for a transit trail with less than mediocre suspension from stock . I think I can get after market parts That are better and for less money ….i do love The grille and fender falres

Wow disappointed with @ford

OBSERVATION wow, the consumer duped again for an extra $25k for upgrades that do nothing except look cool.

Compare the tire arch distance with sprinter, big difference. Need Off-road camper van? Go with sprinter, an already proved legacy in the industry. Sorry ford fans!

Nice! I equate this to those of us in Toyota land who go get a base SR5 Taco or 4Runner and THEN mod it to our tastes rather than go buy a Pro version at 12k + more

Stock for me.

11k extra and they did not even went through basic road testing… American automakers

Great comparison. If a trail owner decides to keep the 245's on their vehicle and remove mud flap, wheel liners and trim pinch weld, have they voided their entire warranty in your professional opinion or knowledge? Thanks

Adding aftermarket features to upgrade a stock vehicle is not always a win. It can change the vehicle geometry and lead to premature wear/issues. Having a stock vehicle with a factory warranty that can be serviced at any dealer with in stock parts is a very positive consideration.

Yep. I tried building one of these on Ford's website a couple years ago. Got up to $70K real fast, without really adding that much in the way of trail or off-road capability. Said nah, I'm going Sprinter 4x4. Glad I did.

bla bla bla...............

Body lift or differential drop, keeps the CV Axles as straight as possible and helps to keep them at lower angle when lifting a vehicle using aftermarket suspension. Since you work in this field, you should know this.

You just confirmed why I'm glad I didn't add things that could be done aftermarket so they could be more specific to my needs and the weight distribution in my van. I love my Transit AWD and would still go that route if I was to do another conversion but Ford does some weird designing for sure. I hope they fixed their swivel seats so you don't have to open the doors to swivel them and that they made it so the swivel lever moves with the seat so you don't have to break your back trying to move them back to driving position. Do you guys do suspension upgrades? Thanks for great info!

Thanks for being honest.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

Fair play. Its junk.

I tease my brother that my 3.5eb 250 transit work van is more capable than his outback

Hello my friend, excellent video, I'm looking for those fender flares, but I can't find them online, and I'm not in the USA, if you can help me where to get them online

What the engine difference? I was looking at the trail for the twin turbo.

Anyone know if there are nice after market fender flares that look like the trails? I really like the look those bring. Just not for $12k. 😅

I would take the transit. To someone that dose conversions

Why, why, why would Ford do this? This just another drag on reputation.

No thanks to any Ford van. Terrible quality

Thanks for the heads up! Ford didn’t really get it right. People like you should be helping to engineer this right instead of cutting corners.

🆚⛓️🧑‍🔧Nice proyecto

After market maybe get an air ride suspension

Aftermarket!

learned something new today (marker lights are actually a requirement for over 80")..thanks!

I priced a transit with the add-ons the Trail has.. the trail lift is about $3700 to $4300 not $12,000...