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Originally Posted by kerry
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Our local Dodge dealer stopped by my place with one for me to check out a couple weeks ago. We've traditionally run diesel Econoline 350's for our smaller deliveries and they've served us well. But we do run into issues where the volume of the load rather than the weight pushes us into the next truck up (An F-Super Duty box truck) which is much less efficient and "pleasant" to drive. I've got to say I was impressed by it in person. It's an easy driver, good visibility.
The one I drove was the 1500 118"WB model which is their shortest model, roughly the length of the Econoline, although the turning radius is more compact. Much larger inside (very boxy), larger rear opening and the ability to load standard 40" x 48" pallets through the side door (not possible on the Econoline). With FWD the floor is lower, too. Option for 3 across seating.
The V6 is 280 hp and supposed to deliver 21ish mpg. It'll be interesting to see what numbers the diesel produces once it's available. The $4K upcharge might be tough to justify mpg-wise, maybe easier to justify if it proves to be more durable. It's not uncommon for us to run our light and medium duty trucks into the 250K mile range.
Load capacity on the 1500 is 3900 lbs. We occasionally carry a couple ton pallets of fertilizer or infield clay, usually less than that but bulkier. So it's a bit of a quandry. To legitimately carry 4000 lbs. you need to bump up to the 2500 which is only offered in the 136" WB with the higher roof (101" tall overall) which would keep it out of many parking garages (hauling show displays to different trade shows isn't uncommon).
Fiat has been running them around Europe for decades, my concern is the durability of the Chrysler/Dodge running gear they've bolted to it. I'm content to let them get a year under their belt, maybe for FedEx or UPS to run some in their fleets, and see how they hold up.
Looks promising, though!