Ford E-Series van
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Yet another front end for the old Ford van.
That thing is like a time machine.
Now the obnoxious front end makes the airport shuttle look like a construction truck….
Last Updated:
Yet another front end for the old Ford van.
That thing is like a time machine.
Now the obnoxious front end makes the airport shuttle look like a construction truck….
yuk. that thing still got no three-pointed seatbelts and head restraints for all passengers considered it is 2007! i’ll take the sprinter anytime especially the ’07 has all the mercedes options including curve-sensing xenon. i would pay more for the sprinter if i ever needed something this big.
At least the ugly front end is consistent with the ugly rest of the thing.
It’s an appliance and not meant for fun, anyway.
It looks like they reincarnated the Excursion in the form of a van.
Ford, where is the inspiration?
We know you are an old company, but you didn’t have to show it on your designs.
I don’t see anything wrong with this vehicle. Some vehicles are just supposed to be workhorses and not trend leaders. The Econoline has proven to be inexpensive, inoffensive looking, infinitely flexible, durable commercial and municipal transportation. What purpose would be served by redesigning it to be more “modern?” The unloved Sprinter is the only significantly different vehicle, and it is even more dated looking and doesn’t provide any appreciable benefits over the Econoline. Until someone designs a better concept that is an actual improvement, this will stick around.
Sweet Jesus, say it ain’t so.
aren’t these things considered death traps? I always hear of these types of vans flipping over on the 15 between LA and Vegas.
This is the answer to a question that no-one ever dared to ask: “What happens to a Pontiac Aztec when it grows up?”
billy better never say anything bad about any other ceo that company has or had, that is simply a joke
Alright…I understand that there has been a few technical improvements and that’s great and all but, WHO THE HECK IS THE ROCKET SCIENTIST WHO SAID….OOOHHH YEEAAAH…THAT LOOKS SOOO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!
And they wonder why they are on the verge of going under.
I wish they would bring over the european ford transit van, that looks way better than the econoline…and it comes in diesel!
Why do American cars still have the antenna up front?
It makes the car look so cheap. Even when the RAV4s come to the US, they are place up front in the US.
is is road worthy?
To 7:38,
I can’t speak for the smaller vehicles, but if this van had the antenna on the roof, you would have some possible height clearance issues with parking garages and other possible low objects.
OK so this design will not affect most people directly, but doesn’t Ford understand people see this, laugh at it and remember it when they are making the choice between a Fusion and a Camry?
“OK so this design will not affect most people directly, but doesn’t Ford understand people see this, laugh at it and remember it when they are making the choice between a Fusion and a Camry?”
And yet somehow the dinosaur Land Cruiser is okay? At least this van is inexpensive and perfectly suited for its purpose.
Bad design is bad design, regardless of it’s purpose.
This van is beyond bad. It’s complete sh*t.
Ford NA has become such a joke in the automotive industry. Design on any vehicle in a maker’s lineup says alot about the company. This is just a continuation of the horrible and utterly tasteless designs that ford has been bringing out lately. First the navigator, then the expedition, the F250/F350, then the “new” escape and the camera lenz breaking ’08 focus (all are merely updates on older versions). when is this child play going to stop?
I can’t stand this grill and headlight treatment, but does anyone like it on the new big pickup Ford has?
Tankman, I think you hit the nail on the head…well said! Hopefully Ford reads blogs like this and will get the point to have better designs (and soon)!
I always thought they looked top heavy, and apparently they were. Now it looks top heavy and front heavy, so not only will it roll over sideways, but, going down a hill in SF you may do sumersaults
And yet somehow the dinosaur Land Cruiser is okay?
The Land Cruiser isn’t a van, and the Ford E-Series isn’t an SUV. Some vehicles have heritage, and some are just, well, vans.
this think looks great!!
america t its best
big and loud kust like it shoulbbb bd e be
“Some vehicles have heritage, and some are just, well, vans.”
