Ford Econoline wird wohl 2013 durch Ford Transit ersetzt :-(
Verfasst: So 18. Dez 2011, 22:43DEAD: Ford Kills the Econoline Van - Euro Transit Van Slated To Replace It in 2013By Brian Lohnes Posted 12/08/11
The Ford Econoline van is Dearborn's latest dead man walking. The line was introduced in 1961 and will conclude with the 2013 model year per Ford's announcement yesterday. In the place of the venerable van will be the Ford Transit, which is the van the rest of the world has been getti...ng for the past decades. While it feels like I shouldn't care, this announcement strikes me as rather sad mainly because the Econoline name has been around for 50 years.
Vans are not fun to drive, not fun to work on, and are not fun to be lured into, but as work vehicles for tradespeople, parts runners, painters, smelly bands, plumbers, electricians, and casket makers, there ain't much better. They are also great for racers. You can tow with them, sleep in them, store all your crap in a semi-secure location at the track, and slather your team logo all the way down the side.
Unless they decide to ditch out of the market, GM will own the "full size" van segment by themselves after 2013. The European Transit vans are certainly capable pieces, but the biggest available engine in one currently is a five cylinder diesel that measure out to a wopping 3.2L. The vans may be roughly the same size, but the euro vans have not half the sack the current vans have. You can opt a front wheel drive or real drive version in Europe currently. Not sure if that will be the case here or not, but unless something radical happens, you'll be towing a go kart and not much else with these things.
The eternally cool Peter Egan of Road and Track and Cycle World Magazine has used and written about Econolines for decades in his columns. Anyone who has read him for any period of time has lived vicariously through his story of towing wayward project cars home, loading the back of the van with motorcycles, and generally praising the utility of the yeoman-like Econoline van.
Not much more to say, I guess, other than the fact that the meter is running if you are a Ford fan and want to own a full size, V8 powered van. After 2013 it is weenie Euro-spec junk for your Ford vanning needs. Who is going to paint a mural on one of those? Answer: Nobody.
The Ford Econoline van is Dearborn's latest dead man walking. The line was introduced in 1961 and will conclude with the 2013 model year per Ford's announcement yesterday. In the place of the venerable van will be the Ford Transit, which is the van the rest of the world has been getti...ng for the past decades. While it feels like I shouldn't care, this announcement strikes me as rather sad mainly because the Econoline name has been around for 50 years.
Vans are not fun to drive, not fun to work on, and are not fun to be lured into, but as work vehicles for tradespeople, parts runners, painters, smelly bands, plumbers, electricians, and casket makers, there ain't much better. They are also great for racers. You can tow with them, sleep in them, store all your crap in a semi-secure location at the track, and slather your team logo all the way down the side.
Unless they decide to ditch out of the market, GM will own the "full size" van segment by themselves after 2013. The European Transit vans are certainly capable pieces, but the biggest available engine in one currently is a five cylinder diesel that measure out to a wopping 3.2L. The vans may be roughly the same size, but the euro vans have not half the sack the current vans have. You can opt a front wheel drive or real drive version in Europe currently. Not sure if that will be the case here or not, but unless something radical happens, you'll be towing a go kart and not much else with these things.
The eternally cool Peter Egan of Road and Track and Cycle World Magazine has used and written about Econolines for decades in his columns. Anyone who has read him for any period of time has lived vicariously through his story of towing wayward project cars home, loading the back of the van with motorcycles, and generally praising the utility of the yeoman-like Econoline van.
Not much more to say, I guess, other than the fact that the meter is running if you are a Ford fan and want to own a full size, V8 powered van. After 2013 it is weenie Euro-spec junk for your Ford vanning needs. Who is going to paint a mural on one of those? Answer: Nobody.
