2023 Ford Transit Path Is Constructed for Vanlife Customizers

The $65,975 2023 Transit Path is Ford’s reply the #VanLife motion. It’s a largely empty Transit van upgraded to satisfy the calls for of a rising market of consumers starting from skilled vanning aficionados to the merely van-curious. The Transit Path makes a number of small enhancements to clean out the journey (and vacation spot) of turning an empty cargo van right into a DIY RV, or perhaps a full-time residence.

To be clear, Ford isn’t promoting you a ready-to-roll camper with the Transit Path; you’ll nonetheless have to get yours upfitted with sleeping area, storage, bogs or perhaps a kitchenette, both by your self or by way of an aftermarket installer. Fortunate for you, Ford has constructed a community of manufacturer-approved upfitters who concentrate on turning your Transit Path into something you want it to be.

The upgrades over the usual Transit cargo van could appear minimal to those that aren’t steeped within the adventurous van way of life, however when your mode of transportation can also be your workspace and bed room, little modifications could make an enormous distinction. The Transit Path has an extra 3.5 inches of floor clearance because of a 2.5-inch suspension elevate and beefy 30.5-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse tires, which ought to assist make the Path extra succesful in woodsy terrain. The vanlife van sits on new 16-inch alloy wheels that stick out additional than your customary Transit van, widening the observe by 2.75 inches for a extra sure-footed stance, surrounded by black plastic splash guards and fender flares. Slider steps provide some rocker-panel safety and a spot to hoist your self inside.

The pre-production van Ford confirmed off to media had a fairly flimsy skid plate hung off the entrance bumper, however the automaker promised the manufacturing Transit Path will include harder underside safety as effectively. Marker lamps and a black grille additionally grace the Path, and set it aside from its workhorse sibling. All these additional tidbits, which might usually come from an aftermarket store or the sweat of your individual wrenching, come customary, permitted to satisfy Ford’s sturdiness and security requirements and lined by Ford’s three-year/36,000-mile guarantee.

The inside is yours to think about. The instance Ford confirmed to journalists was outfitted by an organization known as VanDoIt close to Ford’s meeting plant in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri. When you can’t purchase a ready-to-sleep-in-it van instantly from Ford, the Transit Path will meet you midway with the optionally available Upfitters Package deal, which gives straightforward electrical energy for inside and exterior equipment and contains high-capacity switches, an auxiliary fuse panel with interface connector, twin 12-volt AGM batteries, a 400-watt AC inverter, and a modification-friendly wiring harness. Non-compulsory twin alternators hold these batteries charged up, and customary built-in 4G/LTE WiFi can join as much as 10 units. Drillable surfaces within the inside provide straightforward mounting factors for issues like cupboards, cabinets or beds.

Your entire level of the Path is to make constructing a Class B motorhome accessible to newbies. For instance, sawing into the roof of your brand-new, almost $70,000 van (and let’s be actual, the vendor markups on this limited-market car will doubtless be nuts) will be greater than a bit of off-putting to a first-timer, so Ford is comfortable to chop you a gap for an air vent or roof-mount A/C unit straight from the manufacturing unit. The remainder of the van is a clean canvas: Ford put in two swiveling captain’s chairs up entrance, however apart from these, the area is totally customizable — and empty.

Beneath the hood, you’ll discover the acquainted 310-horsepower, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and 10-speed computerized transmission already powering Transits right this moment. The Path comes customary with all-wheel drive, and may tow as much as 6,500 kilos price of toys behind it, and will probably be obtainable in medium-roof, high-roof, and high-roof extended-body configurations, the latter offering 467 cubic ft of area behind the seats.

Ford is already a powerhouse within the motorhome world: the automaker says 60 p.c of big-beast Class A motorhomes offered within the U.S. sit on Ford’s Professional F-53 chassis. But it surely’s the smaller, extra versatile Class B rigs, primarily based on autos just like the Transit Path, which can be promoting like hotcakes proper now. A Transit van that takes a bit of of the intimidating guesswork out of great overlanding or vanlife conversions ought to promote even hotter. Transit Path orders ought to open this week, with deliveries deliberate for someday in spring of 2023.