| RVers looking for a heavy-duty tow rig that also hauls a crowd of passengers may find the Sportsmobile Traveler van a functional solution. "We call this our SUV fighter," explained Alan Feld, CEO of Sportsmobile West Inc. "It's a foot shorter than a Suburban, 2 feet shorter than an Excursion and has 20 percent more interior room than the Suburban and 15 percent more than the Excursion. It has better approach-and-departure angles, with a smaller exterior footprint, and more interior storage than any of the larger SUVs."
Feld went on to say, "Our target market is active customers that ski, surf, explore and need an around-town vehicle that will get them out of town on the weekends. We're also after customers who tow RVs, horse trailers and boats."
The base-model Traveler, as built and equipped by Ford, includes a 5.4-liter Triton V-8 gas engine and a four-speed automatic transmission in a Ford E-350 van chassis. The interior features four leather captain's chairs, a leather rear-bench seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Convenience items include the usual power accessories, such as power seats, windows, door locks and mirrors, along with cruise control, air conditioning and an AM/FM stereo with CD and cassette. A video entertainment system for rear-seat occupants includes dual fold-down flat-screen televisions and a videocassette player.
Sportsmobile adds a wide variety of accessories and options based on customer requests and their special recreational or towing needs. The well-equipped model above includes the four-wheel-drive (4WD) system installed as a Ford-authorized accessory by Quigley Manufacturing. Sportsmobile also equipped the rig with underfloor storage, a 46-gallon fuel tank, custom wheels and tires, custom bumpers, a winch, driving lights and a roof-rack system. It also includes the 7.3-liter Power Stroke diesel engine, which is part of what gives the Traveler it's 10,000-pound tow rating.
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As shown, the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Traveler in full-boat trim is $59,121. It's possible to undercut that price substantially by choosing fewer options and selecting the 5.4-liter V-8 or 6.8-liter V-10 engines instead of the 7.3-liter diesel. Another Traveler model with just the 4WD and wheel/tire options had a $46,255.
The Sportsmobile Traveler is covered by Ford's 36-month, 36,000-mile warranty, including the 4WD conversion, and an extended warranty is also available.
Jeff Johnston
Trailer Life
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