The Ford Transit has long been a hot-selling commercial van, but more buyers are now using their work vans for overlanding and off-roading. Not one to miss out on a trend, Ford recently introduced the 2023 Transit Trail, a lifted van with cavernous storage space and standard all-wheel drive (AWD). Ford says the van is ready for upfits from the factory and notes that it will offer the Transit Trail with a medium or high roof, a standard turbocharged V6 engine, and excellent standard safety features.
The standard Transit competes with the Chevrolet Express and Ram ProMaster, but neither of those automakers offers their vans with the factory gear provided by Ford. The Transit Trail also retains much of the capability that made the regular Transit a best-seller: It can tow 6,500 pounds, provides up to 487 cubic feet of cargo space, and comes with class-leading infotainment and entertainment tech.
Ford offers the Transit Trail with either a medium or a high roof; both can accommodate standing room for adults as tall as six feet, five inches. The van features a black grille with integrated marker lamps and HID headlights. Ford installs a skid plate up front, splash guards for each wheel, and black body cladding around the lower part of the vehicle. The Trail gets 16-inch wheels with Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse all-terrain tires.
Most commercial vans leave the factory essentially as an empty box, waiting for their new owner to equip their cavernous interiors with storage and other features. The Transit Trail is no different, and Ford says it comes with drillable areas to install cabinets, shelving, bed platforms, and more. It comes with privacy glass, and owners can equip it with a roof vent fan to make the cabin more comfortable. Ford offers an Upfitter package, which brings additional power points, an auxiliary fuse panel, dual AGM batteries, and modified wiring to accommodate higher loads.
The Transit Trail comes with a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 310 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Ford pairs it with a 10-speed automatic transmission driving all four wheels. Ford equips AWD by default and offers five driving modes: Normal, Eco, Mud/Ruts, Tow/Haul, and Slippery. The van gets a 3.5-inch factory lift kit and rides on a 2.75-inch wider track for better stability off-road.
Since it’s a work van at heart, Ford couldn’t ignore the Transit’s core purpose: hauling stuff. To that end, the van gets a standard heavy-duty towing package that enables a 6,500-lb. tow rating. There’s no word yet on how the Trail’s upgrades will impact its weight-carrying capabilities, but the standard Transit tops out at 4,550 pounds with dual rear wheels, so we’ll likely see a much lower number in the Transit Trail.
Commercial vans aren’t always the best-equipped vehicles when it comes to safety features, but Ford was quite generous when outfitting the Transit Trail. It has adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, side sensors, and an intelligent key system with pushbutton start. Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has rated the crashworthiness of the Transit Trail since commercial vehicles aren’t subjected to the same crash tests as mainstream light vehicles.
Ford gives every Transit Trail a 12-inch touchscreen that runs Sync 4 infotainment. In addition to over-the-air updates and the ability to display more than one feature at a time, Sync 4 brings an intuitive, responsive interface that helps reduce distractions when driving. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, along with a high-resolution rearview camera mirror, 110-volt power outlets, 12-volt outlets, and USB ports.
The Ford Transit Trail is unique in its segment because no other manufacturers offer a van with similar factory upgrades. Buyers have been more than happy to perform their own modifications, though, as the recent spike in overlanding and “van life” vans has shown. The Ram ProMaster is Ford’s most capable rival, but the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana offer similar customization options. It’s worth noting, though, that upgrading vehicles can sometimes void the warranty. Ford backs the Transit Trail with a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and encourages customization, so it may be the best option for someone looking for an off-road-ready rig.
Ford is the source of information in this article. It was accurate as of November 8, 2022, but it may have changed since that date. Always confirm product details and availability with the automaker’s website or your local dealership.
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