Thor Rize vs Storyteller Overland
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Hi, everyone! We are Sean and Pia with our four chihuahuas, Yoda, Jabba, Chewbacca and BobaFett.
On this episode 6, we moved out of our first van and moved in to another van. Here, we reveal what made us upgrade our van from a Ram Promaster Thor Rize to a Ford Transit Storyteller Overland.
#vanlife #rvlife #vanlifedog #rvlifedog #campervan #classbrv #storytelleroverland #thorrize #rampromaster #fordtransit
We are excited to be featured on Storyteller Overlander's blog thanks to this video! Check out the writeup here: storytelleroverland.com/blogs/news/storyteller-overland-vs-thor-rize-camper-van-comparison
Thanks for watching and reading!
Great comparison video guys thank you so much for bringing this information into the light!
Thanks for watching!
Great video 👍 Love my 18M... Eco Flow power station is all that was needed.... Along with the TV and temperpidic mattress...
Sounds like you put in some excellent modifications!
@@VanDoghies Thanks, l got lucky it came with alloys, awing bike rack and wifi satellite. All for 79k Virginia show model...
Ok for the a/c issue - a soft start installed on the a/c unit allows the a/c to start ‘soft’ - as that is where the big power draw is. With the soft start installed the a/c can run on a regular 110 plug. There is the actual Soft Start @ pricey, but there are other ones less costly.
Great tip! Probably a good piece of equipment to have on hand just in case in a similar heat wave in the CA desert.
I love my Mecedes. But I must admit, there are way more Ford dealerships than Mercedes. And towing can get expensive when you are hundreds of miles from a dealer. Ask me how I know.
That is a big bonus but I also love the Mercedes too :). How far did you have to tow and what happened?
@@VanDoghies A couple months ago I saw a "used" 2022 MB Sanctuary 19L 4x4 on Ebay with only 575 miles on it located in Michigan (I live in Albuquerque, NM). It had a ridiculously low price on it already, and I got it a lot lower. These people had literally driven it home from the nearby General RV dealership, winterized it, and never drove it again. It sat in their driveway for almost 2 years. I knew that, in itself, had some risk involved. As I would find out. They were older folks and thought it would be a fun rig, but they were afraid to drive it, and could definitely not camp in it. I bought it sight unseen for what ended up being $50k less than they had just paid for it. I think it is worth the risks associated with the neglect of not being driven. As you know, these rigs have to go through some shake down miles. And now I can put some serious mods on it.
Of course, on my 2000-mile drive back to Albuquerque it broke down in a small West Texas town. It was over 200 miles to the closest MB dealership in Lubbock. Turned out to be a bad electronic control module that wouldn't let me engage into drive, so I had to drop the driveline and have it towed. The factory warranty is still in effect for another 10 months, so it covered it. But not the towing (I should check on that). That was $1,300, +$200 tip for the guy that towed me on Labor Day weekend. He had an older rig with no A/C and it was 105 Texas degrees, he smoked in his cab. (LOL) But he was worth every penny of $1500 for getting me to a dealer.
So that's how I found my new rig. Thankfully MasterVolt built in protections, so the battery wasn't damaged from the neglect. I had them check it out. I've now got all of the little bugs worked out (cabinets started separating from the ceilings, wallpaper peeling finish work coming apart, etc). I'm leaving this week to spend the winter in the Lake Havasu City area camping and off roading. Should be a blast, Finally!!!! That was a crazy two months, but worth it.
And I'm stopping at Owl Vans in Phoenix/Mesa on my way. I'll be like a kid in a candy store. Safe travels to you guys. Great channel! And deep heartfelt sympathy for you guys with the loss of Jabba. ❤
Wow that's amazing! Enjoy Havasu and there are so many vanlifers wintering in Arizona you will have a blast!@@headinghome1644
Thanks for the video! We too chose a Mode LT and have been very pleased with fit, function and performance of the Storyteller build on the Transit AWD. The main complaint/issue we have with the LT is that the Bed is too firm esp. for my wife. We have a memory foam overlay that works great for me but only so so for my wife.May end up getting a different mattress. How are you two sleeping on it? Will be getting a spare also. Makes me nervous driving remotely without one.
Very timely question! We just picked up a new mattress yesterday :) We have tried both bed toppers as well as inflatable extra sleeping mats and neither have proven to be very helpful for a full night's sleep on top of the standard ST mattress. So far immediate perception of the new mattress is a dramatic upgrade and well worth the investment. We will have a full review and demo of our new mods coming soon to the channel, but will also offer some basic comments here on the posts. Canyon Adventures Van will ship as well as pickup their new Lux mattress and we think we may have been the first installation of in the Mode LT. Their website currently shows only for Sprinter Chassis but we can confirm (and you can call their wonderful staff) that it does fit the Transit as well quite perfectly.
I like the 🇺🇸 Ford Chassis. It has good performance and runs quite. The gas powered Transit is only made for north america. The Sprinter Chassis is a world wide set up. Were ever your travel in the world, there is sprinter service somewere. The new mercedes four banger diesel gets great gas milage, and with the 47 and 53 gallon fuel tank long distance driving is no issue and the diesel interior heater can run many days. For USA vacation trips my first choise would be the storyteller-overland transit too 😁
That's great info Matt! We hope to travel overseas in Europe and Asia so we expect to have to learn some new Van Chassis details in the future. The AWD features of the Transit have been welcome especially of late with all the rain and snow in California.
Hey Sean and Pia! I have a question. I also have a transit 250 mid roof 2 wheel dr. I'm looking to upgrade my stock tires to something more beefy. What size are yours? what brand etc.? Is your van lifted? Thanks very much!
