Compare the2023 Ford Transit VanVS 2023 GMC Savana Cargo

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Transit Van has standard Automatic Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Savana Cargo offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.

The Transit Van has standard Post-Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Transit Van offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Transit Van offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Transit Van’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Savana Cargo.

The Transit Van offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Savana Cargo only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Transit Van’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Transit Van’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Transit Van uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Savana Cargo uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Transit Van and the Savana Cargo have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and blind spot warning systems.

Warranty

The Transit Van’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Savana Cargo’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 79 percent more Ford dealers than there are GMC dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Transit Van’s warranty.

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Transit Van have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engines in the Savana Cargo.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Transit Van has a standard 250-amp alternator (500-amp - Transit Van optional). The Savana Cargo’s standard 105-amp alternator and largest (optional) 220-amp alternator aren’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, GMC is rated lower.

Engine

The Transit Van’s optional 3.5 turbo V6 produces 34 more horsepower (310 vs. 276) and 102 lbs.-ft. more torque (400 vs. 298) than the Savana Cargo’s standard 4.3 V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Transit Van 3.5 EcoBoost’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Transit Van has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Transit Van, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Savana Cargo.

Tires and Wheels

The Transit Van’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Savana Cargo’s 75 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Transit Van has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Savana Cargo’s suspension doesn’t offer rear gas-charged shocks.

For much better steering response and tighter handling the Transit Van has rack and pinion steering, like Formula racecars, instead of the recirculating-ball type steering of the Savana Cargo.

The Transit Van’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Transit T-150 Long’s wheelbase is 12.4 inches longer than on the Savana Cargo 2500 135” WB (147.6 inches vs. 135.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Transit Van is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Savana Cargo.

Chassis

The Ford Transit Van may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the GMC Savana Cargo.

Unibody construction makes the Transit Van’s chassis much stiffer, which contributes to better handling, and enables softer springs to be used for a better ride. Unibody construction’s stiffness also contributes to better durability and less body squeaks and rattles. The Savana Cargo doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

Cargo Capacity

The Transit T-150 Long has a much larger cargo volume than the Savana Cargo 2500 135” WB (277.7 vs. 239.7 cubic feet).

The Transit T-250 Long-EL has a much larger cargo volume than the Savana Cargo 2500 155” WB (487.3 vs. 284.4 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Transit Van easier. The Transit T-150 Long’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.7 inches, while the Savana Cargo 2500 135” WB’s liftover is 30.3 inches. The Transit T-250 Long-EL’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28 inches, while the Savana Cargo 2500 155” WB’s liftover is 29.8 inches.

The Transit Van’s cargo area is larger than the Savana Cargo’s in almost every dimension:

	Transit T-150 Regular	Transit T-250 Long-EL	Savana Cargo 2500 135” WB	Savana Cargo 2500 155” WB
Length	126”	172.2”	126.8”	146.8”
Max Width	70.2”	70.2”	61.5”	61.5”
Min Width	54.8”	45.4”	52.5”	52.5”
Height	56.9”	81.5”	55.1”	55.1”

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Transit Van. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Payload and Towing

Standard Trailer Stability Control on the Transit Van uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Transit Van has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Savana Cargo:

	Transit Van	Savana Cargo
T-150 Van	3472 lbs.	n/a
T-250 Van	3872 lbs.	3280 lbs.
T-350 Van	4302 lbs.	4060 lbs.

The Transit Van has much higher optional payload capacities than the Savana Cargo:

	Transit Van	Savana Cargo
T-150 Van	3668 lbs.	n/a
T-250 Van	4068 lbs.	3280 lbs.
T-350 Van	5114 lbs.	4280 lbs.

Ergonomics

To help each driver find a more comfortable driving position, the Transit Van has a telescoping steering wheel. Much better than just a tilt steering wheel or adjustable seat, this allows a short driver to sit further from the steering wheel while maintaining contact with the pedals. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a telescoping steering wheel.

The Transit Van’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Savana Cargo’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Transit Van’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Savana Cargo’s power windows’ switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Transit Van’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Intelligent Access optional on the Transit Van allows you to unlock the driver’s door, cargo door and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading groceries, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The GMC Savana Cargo doesn’t offer an advanced key system.

The Transit Van’s available sliding doors can be opened with less than three inches side clearance. The Savana Cargo’s standard rear double doors are clumsy and make loading in tight spots difficult.

In addition to the standard right side sliding door, the Ford Transit Van offers an optional driver’s side rear sliding door. This door simplifies loading and unloading passengers and it allows parents to easily secure two children into child seats. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a driver’s side rear door.

The Transit Van’s optional power passenger’s side sliding door makes it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the van. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a power rear door.

The Transit Van’s power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Savana Cargo’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Transit Van has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Transit Van’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Savana Cargo’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Transit Van’s optional high intensity discharge (HID) headlights provide a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using less power than the Savana Cargo’s halogen headlights. HID units last two to six times longer than halogen.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Transit Van detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

The Transit Van’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

The Transit Van offers optional heated front seats, which keep the driver and front passenger extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated seats aren’t available in the Savana Cargo.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Transit Van offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Bluetooth wireless connectivity is standard on the Transit Van, connecting the driver and passenger’s cell phones to the vehicle systems. This allows them to use the vehicle’s stereo and hand controls to place calls safely and easily. Bluetooth costs extra on the Savana Cargo.

The Transit Van’s optional Enhanced Active Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Savana Cargo doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Ford Transit outsold the GMC Savana by almost four to one during the 2022 model year.