Four 4,400-pound front wheel-drive diesel vans tied together on grass. What could go wrong?
Case-in-point is this recent video from Carwow, featuring a Ford-versus-Mercedes-versus-Volkswagen showdown of – wait for it – front-wheel drive diesel-powered vans. This is the most boring segment of vehicles. Yet, it’s hard to look away when these vans are untied and thrown on a slippery surface. Only thing missing is a Fiat Ducato, ready to take on the Ford.
Let’s have a closer look at their competitors. The Ford Transit clearly is the most popular of all the vehicles. It’s dressed in a sporty MS-RT trim, 18-inch wheels and a fake V8 sound system over its 2.0-liter diesel engine. The Ford Transit is equipped with 184 horsepower (137kilowatts) and a six-speed auto transmission. The Ford will be facing a mild-mannered Mercedes Vito, which has a 134-hp (1100-kW), 1.8-liter diesel engine and a six speed manual. It doesn’t get any body kit, wheels or windows. It’s bound to lose this match based on its appearance.
It does happen, but it isn’t a thrilling showdown. Wheelspin is the result of putting front-wheel-drive vehicles on a damp surface with street tires and then roping them together. Because the Mercedes’s traction control couldn’t be switched off, Transit wins. It’s almost an out-of the-ring count-out in wrestling.
The flashy Transit must now face the fearsome Volkswagen Transporter. fearsome is a 2.0-liter diesel engine with 206 horsepower (154 kW) and driven by a seven speed dual-clutch auto. Although the VeeDub has its own flash with red trim and 18-inch wheels it is also very fast, we know exactly how this match will end. Transit pulls the VW mercilessly across the grass to secure a 1-2-3 win. It won with sharp looks and less power. Will Wrestlemania see a Ford-versus VW rematch? Only if there is enough video views, brother.