Hey Michael! Thankfully Storyteller Overland handled all the original mods and we are planning more in the future. This is a Transit 350 AWD with 148' Wheelbase. There is a slight lift but we might want to look at lifting it more in the future. The 16-inch Bronze Wheels are wrapped in BFGoodrich KO2 rubber all terrain tires. Here's the link to all the specs: storytelleroverland.com/pages/2023-mode-lt We definitely love all of these features, the tires handled well off roading and you will see that in an upcoming video!
The Ecoboost is a beast, looking forward to get ours. Is that the big infotainment? Did the include the climate controls to the infotainment screen or are they separate?
Hell yah we love the engine on the Ford Transit, drives just like my other Truck :) Yep the infotainment screen in the front does have climate controls, all touch screen! Then the Volta Climate Controls is on the separate screen in the house portion over the door.
@@VanDoghies Dang it, I would've preferred they kept the HVAC controls separate, but they're all taking this route, it's easier to do in software. Can you remote start it with the Ford app? And finally, does it have wireless Apple Carplay / Android Auto? Thanks!
@@CubanRider Yes, you can remote start it with the Ford app regulate temp too, etc and all other perks from the app. It does come with separate fob for starting the engine remotely. You can unlock/lock with keypad on the driver's side. Yes, wireless Apple Carplay / Android Auto. 360 Camera and front cam with physical button. Adaptive cruise works very well. Downside is still has a key to start the engine, seats could be better, the 11 MPG and with the 35s tires the turning radius is bad.
These are some great topics for a future video! Thanks Van for the assist! I have actually found the turning radius to be really good, especially on switchbacks in the dirt roads. I haven't played with the Ford app yet but I have used the remote start on FOB and all is working well. Will definitely be tinkering with the Ford app soon. I have found the Carplay to hiccup on long trips especially if I'm charging my phone on the USB-C on the driver's side. Still need to get the cadence down or get a firmware update. It's going in for maintenance on Monday!
@@VanDoghies Enjoy your Mode LT
Thank you guys for your video. Question: do you think the mode LT could comfortably support three people on longer trips (say a two week long or more)? Or is it really suited for a couple.
Looking forward to your full review of mode LT.
Absolutely on 3 adults as the Groove Lounge is super comfortable and some couples even split between the bed and lounge if they have kids that want to share the bed. In most cases you could fit an adult couple and 1 to 2 kids pretty comfortable and we are sleeping all 4 of our dogs in the bed with us (more on that in upcoming videos). I will also add the winter camping in this van is very comfortable because the climate control doesn't get too hot (our Thor heater got extremely hot to the point we decided not to use often). Families of 3 or 4 should be good to go in this van with some mods that could also help the sleep situation. (inflatables for sure)
Here is my input.Traveling shorter trips Yes, longer trips No unless you go to Burning Man. 3 adults sleep comfortably, but you need some kinda a padding for the Grove Lounge such as Exped, Nemo or just any foam from Amazon.
In regards of the winter, Ford is not as good as the Mercedes in my opinion. Back doors are insulated half way and have some holes on them, not sure why STO left it that way. Window covers are good and helps a lot. Also the van needs to be fully winterized, which means dry camping. You need to put a towel on the dash to prevent moisture from dripping on CPU, crack a window, get a humidity sensor, fuel tank above 1/4 and a 12v mattress heater.
@@vanh6194 Thank you very much for your insightful comments, very helpful and much appreciated. Happy and safe travels!
Really good points Van, I think the caveat is it depends on where you are winter camping. For the most part we are just hitting borderline freezing temps even in the California mountains and high desert (this weekend we were on top of a mountain and it got to 35) and we were snug up with no issues on the heater. But I agree if we were going well below freezing it would be another story. The front dash has received lots of condensation for us but never dripped on the dash (so far). The electric blanket is key and we have loved ours (the dogs love it too!)
You picked the right van. I am also an owner of a STO MODE LT.
Awesome to hear! We are running into Storyteller owners on the road all the time now. Have you been to any meetup?
@@VanDoghies No, not yet. I am planning to go to STO Headquarter this spring to buy a spare tire.
Great idea, there are some other vendor options too that we have been monitoring as well for spares.
Neither, the 3.5L gasguzzer would never ever sell in Europe or Mèxico. We r power spoiled in the States. Hence, neither until Ford brings the hybrid to the States at 29mpg....or the diesel 2.0L mild hybrid...same torque at 405
OMG the hybrid model is coming soon! We can't wait for that either. Also hoping it has a self-charging option like the house battery!
@@VanDoghies it already available in Europe, For the first time ever, the Transit is available as an EcoBlue mild-hybrid, which means the traditional engine is joined by a small electric motor. This translates to greater efficiency and less emissions, which will be greatly noticed in heavy traffic.
Bar that, you can choose from four variations of the dependable 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine, with the most powerful variant kicking out 183 bhp and 298 lb/ft. In short, you won't struggle to find a specification that best suits your needs. Each engine meets the stringent Euro 6.2 emissions standards, too. up to 405 nm
A 6-speed manual gearbox comes as standard, although you can opt for an advanced 10-speed automatic transmission for optimised acceleration and outstanding fuel efficiency.
Great info! I'm hopeful the Transit hybrid becomes available in a year or two here in the states! Keep up updated!
The manspreading is over the top and not camera friendly. Just my two cents.
Thanks for watching! We appreciate the feedback and will make sure to avoid that in the future.
Mercedes service............expensive
Super expensive. Our Ford services are a fraction of MB.