The 2023 Ford Transit Trail makes it easy for up-fitters to prep for your wildest adventures.
FordThe biggest hurdle to taking a van on adventures across the country is the prep. Most normal vans aren’t built to accept a vastly modified interior with beds, refrigerators, lighting, and other upgrades, meaning they require a lot of modifications. Ford is helping to alleviate some of that prep time by offering a Transit van built to accept VanLife mods straight from the factory.
Called the 2023 Transit Trail, this van has been designed specifically with the adventurer in mind. Available in available in medium- and high-roof cargo configurations, it has up to 487 cubic feet of space for owners to customize to their content. In its most spacious configuration, it has enough standing room for people six feet, five inches tall, with 14 feet of floor in the cavernous cargo area.
Inside you’ll find drill-able areas specifically for things like cabinets, shelves, and a bed. Buyers can also option an Upfitter package, which adds an exterior light bar, a larger center console, dual AGM batteries, and a handful of heavy-duty switches and electronics to make drawing power for accessories easier.
It’s not just the interior that’s been given the VanLife-ready treatment. This Transit has been built from the ground up to tackle the toughest adventures. Under the hood sits Ford’s 3.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 making 310 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, sending power to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic. Ride height has been raised by 3.5 inches for better ground clearance, while, 30-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrains means you’ll have a hard time getting stuck anywhere, on or off road. A heavy-duty trailering packing comes standard, meaning you can pull up to 6500 pounds—plenty for a car, meaning you can use this Transit as your paddock camper and tow car on race weekends.
Brian Silvestro Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
Keyword: Ford Will Now Sell You a VanLife-Ready Transit Straight From the Factory