Road trip camping with a large family

[EbS-P]

So my wife has two, almost 3 one woman shows that she should start touring mostly to other universities. They could have wider appeal if marketed well. I’m sure there will some university stops that the trip gets planned around. College tours or not.

 

[EbS-P]

The used transit market has become much more populated the last 5-6 weeks. 40-45k can get a 4 year passenger van with under 65k miles. Since ford changed the the eco boost and the dual port injection V6 to both having a displacement of 3.5L it’s more difficult to determine what engine they have. I really think for the weight and possibility of towing I want the eco boost.

That said the sprinter diesel went from a 3L v6 to 2L i4 last year. All reviews say the 2L is superior but. Do I want to tow with a 2L?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You can quickly tell which engine by the VIN. There should be a different letter designation with the engine.

If both engines had the same torque curve they would probably feel the same for the short term.

Long term, increased pressures and work required to move the weight are bound to wear things faster. But this is only going to become an issue with higher use vehicles. Short term I don’t think you’d see a difference. The boost will probably make the 4 louder.

I’m not sure how many of the boosted 4s in full size trucks will still be around in 15 years. But the guys driving the 2-3 year old ones now are probably pretty happy with them.

 

[brenndatomu]

You can quickly tell which engine by the VIN. There should be a different letter designation with the engine.

If both engines had the same torque curve they would probably feel the same for the short term.

Long term, increased pressures and work required to move the weight are bound to wear things faster. But this is only going to become an issue with higher use vehicles. Short term I don’t think you’d see a difference. The boost will probably make the 4 louder.

I’m not sure how many of the boosted 4s in full size trucks will still be around in 15 years. But the guys driving the 2-3 year old ones now are probably pretty happy with them.

Agreed...more boost (power) means less life, it's just a fact. No replacement for displacement.
Now that's not to say you simply always go for the bigger engine...some engine models are still better than others...

 

[EbS-P]

Agreed...more boost (power) means less life, it's just a fact. No replacement for displacement.
Now that's not to say you simply always go for the bigger engine...some engine models are still better than others..

The 3.5 eco boost in the van is derived from that in the truck. 310 HP and 405 lb feet. The Printer diesel is 211 HP and 311 lb ft.

No more hemi. It’s all going boosted. The Mercedes 2.0L has been around for a while, it’s just new in the van. But only 400 dealers nation wide are able to work on them. (Must be a commercial dealer) The 3.5 eco boost is on its third (or maybe fourth) version. It’s a know quantity now. If you Change the oil every 5k it’s a decent motor. Dual injection has helped a lot. any shop has already done any work you might need done on them.

Yes high loads wears engines faster. There is enough collective experience now form gas turbo motors that I’m comfortable with them. The 5.0L will be gone soon I think.

 

[EbS-P]

We loaded the mini van up for camping. 3 nights near the in-laws, two nights back in beds (7 of us in a second story bedroom with the only AC) then 4 nights in one of the top 5 places I have ever visited. Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier just 30 minutes north of Quebec City. We did really well first time camping. All 7 in a big 6 person tent. Rosalie is just two so she and her 6 and 8 year old brothers didn’t take up much floor. But we really need two tents for the next trip.

The cargo topper and the hitch rack were enough space that I could still see out the back window. Not a necessity but when driving 18 hours straight it’s helpful.

Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier - National Parks - Sépaq

Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier is home to one of the most beautiful glacial valleys in Quebec, the spectacular Vallée de la Jacques-Cartier.

www.sepaq.com

It we had 2 rain showers a small thunderstorm. The tent stayed dry. Not sure I could camp for more than a week this way. Set up required unpacking everything we even pulled the cargo topper off so we access everything easily and park in parking garages. It was a good trip. A bigger van or trailer would have meant we just pack more stuff that we really didn’t need.

A new transportation option has appeared. A lifted sienna AWD van. https://www.journeysoffroad.com/toyota-sienna.html

2020 was the last year for the 3.5 L V6. That’s plenty of power for small trailers.

Think of it as a supersized outback. It’s an interesting idea and probably the cheapest route to an AWD van. Add some stiffer rear variable rate springs and some decent AT tires. It’s not going rock crawling but with the 8 speed transmission it would get you places a regular FWD mini van could not.

 

[begreen]

Looks like a beautiful spot.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Congratulations on completing the first camping trip!