In the case of the Land Cruiser, “heritage” is a cul-de-sac anachronism that costs north of $60k. It’s an outdated vehicle that is surpassed by anything other competitor. The econoline van is a workhorse and has been upgraded suitably so that it is reasonably priced and durable. As much as people are slamming it here, no one else has suggested a better vehicle more suitable for its niche. It would be nice for all vehicles to be upgraded every three years to appeal to the aesthetics of the cynical armchair analysts here. However, for commercial fleet and municipal vehicles, that’s just not a realistic. In Japan and in Germany, they have similar “venerable” vehicles that we don’t see here.
I can appreciate the practicality of leaving the design largly unchanged. But why would you design a new front that looks worse than all of the older models from 1961 onward.
I can only imagine that the old tooling had worn out and the new one was the cheapest possible replacement.
I guess I am unfamiliar with the current Land Cruiser’s “illustrious history.” Unless “illustrious” means being routinely blown up in the Middle East or filled with sippie cups parked in front of daycare. I will admit, the more pedestrian uses of the econoline don’t match up. How could a van that serves the purpose of an un-sexy delivery van, airport taxi, contractor’s vehicle or police van ever match the hyperbole of a premium-priced underdeveloped SUV mommymobile with baby snot on the windows? The Econoline’s “distinguished history” is self-evident in its longevity and flexibility, not in its style or amenities.
I will say, that if the above picture of the dash is of the upcoming refresh, it is the same exact interior as the campus bus I rode in every day back in 1992. I would expect at least some visible parts-bin updates.
Unless “illustrious” means being routinely blown up in the Middle East or filled with sippie cups parked in front of daycare.
I don’t need to define illustrious, but there is a really big world outside of the evening news and daycare centers.
Much like the Range Rover, the Land Cruiser has traversed parts of the world the Econoline could only imagine, which returns us to my original point that some vehicles have an illustrious heritage, and some are just vans. Sort of like the difference between being Luciano Pavarotti and singing at a local karoke. Both fine, but only one is illustrious.
I do respect that many Econolines (and countless other makes) have been faithful mules for schlepping goods from point A to point B. That isn’t necessarily illustrious, but, rather, it is admirable.
But to each his/her own.
I hate to point out the obvious here, but most of these things get used as contruction trucks, plumbing vans, electrical vans, etc… and why on earth should the re-invent the full-size van? It has great quality, customers can take their rack systems out of one and throw them in a new one, and no one in the commercial truck market really cares at all about having the latest hot new style for their company work van. There’s not much else you can do with this other than an occasional new grille.
no one in the commercial truck market really cares at all about having the latest hot new style for their company work van.
Then why did Ford bother to put a new grill on it? They “styled” it for somebody.
There’s not much else you can do with this other than an occasional new grille.
You may have low expectations, but why such a bad grill?
In the case of the Land Cruiser, “heritage” is a cul-de-sac anachronism that costs north of $60k. It’s an outdated vehicle that is surpassed by anything other competitor. It seems you know little about the Land Cruiser’s illustrious history. And that’s okay. But sometimes, yes, people who live on cul-de-sacs buy them for silly reasons, just as they buy Range Rovers, Geländewagens, etc.https://tlca.org/The econoline van is a workhorse and has been upgraded suitably so that it is reasonably priced and durable. As much as people are slamming it here, no one else has suggested a better vehicle more suitable for its niche. It would be nice for all vehicles to be upgraded every three years to appeal to the aesthetics of the cynical armchair analysts here.Then why did Ford ever bother with a new grill?However, for commercial fleet and municipal vehicles, that’s just not a realistic. In Japan and in Germany, they have similar “venerable” vehicles that we don’t see here.I’m touched by your need to defend a van, and I appreciate your opinion. I’m obviously unaware of the Econoline’s distinguished history. Share it with us, won’t you? I mean other than it being just a van.Thanks to Vince for offering us the place to discuss these things.