A full-size van is a marketing term used in North America for a van larger than a minivan, that is characterized by a large, boxy appearance, a short hood, and very heavy cargo/passenger-hauling capacity. In recent times, they consistently feature a powertrain of a V8 engine, automatic transmission, and rear-wheel drive.
They largely replaced the compact vans, which were introduced in the early 1960s to compete with the Volkswagen Type 2, based on compact car components.
The first full-size van was the 1969 Ford E-Series, which used components from the Ford F-Series pickups. General Motors and the Dodge Ram Van would follow suit with designs with the engines placed even farther forward, and succeeding generations of the Econoline would also introduce longer hoods.
The American market is entirely dominated nowadays by the Ford E-Series, Ford Transit and Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana.