Love the unbiased comparison…was favoring MB for future purchase, but the FT is growing on me because of reviews like this.

Nice job! I've been driving a Transit for nearly 3 years, it is fully upfitted with house electric and basic water to support my carpentry business. When I decided to build an Adventure Van the choice was a no brainer. Interesting that my local dealer had never ordered a Transit Trail and really didn't have a clue why I wanted one!

I was just in Grand Teton. I met three sprinter owners that could not get any work done for 4 hours away. Literally, they have to drive half a day to get to a dealer or the warranty is void.

Also, in the US alone, Mercedes has 384 dealerships, while Ford has almost 2900. That means way more locations for repairs, especially warranty work, and also a far larger parts network. (fyi)

Thanks for the comparisons, very thorough 👍 Among a few factors, the deal-breaker for me for the Transit was the lower entry/exit at the side door. Yes the Transit has more headroom, but look at the top edge of the side door -- (1) When standing inside, I have to stoop down to see outside, and (2) I have to be extra careful with my noggin when entering/exiting the side door. In your video, the top edge of the Sprinter's door is at about eye level, on the Transit it's at about shoulder level -- huge difference to me (I'm 6'-2"). I went with a 2023 Sprinter and am very happy with it, no issues with power or headroom. The other thing on the Transit is that the cab windows dip down pretty low, which is great for visibility, but that works both ways -- easier for the unscrupulous to gaze inside your cab when you're not around. Just two factors that I don't see mentioned anywhere, and were the tipping point for me. Love the power in the Transit, rented both first and loved the HP of the Ford, but the Sprinter was the overall pick for me (as a Grit Overland Baja).

Appearance is subjective: but for me Transit looks odd. As if someone used the design language from a sedans front end and tried to scale it into a boxy van body. Where as Sprinters looks more clean and complete.

Good comparison Between the two main platforms, Brendan. Thanks for this. I'm not sure the additional $12K for the Transit Trail is worth it because the ground clearance really didn't increase, according to other videos I've watched. But I'm not going off-roading like some people like to do so I don't need a larger ground clearance. That said, the high roof, long platform Transit is enough for me.

If I would live in the USA or Canada, I would choose the Ford Transit. But the gas powered Transit is only made for North America. Outside of the USA & Canada, most Transit Vans are Diesel Versions with front wheel drive and now 8 speed automatic transmission, all wheel drive ( only manual trans. so fare) and rear wheel drive with 10 speed auto. The great gas powered 310 hp ford transit vans are not official available outside the USA, in Europe ect.. The Mercedes Sprinter diesel runs on a world wide chassis, all tech spec sare the same. Service around the hole world has the same standart. If you are thinking, to travel with your camper van aross europe and above, the sprinter is a bit more stressless as the ford transit. Dont get me wrong, Ford has a great service around the world too, and around my house in the greater frankfurt, germany area, I know more Ford dealers than Mercedes Service Points. To get parts for the gas powered american ford transit just takes a couple days longer. I drove the 310hp Ford Transit in the USA and I realy like it. The smooth, quite, powerful engine is great. In the Arizona Mountains I´ enjoyed the good engine brake power on downhills of the Transit, the Sprinter is very poor in this. I personally drive a newer 907 Sprinter-Tourer Diesel in Germany. The gas milage is great. But I have on just 10600 miles on the speedo and got 8 recalls so fare and some out of plan service stops. I still have one more year warranty, well, time will tell . . .

Nice drone footage (and pilot!)

I just wish there was a further extended option for the Transit that was the same max length as the Sprinter 3500XD maxed out length (190), a few more inches would be amazing. But other than that, I love the Orca looking Transit.

mercedes is way more expensive and the parts are harder and more expensive to get. You can get Ford parts anywhere! And if a shop doesn't have the part, it's easy and quick to get a Ford part.

I wish Toyota and Honda built similar sized vans, but my experience with the electrical/mechanical gremlins you will encounter on any German vehicle is enough to steer me away.

Great video as usual! Your vans are sweet! This setup is basically my brother and I. I have a 21 Transit AWD, he has a like Sprinter 4wd. Both built out. He has about 20k more miles than me. Definitely the sprinter is cooler looking, better clearance, but his engine/ front end issues, ride quality and lack of manufacturer support along with diesel and diesel issues were definitely steering me away. I love that my Transit did well (and better than his Sprinter) in the deep Baja sand even with the non-eco boost (my reputable overland/baja builder mechanic said stay away from the eco boost!) and smaller tires. Also I can reasonably work on my van after warranty, and not get totally stuck mechanically somewhere south of the border/ or remote as Fords and Ford parts are everywhere. I do think Ford blew it big time on the trail. Why not redesign that passenger CV issue😏 duh! But it's great that's there a choice now for everybody, and aftermarket Ford is growing big

TRANSIT !

Amazing video, thank you so much. This helps a ton. Great review and love your videos.

I do price comparisons all the time. The T250 Transit is $2200 less base price ($47,700vs$49,900) but Ford charges over double for some options (cargo divider $925 vs $385). Then Ford charges $2700 to upgrade to the Ecoboost 6 cylinder. 100k/5year powertrain warranty for the diesel Sprinter. When I drive a Sprinter around empty I am getting mid 20's and have even seen 30 MPG. So empty is capable of double what the inefficient Transit. The Sprinter is also capable of going up to 20,000 miles between service. It also breaks down way less than the Ford, which is only designed to go about 200,000 miles. The Sprinter is designed for 300-500 thousand miles. My Sprinter can double the life of your Transit and get double the fuel mileage. Sprinter for the win!

Thank you so much!

Great review! Thank you

Nothing drive like a sprinter , yes you can have some issue, but sustainability is insane, and resale value is amazing, it s not a toyota but ifyou pay attention to maintenance, you ll love it

I wonder if the insurance is cheaper on FT .... You don't have the MB name.....

I really don't understand when talking about engine specs. why you don't mention the miles per gallon? seeing how this is also one of the most important features of any traveling vehicle

Can you tell us more about the swirly ceiling you have installed on of the vans? I'm intrigued. Others probably are too.

Thank you for this video, it is very informative.

Nice fair comparison……thx. I am all about a transit

Curious about CCC for each… are they comparable? I think of the baseline as 1,500 lbs for people / gear / water… are these in that ballpark with a standard build?

How do the prices compare?

Thank you ❤❤❤... on a market for a van!

Nice video! I heard Ford’s new engines could have serious injection woes. That true?

Two things that are a non-starter for me. One, a van shorter than 21'. Two, a dually. Do you think the 148-extended SRW Transit has enough payload and gumption to handle the additional weight of a full build-out as well as a 170 Sprinter? The other thing that bothers me about the Transit is how few build-outs seem to include a "pizza oven". This is also a non-starter for me as that storage space is just too damn useful to pass up. Thanks for this video!

Thanks man!

Not every MB Dealer will service a Sprinter. And if you need a part…you might be camping out for a while.

But you don't want to spend all the time in the shop. Sprinter is a solid matured off-road capable van( I have one), that being said, I am searching for a Ford for South America trip.

Pretty sure the mpg advantage of the sprinter is much bigger than you are making it sound Sprinter turning radius is much better I’m currently in a 2020 awd eco transit and will be upgrading to the newer sprinter. In the end i don’t think one is a clear winner over the other.

How much money!!!

you don't want a "beast" engine for longevity and fuel mileage, also find it hard to believe diesel is less available than gas in Mexico

Come on man the 4 cylinder is a bad joke

Mercedes>Ford. Do this comparison again 300K miles.