Wonder Vs Unity in 2023: Which Leisure Travel Vans is best?

Did you by mistake forgot that the "expensive" Mercedes diesel pulls 22 MPG, while the "cheap" gasoline ecoboost Ford barely does 13 MPG? That's nearly half the mileage range right there! How's that "cheaper"? Nobody measures cost of full tank, but actual miles per gallon. 😮

Yes, in most states diesel is more expensive, which is ridiculous since it cost less to produce. However, I have a Volkswagon Golf with a diesel engine and I am getting over 50mpg city highway combined. My wife loves her gas powered Smart four two which gets 34 city and 40 highway.

What speed are you going to get such good gas mileage? I never see over 13.5

CONS ON BOTH: Availability of on -road Service centers and costs for each vs. Economic models of Luxury models.

Hello from Greece!! It is possible to do any changes it needs to use in Europe??? Wander or Unity!!!

All-wheel drive may be necessary in a tight situation when if you encounter muddy roads.

I like the wonder rear twin bed design, because of big exterior rear storage, you can put many utilities like vacuum, portable pressure washer, portable washing machine, the thing i dont like is the ford transit. Unity RTB has no big exterior rear storage. I hope that wonder model have an option for Mercedes sprinter

The Ford will cost less to service then the Mercedes,

Quiet Wonder engine vs. noisy unity engine.

My main problem with the ford is leg room. The mercedes sprinters I have sat in give me enough leg room to drive comfortably unfortunately the ford is so uncomfortable for my 36 inch legs and my husbands 38 inch legs. I do most of the driving but he cant even get into the passenger seat on the fords. If there isnt enough leg room for comfort then traveling 4-8 hrs is not going to be an enjoyable trip. This is a shame because I have a ford flex and it is the most comfortable to drive and tons of leg room. My second most favorite thing is the leveling jack. I think they will make my back so much happier when it comes time to set up and tear down camp. Thank you for the video because I was curious as to the differences between the Unity and Wonder.

Our Mercedes cost us $800 to $1200 for full service oil change.

We are listing our Tiffin Breeze pusher in a week hoping to put a deposit down on the Wonder . We are moving we don’t want to build a bigger garage again .

The Transit gets around 10-12 mpg at the same speeds that the new Sprinter gets 18mpg, and diesel was cheaper than regular gas this entire summer on our 7k mile trip around the Western Canada and USA.

So the Mercedes Unity is a 3500XD chassis which is tow rated for 7,500 lbs with a tongue weight rated for 750 lbs with a class 3 hitch and the Ford Transit dually is rated for 6,800 lbs with a tongue weight rated for 680 lbs with also a class 3 hitch which both RV’s have a class 3 hitch. What’s this 4,000 lbs estimate number from when manufacturing numbers don’t lie… 🤔

Unity wins for me !

I do wonder why anybody would buy anything made by Ford.

Based on your comparison of “house” it sounds more like a tie for that category. Giving it to the Wonder because it is less expensive seems odd since you have a separate category for “price”

My husband has searched extensively for the drive on these. He wants to know how they handle and drive. Can you help with this? Thanks

I think this was a great follow-up video because when I started looking at LTVs a couple years ago the unity was far superior. The price difference was large enough that that was essentially the main difference in my opinion. The one thing that I oddly look forward to the most going from a travel trailer to a little motorhome is hydraulic leveling jacks. If that can't happen on the Ford, then I guess Unity it is.

I am considering Unity. My main concern is the diesel generator's noise and smell vs the Wonder's gas generator. I live in Texas, so I would run the generator a lot for ac.Thoughts?

We're confused. Because of your video, we just picked out the Wonder MBL and the corresponding Unity MBL. The Wonder was base priced at over $233K while the Unity base price was $193K. I thought the Wonders were (at least nominally) supposed to be the lower cost option.

How come no Leisure Dealer in the Chicago/Milwaukee area?

I had the Ford Diesel on my B+ Camper. I could drag race with it. I have also driven the Sprinter Class B. I felt the Ford Chassis made for a smoother ride. DON'T rule out the Ford in favor of the more prestigeous Sprinter. Plus...always looking for a Diesel pump, when I pulled into a gas station...and having to buy DEF every six months (and having to decode the date code on the container to insure I wasn't loading old, stale, DEF) was a pain. On my next RV I opted for a gasoline engine.

between unity and wonder MBL models with the slide murphy bed the wonder can have the bed down whether slide is in or out the unity can't have the murphy bed out unless the slide is out because it will hit the counter

What changes are you expecting with the new MB chassis? Gas?

