Large vans are not usually considered by car-buying consumers as the ideal people hauler, given the propensity of sport utility vehicles and crossover utility vehicles on the market. But, large vans have an advantage that no SUV or CUV can provide: the passenger carrying capability big families, churches and civic organizations, and businesses require.
Passenger Capacity
Granted, not many people today set out to find a vehicle offering the carrying capacity of up to 15 passengers. Families are much smaller these days, with most CUV and SUV models able to handle larger loads. Plus, when you need to tow something, vehicles like the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban can provide adequate towing and passenger room.
But the Ford E-Series, and big vans like it, can provide adequate towing and carry plenty of passengers. The base E-150 XL model offers passenger seating for eight, comfortable bucket seats throughout. This unusual configuration means that no passenger is left with having to choose between a bucket and a bench seat, enjoying the best bolstering and back support offered all throughout the van's interior.
Engine Choices
The base E-Series is powered by a 4.6-liter V8, the same engine found in the Ford Expedition and Ford F-Series pickup trucks. Regular length Super Duty models get a 5.4-liter V8, an engine suitable to carrying heavier loads. That middle model offers seating capacity for up to 12 passengers.
The largest of the Ford E-Series is powered by a 20-valve 6.8-liter V10 engine. That extended model van offers maximum seating for 15 passengers, a configuration favored by many businesses, churches and civic organizations. Seating is tight, what you'd expect in a vehicle of this size, but wholly suitable for its purposes.
Interior Offerings
The base E-Series offers air-conditioning standard, with blowers from the front of the van providing cooling. This can be inadequate if more balanced climate control is needed, particularly for rear seating passengers. That problem can be remedied by ordering your van with dual-zone air-conditioning, designed to cool the interior much more evenly from front to back.
Among the amenities offered in the E-Series is an electronic AM/FM stereo with clock, engine cover console with cup holders, tilt-steering wheel, cruise control and interval windshield wipers. Optionally, a premium audio system, navigation system, power windows and door locks, interior upgrade package and expanded safety features are also available. The E-Series may be based on an aged design, but the amenities have kept up with the times.
Towing Capacity
Carrying up to 15 people demonstrates the E-Series' payload capabilities, but what about towing? 10,000 pounds can be achieved with the optional Class II/III/IV trailer towing package, an arrangement that includes trailer wiring harness, bumper bracket, frame mounted hitch receiver and electronic brake controller tap-in.
With its generous passenger capacity and expanded towing capability, the Ford E-Series just may be the best all-around vehicle of its kind, demonstrating why it continues to outshine its competitors for more than three straight decades.
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