Ford Is Making An Off-Roading Van That You’re Meant To Live In

Ford created the Transit Trail Van to appeal to individuals, couples, and families looking to take their lives on the road, the Ford Van is meant to be "up-fitted" and lived in.

By Trista Sobeck | Updated

Ford is creating a nearly $70,000 van where you can spend hundreds of thousands more to “upfit” into a configuration to make you look even more like a thirsty influencer. Ok, ok, now that we have that out of the way, The Ford van is made to actually live in. Only if you’re child-free, in your late 20s, and vegan. Again, just kidding. The Ford Transit Trail Van reportedly has incredible demand. 

According to CNBC, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many folks took a look to become a sort of digital nomad. They took their laptops, grabbed their entire families, and jumped in RVs to go travel the great wide yonder. They work a remote-first job and have the freedom to go wherever the wind takes them.

This type of living became an opportunity for Ford, producers of trucks and American-made fast cars, to create a type of Ford van that can be customized like Ikea furniture has a massive run-in with legos. The company uses the term “upfit” to get customers to alter their vans into different configurations. Welcome the Ford Transit Trail Van. 

As interest rates go higher, and have been for the last couple of months, mortgages are becoming more and more expensive. And reports say that the federal government may increase the rates again. With homeownership, a far-off dream to many, Ford van life sounds like a great option if you’ve got the opportunity. 

Reporters cannot help themselves from drawing on the irony that Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, is Chris Farley’s cousin. Chris played a motivational speaker in a Saturday Night Live skit  who tried to keep teenagers from doing drugs and eventually, “living in a van down by the river.” 

ford van

Chris Farley’s character, Matt Foley, probably didn’t mean this type of van, however. A cautionary tale, “living in a van down by the river,” became a type of catchphrase for SNL fans throughout most of the 1990s. 

Oddly enough, we’ve ended up here in 2022, where van living is desired and envied by so many. Chris Farley, fortuneteller. 

The Ford van’s cargo configurations include medium and high roof models and an extended-length version. The company plans to sell configurations to professional upfitters. The van will not come standard with sleeping or living quarters, but Ford’s network of upfitters, can fix that. 

Reports say that Ford’s network can demand tens of thousands of dollars for upgrades. The original Ford van is basically is a purpose-built base ready for upgrades galore. The Ford van does have an onbord inverter and a fuse panel, which allows DIY enthusiasts to work on the exciting parts of the configuration.


Ford is blazing the trails of technology with this and its e-Transit Custom commercial van. This van has been described as a “smartphone on wheels.” So, Ford vans have options for those who want to get off the grid and those who never want to be away from it.