For me, it comes down to leveling jacks. I've been contemplating trading in my Plateau for the Unity solely for that reason. Unless you camp alone, it's a must-have.

Gas vs. Diesel would be my deciding factor. Prices at the pump add up and traveling is the reason for getting one of these.

To me no leveling jacks is a deal breaker.

FYI you can get a device to make the apple car play wireless. It just plugs into the USB and syncs with the car play. Then you sync it to your phone. Once you have synced your phone, you never have to worry about having to plug in your phone again.

The wonder over the unity ANYDAY! Less purchase cost, less maintenance cost, less fuel cost and way more driveability i.e. 10 speed. ANYDAY.

Oh, c'mon. 10 speed transmission, more horsepower and more torque? The Ford Transit is definitely going to tow more weight and be more efficient than the Mercedes.

gracias a este video me decidi a comprar el UNITY

Great video and great for my research while I am gathering information. I have not made a decision on which one I am interested in purchasing. I just know that I plan to purchase one of these vans this year.

Very nice RVs, too bad you can't buy one!

One additional suggestion to Ford - why let Sprinter continue to have the largest van - put a "big van" on the 178" wheelbase and dominate the van market with a truly BIG van.

I have never had a LTV however, I have had 4 sprinter vans and 3 transit vans. Believe me there is no comparison in ownership. The Transits beat the sprinters on MPGs in every case and gas as you pointed out is much less [$1 to $1.5 less per gallon]. I can have my transit serviced at a local Ford dealer about 10 miles away. I had to drive my sprinters 50 miles one way to get service done and most often had to make a second trip when parts came in from Germany. I remember my nephew was with me for a sprinter service at a dealership in Charlotte and they brought in lunch around 11:30am and my nephew was impressed. I told him we could have eaten at any steakhouse in Charlotte and I'd have saved a lot of money - LOL. I have never had any mechanical issues after warranties are expired but I've read horror stories about the sprinter and I'm sure it would require a bank loan - LOL.

"Why would u want awd" u my good sir don't live in Mn or ND winter from November late March

Wonder should add “on demand” hydraulic lift system on suspension for the 4x4 model

Thank you for this video, Brandon. The weighting of comparison factors will always vary depending on the user, but storage space is another factor worthy of consideration. This will, of course, vary from model to model.

Wonder is wonderful. Not a fan of diesel. Give me Ford over Mercedes. <3

Hey Brandon if you were to look at a used Unity. What year would you be looking at? I'm looking at used Unity. I don't know when did they change the models.

Brandon what year did they start putting in the 3.5 ecobost in the Wonder that makes it a game changer?

However if you really like the stability jacks and very luxurious sprinter cab and cheaper gas prices wasn’t a concern then I guess you would opt for the Mercedes Unity right?

Which chassis brand and motor is most quiet to drive? The Ford?

Thank Brandon, great video in going through the same dilemma. Decided to go with the Unity MBL mostly due to the availability of the Mercedes-Benz versus the Ford (sales indicated 6-12 months longer wait for the Ford) and the self-leveling jacks on the Unity with the slide out. Agree on the diesel cost are significantly higher but who knows when I actually get the unit that will most likely be in 2024! Ouch! The Sprinter will also be going to a 4 cylinder this summer that has had very positive performance reviews but still not sure if they FINALLY added TPMS! Would be great if you get any inside information on the new Sprinter. Appreciate all your videos as I patiently wait for my LTV!

From what you said - Round 3 (the house) seemed like a solid tie to me. I didn't hear a good reason why the Wonder was better unless it was implicitly just based on a lower cost for the ~same thing?

It's a moot point since you can't get any of them at this time.

Hi Bandon, you should probably compare service availability and costs too. Thanks

Brandon you neglected to mention that the taller Unity models makes for higher center of gravity and hence owners have reported beefing up shocks bump stops. You will never see a Wonder owner complain about any suspension issues. Lastly the Wonder rear wheel stance is wider plus the 178 versus 170 wheel base. And FWIW Washington DC to Key West and back at 16.9 mpg with 2WD gas Wonder.