depending with which fiat vans they go with, they could have a killer product.
There has been a Ram Van in our driveway since the late 70's, currently a 2000 2500
-bb

 

Nope.

Nissan has entered the large van market with the NV3500 12-passenger recently in the past 1-1/2 year mark of production. I have looked at them. The price is still way too high. It's nice with the slider door on the side too. The rear doors open 270 degrees. Much more solid than a Sprinter. There is a high-top version as well. These are made in Mexico and not the TN plant.

 

Wow thats ugly and I'll bet the Magnum V8's produce a lot more usable power than whatever Nissan puts in it. Just sayin.

 

Good luck handling a thirty foot ladder from a roof carrier by yourself if you drive one of these Nissan vans. Clearly, Nissan is not paying attention to Chrysler's failure of the high top Sprinter / Freightliner vans.

Now, to make matters even worse, the Sprinters I do happen to see on the road already display signs of fairly serious rust issues.

 

If only Chrysler could learn to properly prevent rust for a reasonable time period-say 10 years, they would have a really good product. My neighbor has a 98 Ram van, and the rear spring mounts are gone-he has them supported with wood blocks, front frame is gone, runs good, though. I repaired the strut tower tops on my 00 G Voyager, door bottoms and rockers are gone. My 2003 Neon already has holes thru the rockers. Mom's 06 Caravan has holes in the rockers, and the hood will be rusted thru in a few years on the front edge.

Was in Florida by the east coast, and saw a Sprinter with holes rusted thru the flat sheet metal above the windshield, and holes in the rear doors.

My 99 Chevy 3500 cutaway express only has slight surface rust on the rockers-no rust anywhere else, and hasn't been washed since it was bought. I am scrapping it out with just over 400,000 miles because the service body on the back is so rotted out, and the engine is tired, but not shot, and the trans shudders.

Why is there factory rustproofing getting worse? I have another neighbor with an 87 Caravan that is perfect. My 93 shadow never got washed, and all that ever rusted was a small area on the bottom lip of the trunk lid. That one was on the road until 4 years ago.

If there rust proofing gets any worse, they will be rotting on the lot before they ever get sold.

Skip the sprinter, just make us a diesel Caravan like they already sell in Europe, but with enough power to actually use it like a work truck like I use my 00 voyager.

 

Rusting is not caused by the manufacture. Vehicles down in the southern states don't rust up very much unless you live on the coast. Part of the reason more vehicles are rusting sooner up in the nothern states is that most if not all your snow removal personal are using more chemicals mixed with the salts they put on the roads during the winter. These chemicals along with the salts accelerate metal corrosion. Not washing the vehicles helps with the decay for you are not washing these harmfull stuff off as soon as reasonably possible.

 

Both my Expedition and my Navigator developed rust along the bottom right around 10-years old. So it's not just Dodge.

 

Someone needs to make a full size van or SUV with a diesel. Nobody is making a people hauler with a diesel anymore. No full size vans, the Excursion is dead and the Suburban only comes with a gas engine. I am pulling a 7000 pound travel trailer and getting 8 MPG with my B250 with a 5.9, and that is on a good day. A friend is pulling a bigger trailer with a diesel Excursion and getting 14 MPG. Somebody needs to pull their head out of their rear and realize that in the U.S. some of us really do need a big vehicle. Forget this pathetic euro junk.

 

AGREE with a cummins in a ram2500 body made into a conversion van--now that would be my next van

 

Uhhh...

The Germans do it :

VW Touareg V10 TDI
VW Touareg V6 TDI
BMW X5 Clean Diesel
Mercedes GL350 BlueTec

Mopar made the Jeep Liberty with that crappy Italian-made diesel for a few years but almost nobody bought them, and they gave more than their fair share of trouble (and they didn't offer very improved fuel economy, either).

Does Hummer count in this mix? I seem to be remember being able to get a H1 with a Diesel engine also.

Americans just don't really care about Diesel vehicles very much. It is a damn shame because today's Diesels are just plain awesome. If I could afford to own one of the above vehicles I would have a modern Diesel in my garage in a New York minute.