Ford Quietly Kills The Transit Trail Over Supply Issues
Ford quietly discontinued one of its off-road vehicles but don't worry, it's not the Bronco or any of the Raptormodels. It's the Ford Transit Trail which you may have forgot existed unless you're an influencer living that #VanLife.
Ford introduced the Transit Trail in late 2022 during the tail end of the vanlife boom. It was an off-road ready van with chunky 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse tires, 3.5 more inches of ground clearance and upgraded underbody protection. Inside was a blank slate, but came with lots of spot for building in power and amenities needed to make the Transit a home.
It seem the $65,000 Transit Trail died a quiet death, according to Ford Authority, after the model fell off the Big Blue Oval's website without fanfare.
What could lead Ford to get rid of a model that's barely been on sale three model years? It would seem that supply chain issues are an ongoing problem as Ford Pro communications manager Elsiabeth Kraft confirmed to us.
On-going challenges in the supply chain and part availability constraints impacted 2023 and 2024 Transit vans equipped with the Trail package, so we made the decision to remove package availability from the 25MY Transit program while we prioritize delivering parts and service to customers with impacted vehicles.
It's worth noting that the Transit Trail may not be gone for long. Kraft said that Ford is continuing to look at demand for the Transit Trail to assess ' demand to determine future viability.'
Just how is demand though? It would seem the market for pricey lifestyle isn't as big as it once was. We asked Ford if they knew how many Transit Trails have been sold since its introduction. While Ford confirmed that exact sales numbers on the Transit Trail aren't known since it's more a package than a model line, Ford did confirm that it saw a decrease in demand across all segments of the motorhome industry following the Pandemic.
The Transit Trail was not without problems during its brief existence. Ford Authority mentions that in March 2024, a recall was issued after it was discovered that the factory fitted 30.5-inch, 245/75R16 could come in contact with the front wheel arch liner and damage the tires. So Ford fitted affected vans with 28-inch, 235/65R16 tires, knocking 1.2 inches of ground clearance from the Trail. Another recall was issued a few months later over a possible loss in power steering.
Even with these issues the Transit Trail was unique. Unless you go aftermarket or spend big money for a Mercedes Sprinter, no one else sells anything like it.
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Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.0 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 10.0 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.0 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 155 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 153 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 312 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.99 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 18 mpg 75-mph Highway Driving: 24 mpg 75-mph Highway Range: 380 mi EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 17/14/23 mpg 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe PRICE Base/As Tested: $60,865/$73,205 ENGINE DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection Displacement: 307 in3, 5038 cm3 Power: 500 hp @ 7250 rpm Torque: 418 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 15.4-in vented disc/14.0-in vented disc Tires: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS F: 305/30ZR-19 (98Y) R: 315/30ZR-19 (100Y) DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 107.0 in Length: 189.7 in Width: 75.5 in Height: 55.2 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 55/30 ft3 Trunk Volume: 13 ft3 Curb Weight: 3975 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 4.1 sec 100 mph: 9.7 sec 1/4-Mile: 12.5 sec @ 115 mph 130 mph: 16.4 sec 150 mph: 23.2 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.0 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 9.4 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 8.8 sec Top Speed (mfr's claim): 166 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 142 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 278 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.07 g EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 17/14/22 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More Features and Specs
