MXA’S CARGO-VAN BINGO: FORD VS. MERCEDES VS. RAM

It’s a white world in the pits at Glen Helen between the motor homes and cargo vans—even the pickup trucks are white.

Dear MXperts,
My Ford F150 has served me well by getting me to and from the races with my bike, gear, gas cans, lawn chairs and cooler, but now my son has turned 13 and doesn’t want to play soccer anymore. He wants to race. So, I bought him a used YZ125, and he is showing promise. My old Ford F150 isn’t up to holding two of everything in the bed. What is the best cargo van?

You have three choices when it comes to cargo vans tall enough to stand up in, and you shouldn’t buy one that you can’t stand up in you or will regret it soon after. Luckily, the MXA wrecking crew has experience with all three of the cargo vans you would want: Josh Mosiman has a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter; Dennis Stapleton has a Ford Transit; and Josh Fout has a Ram ProMaster. Obviously, price plays a big role and the prices vary by brand, low or high roof height, regular or extended length and availability. There is no shortage of cargo vans in the pits at races and their owners would be the best people to ask for info about what they think before buying. Plus, here is a list of the most popular cargo vans for  comparison:

MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER—$62,495
The Sprinter is the top choice for full-size vans, with a large loading capacity and good mileage. However, Sprinter vans are expensive and have high maintenance costs. They are offered in three available lengths, two wheelbases and two roof heights (97.2 inches and 108.6 inches). Sprinter dropped their gasoline engine in 2023, but is now offered with two turbocharged diesels–a standard 168 horsepower unit and high-output 208 hp version.They don’t have more mechanical issues than their competition, but you will be paying Mercedes-Benz prices to get it fixed.

FORD TRANSIT—$49,495
Thanks to the abundant number of Ford dealerships, the Ford Transit is considered to be the easiest cargo van to maintain and service. It’s also one of the best-selling vans in the United States. It is available in three roof heights and three body lengths (18.5 feet, 20.0 feet and 22.0 feet). The high roof height is 110 inches. Engine choices are a 3.5-liter direct-injection gas, 3.5-liter EcoBoost gas or 2.0-liter Eco Blue (diesel). It is less expensive than the Mercedes but more expensive than the Ram.s

RAM PROMASTER—$45,2555
The Ram ProMaster is really a Fiat Ducato, which is why it has the lowest MSRP. It is the only front-wheel-drive cargo van in a class filled with rear-wheel-drive vans—it is also has the widest and tallest cargo van—thanks to its square cargo area and low load floor (because there is no drive shaft under the body). There is only one engine choice, the 3.6 liter Chrysler Pentastar gas engine. There are two high-roof cargo van models both in regular end extended lengths. However in the MXA wrecking crews opinion the Pro Master suffers from lots of irritating issues, as small as the ignition key wearing out to the windows refusing to go up and down.