Light Van Guide
By Jason McGlone, staff writer - ExpediteNow
Feb 8, 2010 - 9:09:16 AM
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Looking for new trucks in the coming year? Want to know what’s new in the major 2010 models? Expedite Now has your back.
Freightliner/Mercedes Benz/Dodge Sprinter
Perhaps the most interesting
storyline in the Light Van category lies in the tangled web of the
Sprinter’s North American nameplate changes. The Sprinter was branded
under its original Freightliner label (as well as the Mercedes label)
in 2001, when it was introduced. In 2003, DaimlerChrysler chose to
expand the availability of the Sprinter by adding a Dodge nameplate to
it. This agreement continued until Fiat bought Chrysler and all
involved parties have chosen to let the agreement lapse at the
beginning of this year. Confused yet?
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What this means is that the Dodge nameplate won’t be appearing on the Sprinter any longer, but they’ll still be available at Freightliner dealers, as well as a number of Mercedes dealers nationwide, totalling about 145 dealerships overall. They just won’t say “Dodge” on them anymore.
As for new features, it doesn’t seem like you’ll be getting much in the way of change when it comes to the Freightliner/Mercedes Sprinter. They’re shipping the 2010’s with 3.0 Liter V-6 5-speed diesels. The vans have a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs. and 547 cubic feet of cargo space.
GM/Chevrolet
While General Motors had its share of issues over the last year or so, you’re not seeing any major business changes like those over at Chrysler. The fact of not having that ball in the air has perhaps allowed for some mechanical changes to their Express/Savannah line, namely that they’ll now be compatible with E85 fuel beginning in 2010. GM has also put the new 6-speed Hydramatic 6L90 transmission in the vans, as well as a tweaked rear axle that they claim will improve torque and fuel economy.
As something of a kicker, GM will also offer remote start features for the Express/Savannah model lines in 2010. Speaking of options, GM offers a 4.3L V-6 and V-8’s of 4.3L, 4.8L, 5.3L, 6.0L, and 6.6L diesel, respectively. The vehicles have a towing capacity of 6,400 lbs. and offer 237 cubic feet of cargo volume. The Express/Savannah base MSRP is $24,365 and, as you’d expect, goes up as you add features and options.
Chevy’s smaller offering in the light van category, the HHR, isn’t seeing quite as much change, with the only additions being a rear-view camera and more color options added to the mix. What the HHR lacks in terms of cargo space (a paltry 63.1 cubic ft.) and towing capacity (yeah, you don’t do that with this vehicle), it makes up for in terms of gas mileage: it boasts 22/32 if you’re driving the manual transmission version and 22/30 with the automatic. The Chevrolet HHR starts at $18,270 MSRP.
Ford E-Series and Transit Connect
The theme of this article, as you’ve likely noted, has thus far been the changes you’ll see with each manufacturer’s 2010 van offerings. With Ford’s E-Series and Transit Connect, you’re not going to see an awful lot of that. You will, however, get what you already expected from Ford, so that might be considered something of a tradeoff instead of new features.
In the E-Series, Ford offers four wheel anti-lock brakes, a full compliment of airbags and side intrusion door beams included as standard features. Available options in Ford’s E-Series are the AdvanceTrac with roll-stability control, an integrated trailer brake controller, rearview camera, and Ford’s Work Solutions technology package. Engine options are a 4.6L and 5.4 V8, and a 6.8L V-10 for gas, as well as a 6.0L V-8 diesel. The Ford E-Series can tow a hefty 10,000 lbs and offers a solid 278.3 cubic feet of cargo space. Its base MSRP sits at $27,470.
The 2010 Ford Transit Connect is still a fairly new product; they introduced the van in 2009. The result of this, of course, is a bit spartan when it comes to loads of available options and features. That said, the Transit Connect does offer a quite tall 52 inches of load height in the vehicle’s rear, and the cargo doors open 180 degrees. As with the E-Series, Ford’s Work Solutions package is available, and all models come with a 2.0L Inline 4-cylinder engine with a 4-speed Automatic transmission. The Transit Connect offers 135.3 cubic feet of cargo space and starts at $21,135 MSRP.
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