American adventurers could see the AWD van debut in the coming months.
Ford’s Transit Trail all-wheel drive van is not available in the United States. Although it’s intended for Europe, there were questions back in February about whether it was available for American markets. We now have strong evidence to support the theory, with this red van test, which isn’t typical U.S. There is no Transit at the moment. It doesn’t include Euro-spec features.
You can’t miss the all-wheel drive underpinnings of this vehicle. AWD badge can be seen on the rear door. It is located just above the EcoBoost badge. We aren’t dealing here with a test mule. Ford does not seem to be interested in camouflaging the van. This machine looks ready for production. The windshield even has what appears to be a Monroney sticker.
This could be an updated European model that spends some time in Michigan, before moving across the pond. This van has a new grille, which omits Europe’s bold FORD letters in favor of an oval badge. This is in line with the Transit styling and also features larger cladding above the wheel wells. The new grille and sides have marker lights, which are likely to be added because the 250 is larger. The back door has a Transit 250 badge. This could be the key to unlocking the European Transit Trail, which is based on a smaller 150.
As the RV market expands rapidly, it’s clear that rugged, larger vans will be in high demand. RWD Transits are already popular in camper upfits. However, more adventurous overlanding vans for US customers tend to be the Mercedes Sprinter due to its AWD capabilities. A Transit Trail with Ford’s AWD system on the 250 chassis could be a better option than a traditional RV company reporting billions in backlogged orders.
Sources in the spy community feel certain it is happening. A U.S. debut is expected later this year.