The Postal Service has recently ordered 10,000 new vehicles. They will have a Ford Explorer chassis and drive train with an aluminum and composite body. 500 of the vehicles are scheduled for delivery in May of 1999 with the other 9500 over the following 12 months. The contract was worth 206.4 million dollars They will look similar to the LLV but will have a bigger cargo capacity in anticipation of higher volumes of parcels.
The following is a comparison to the present LLV
| LLV | FORD | |
| Grumman Body | MANUFACTURER | Utilimaster |
| USPS Spec | USPS SPEC/COMMERICIAL | USPS Spec |
| 24 years | PROJECTED BODY LIFE | 24 years |
| General Motors | CHASSIS MANUFACTURER | Ford |
| S-10 | MODEL | Explorer |
| 12 years | PROJECTED POWERTRAIN LIFE | 12 years |
| 175.5" | LENGTH | 188.5" |
| 85" | HEIGHT | 85" |
| 76" | WIDTH | 71" |
| 100.5" | WHEELBASE | 111.6" |
| 5.4"/9" | GROUND CLEARANCE SUSP/BODY | 6.7"/11" |
| 121 cu.ft. | CUBIC CAPACITY | 134 cu. ft. |
| 38.0' | TURNING DIAMETER | 40.4' |
| 3450 lbs | CURB WEIGHT | 3576 lbs |
| 4450 lbs | GROSS WEIGHT | 5100 lbs |
| 1000 lbs | NET PAYLOAD WEIGHT | 1424 lbs |
| Aluminum | BODY MATERIAL | Aluminum/Composite |
| Right Hand Drive | DRIVER ORIENTATION | Right Hand Drive |
| Yes | SLIDING SIDE DOORS | Yes |
| 43" | SIDE WINDOW SILL HEIGHT | 43" |
| No | TILT STEERING WHEEL | Yes |
| No | EQUIPPED WITH AIRBAG | Yes |
| Frt Eng/Rwd | POWERTRAIN CONFIGURATION | Frt Eng/Rwd |
| 49.5"/58" | FRONT/REAR TRACK | 58.5"/58.5" |
| 2000 lbs | FRONT AXLE RATING | 2510 lbs |
| 2800 lbs | REAR AXLE RATING | 2650 lbs |
| Hydrautic/Vac. Assist | BRAKE SYSTEM | Hydraulic/Vac. Assist |
| Disc | FRONT BRAKE TYPE | Disc |
| Drum | REAR BRAKE TYPE | Disc |
| No | ANTILOCK BRAKES | Yes |
| 2.5 Liter 4 cyl. | ENGINE | 4.0 liter V6 |
| 92 hp | HORSEPOWER | 205 hp |
| 134 lbs./ft. | TORQUE | 250 lbs./ft. |
| Gas | FUEL TYPE | Gas/Ethanol/Methanol |
| 16 gallons | FUEL CAPACITY | 21 gallons |
| Yes | CNG CONVERSION AVAILABLE | Yes |
| Auto 3 Spd | TRANSMISSION/ NO. OF SPEEDS | Auto/3 spd. w/OD |
| Limited Slip | DIFFERENTIAL | Positraction |
| No | FOUR WHEEL DRIVE OPTION | Yes |
| 2yrs/24,000 miles | WARRANTY | 3yrs/36,000 miles |