Ford is upgrading the 2021 Transit to make it easier to convert into a camper van as the automaker moves to cash in on the RV boom
Brittany Chang
- Ford will be capitalizing on the #VanLife and e-commerce trend that boomed during the coronavirus pandemic by offering "prep packages" that will make its 2021 Ford Transit more camper van and cargo delivery friendly.
- There are three camper van package options: the Motorhome Prep, RV Prep, and Adventure Prep.
- Ford will also offer two cargo delivery packages: the Parcel Delivery and the Livery.
- The "prep packages" upgrade different aspects of the van, including its engine, systems, interior, and exterior.
Ford has unveiled five different "prep packages" to make its 2021 Ford Transit more camper van and cargo delivery friendly, depending on the selected package.
During the coronavirus pandemic, camper van and RV makers saw a spike in customer interest and purchases as more people started considering road travel as a safer alternative to air travel. Similarly during these uncertain times, e-commerce sites like Amazon also saw an increase in online orders and record profits as retail shifted online and away from in-person brick and mortar stores.
To address this rise of road travel and e-commerce, Ford unveiled five packages — three for van lifers and two for cargo deliverers — that will transform the systems, drive, interior, and exterior of the 2021 Ford Transit to make it more #VanLife and delivery friendly.
These five options will accompany the upcoming 2021 upgrades that will be found throughout all Transit vans, regardless of package choice. This includes new wheel and exterior color choices, as well as the replacement of the manual parking brake in favor of an electronic one in vans with an up to 9,500-pound gross vehicle mass.
The later change in the brake system then creates a larger aisle — by 50% — between the driver and passenger seat, which will in turn make accessing the rear cargo area easier.
Keep scrolling to see the packages:
The Transit is a popular van base of choice for many van lifers, and according to Ford, over half of the tiny homes on wheels sold in the US are created inside of a Ford chassis.
Source: Ford
Ford will be offering three camper van friendly package options: the Motorhome Prep, RV Prep, and Adventure Prep.
The Transit Motorhome Prep package comes with an adaptive cruise control system and an economy-rated 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that was created to sustain "high frontal area conversions" such as tiny homes on wheels.
Like the Motorhome Prep, the RV Prep Package will include more driver assistance systems, such as the aforementioned cruise control ...
... which then accompanies the package's frontal fog lamps and an increased towing capability to haul heavy items like toys and trailers.
The interior of the RV Prep will also include an eight-speaker sound setup and swivel driver and passenger seats, the latter a popular feature in many camper vans.
The final camper van friendly package is the Adventure Prep, which seems to provide the most robust drive-related upgrades.
This all-wheel-drive package comes with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, limited slip rear axle differential, stronger front axle, and privacy glass.
And like the previous packages, it'll also include additional driver-assist systems like cruise control and reverse, side, and blindspot sensor systems.
The package also makes the interior more #VanLife friendly by including a touch screen infotainment system with USB ports and two AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries, to name some upgrades.
Moving on from camper vans, Ford will also be offering two cargo delivery packages: the Parcel Delivery and the Livery.
The Parcel Delivery Package targets the cargo area of the van by including an optional center console with a shifter, seven more inches of legroom, and an optional overhead shelf that creates more interior standing room.
The rear doors and interior lighting systems will also be upgraded with this package. However, the armrests for both front seats will be taken out to ease access to the cargo area.
The Livery Package instead focuses more on the comforts of the Transit XLT model by including 10-way power leather seats, power sliding side doors, HID headlights, privacy glass, and 16-inch wheels.
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