欧元货车重新定义您的滚动车间| 2015-11-02 | ENR

去年12月，莱昂·拉杰纳斯（Leon Lajeunesse）决定为他的一般承包业务购买一辆工作面包车。他认为自己会发现很多年终的激励措施，但他没想到会通过对经销商的地段上的几种新的，看起来奇怪的模型进行爆炸进行排序。

Lajeunesse说：“我已经有两辆Econoline Vans。“我当时正在寻找一辆小型货车，几乎是一个便携式帮派盒，用于进出城市。”

The president of Lake Zurich, Ill.-based Custom Contracting tested out several smallish vans, including Ford’s Transit Connect—a compact version of the larger Transit—before purchasing a 2014 Ram C/V, a midsize hauler based on the Dodge Caravan.

Today, the C/V is no longer available, as Ram replaced it this year with the Fiat-based ProMaster City, a small version of the full-size ProMaster. Still, “I got exactly what I wanted,” says LaJeunesse. “A lot of times, there is barely any laydown space for materials, so we’ve got to be minimal in what we leave on site. We use this as a just-in-time delivery service.”

弗吉尼亚州的货物ns are making a big comeback. Market leader Ford reported in September its busiest month for commercial vans since 1987, selling 17,994 vehicles, an annual increase of 65%—nearly four times stronger than the growth rate of pickup trucks. The uptick is partially due to replacement needs—on average, commercial owners keep their vans for 11 years or more—but the expanding options in models, configurations and capabilities also are boosting sales.

The new influx of Euro-style vans may take some buyers by surprise, with their stubby noses and tall profiles. “In the van segment, form follows function,” says Dave Sowers, head of Ram’s commercial vehicle marketing. “Everything here starts with capability and efficiency.”

Every day, contractors are finding new ways to use cargo vans to become more productive and profitable. Full-size vans like the Ford Transit, which comes in two wheelbases, three body lengths and three roof heights—with a maximum cargo volume of 487.3 cu ft, maximum payload of 4,560 lb and a starting price of $32,155—make haulers like bulky, fuel-thirsty box trucks seem less appealing.

福特货车品牌经理Yaro Hetman说：“这些新的货车彻底改变了企业可以对他们做什么。”“与其在卡车的背面拖动小屋，不如在高屋顶面包车上设置车间和计算机，然后直接开车到站点。这是您在旧的框架传统电子系列中永远无法想象的。”

For users who still want flexible body options, Ford is still building E-Series cutaways as well as Transits in cutaway and chassis-cab configurations. And although Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Ram have all joined the unibody van craze, body-on-frame traditionalists can still turn to General Motors for its Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans, which offer best-in-class towing of 10,000 lb.

For many tradespeople, being able to stand up inside a tall work van is a productivity game-changer, not to mention a back-saver.

Hetman解释说：“我们最受欢迎的模型是中屋顶的长轴距过境。”“在中等的屋顶中，即使您身高6英尺，也可以站起来，这覆盖了大多数人。同时，您获得的燃油效率类似于低屋顶车辆。”高屋顶的过境使一个高达6英尺5英寸的人完全站起来而无需伸出脖子。

Manufacturers of today’s full-size vans are not required to report fuel economy estimates, but Hetman says users can expect to see up to 46% better fuel efficiency and 75% more cargo capacity than the discontinued E-Series. For full-size vans equipped with a diesel engine, buyers can expect to see unladen miles per gallon in the low to mid- 20s, Sowers notes.

And while towing with a van is sometimes needed, users are finding they can carry more materials and gear in the back without hooking up a trailer.

“Some people will get a tow package just to have it in case they need to tow,” Hetman says. “With the E-Series, you have to tow more to get all your tools to your site, but with Transit’s close to 500 cubic feet of cargo capacity, you can fit most of those tools and not have the fuel economy degradation of having to tow something.” Mercedes-Benz has the most cargo room in the class with a volume of up to 586.1 cu ft.

紧凑型类中的模型在运输能力和效率方面同样令人印象深刻。高速公路燃油经济性在20年代中高，并不是不可能的，许多人可以吞下带有空间空间的4x4x4英尺托盘。可以充分利用内部装饰的一系列令人难以置信的货物箱，架子，架子和舱壁。

The increase in storage options has given contractors “an opportunity to really nail down what it is that they want to do,” says Jason Lehman, vice president of sales for Atlanta-based upfitter Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products. A year ago, the commercial upfitter, which manufacturers racks, bins and other cargo organizers, moved into a 72,000-sq-ft ship-through facility in Kansas City, Mo., just down the road from Ford’s van factory.

With upfitting, “your imagination is where it ends,” Hetman says. “We have had 12 upfitters create facilities within 20 miles of our Kansas City plant. Some of them are multimillion-dollar facilities specifically dedicated to upfitting Transits.”

Upfitters are constantly thinking of clever options. “A lot of times, in construction, contractors would utilize a service body on a cab chassis whereas now they can go buy a vehicle off a dealer lot and have the shelving installed in our location,” Lehman explains. “It’s probably a little less expensive for them than what they have done in the past.”

For contractors needing to haul tools and supplies, the new vans accept a wide variety of materials for cargo bins, such as steel, aluminum, wire and composites as well as ladder roof racks. Some users are even putting stepladders inside the van simply because more space is available.

“Instead of putting roof racks on the roof, a lot of contractors and tradespeople can put the rack inside, which [produces] almost a 30% decrease in fuel consumption,” Hetman says. “Some people still prefer to have the ladder on top, but we’ve definitely seen a shift.” Super-long extension ladders may still need to go topside, however.

Even more cargo van options are on the way. Within the small-van class, which includes the Ford Transit Connect, Ram ProMaster City, Nissan NV200 and its twin, the Chevrolet City Express, a new midsize model is joining the fray: the Mercedes Metris. On sale since October, the van, which can haul up to 2,500 lb in the back and is priced at just under $30,000—making it the lowest-cost Mercedes vehicle in the U.S.—fills a void that Ram left wide open when it discontinued the C/V this year.

Lajeunesse说，他对这一举动不太满意，但他计划让他的C/V货车忙碌了几年。