The Ford Transit Trail was revealed for the European market back in June of 2020 as a more rugged off-road focused variant of FoMoCo’s best-selling van. A little over a year later, Ford filed a patent for “Transit Trail” in the U.S., signaling that the automaker was at least thinking about bringing the new model to America. Then, this past February, Ford Authority reported that the Ford Transit Trail could be coming to the U.S., and roughly a week later, Ford Authority spies spotted the rugged new van in Metro Detroit. Now, sources familiar with the matter have provided Ford Authority with some exclusive new details regarding the American-market Ford Transit Trail.
Most notably, the American version of the Ford Transit Trial will not come equipped with one of the European version’s signature styling elements – its “Ford” script front grille, which is also present on the Ford F-150 Raptor, Ford Ranger Raptor, Ford Bronco Raptor, and the Transit Trail prototype spied earlier this year. Instead, the American version will come equipped with a traditional Ford badge in its place, as well as three amber marker lights within the grille.
The U.S. Transit Trail will also come equipped with a set of steel wheels similar to those present on the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands, which will be wrapped with meatier tires than other Transit models – perhaps even all-terrains. Amber marker lights will be present near the side mirrors, while black body cladding will adorn the bottom edges of the rugged van with substantial cladding around the wheel wells. The look will be capped off with a unique center high-mounted stop lamp with a special protrusion on the roof, as well as fog lights and hood vents.
This look is quite different from the previously-spied prototype and the European version, which rolls on a set of black 16-inch alloy wheels and features the aforementioned “Ford” script grille. The Euro-spec van also comes with a mechanical limited-slip differential (mLSD) on front-wheel-drive models or Intelligent All-Wheel Drive with AWD Lock Mode, Slippery and Mud/Rut Selectable drive modes, leather seats, a Quickclear heated windshield, power-foldable door mirrors, and auto lighting, while power comes from the Ford 2.0L I-4 EcoBlue diesel engine with a choice of 130 PS (128 horsepower), 170 PS (167 horsepower), or 185 PS (182 horsepower) outputs, which are mated to either an automatic or manual transmission.
We’ll have more on the U.S.-spec Transit Trail soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Transit news and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
Does anyone know a skilled labor contractor (electrician, plumber, roofer) that doesn’t want/already own a larger TRUCK or vehicle with actual bad road/jobsite capability? Has Ford not learned yet from the Mercedes van-craze? Why can’t Ford catch a clue and actually make a van with a REAL rough-road ride package. Something that contractors, and van-campers alike would love, and not destroy driving on to a muddy job site, or down a common forest road. Ford could crush Mercedes. Instead, Ford is just a weak, Mercedes alternative. With a waaay better “AWD” drivetrain. The Transit AWD has FULL locking drive. That’s 25% power to each wheel, 100% of the time, if selected in the drive mode. Think Power Wagon or Tacoma Pro, with freakn van body. 🙂 — Mercedes “4×4” is max 30% power to the front end drive, and no lockers at all, even in “4×4 low”. Ford is losing out on a massive opportunity to make the best van, ever. Instead, they have decided to make a half-ass underdog. — Poor door build quality all around. None of the “luxury” features of the F series trucks (whyyy?). Literally 1/10 inch floor decking in the passenger and wagon versions. So many weaknesses, so lame. No rear operable window options. … It’s like a half thought out product that got shoved out the sales door. 🙁 — Disclosure. I own an Transit 350, AWD pass van. A “Super Transit”. Doesn’t even touch the F series “super” quality/capability. 🙁
Just what we needed, another vehicle with poor gas mileage. Ford, if Robert MacNamara was running things as was in the 1960’s he’d be telling you, till gas prices come down to half of what they are today (around $5 a gal) we need to be producing high mpg vehicles at an expedited rate.
A couple gripes about design itself are one being no options for a moon roof
Second gripe is that I usually like to hang my elbow out of the window and these vans front door windows are only 50/50 half operational to where they are nearly split down the center vertically not that there’s many windows that function but the two only windows that do happen to function open only half way…
Leaves allot to be desired and being clostrophobic I tend to want to bust the door open next to me at times, meanwhile the elbow would fight with the door blocking at that tiny corner where the window starts by the exterior door handle
With all that said in the above comments, Built my Transit Trail, I am along time Ford Stock holder and ordered a Transit Trail last year still no word as to when are they going to build it,
Tesla makes 430 k a month, why can’t ford do the same? BUILT MY VAN.