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ECOnomy heaven
Page 12
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Ford has adopted a practical approach to reduce fuel consumption on its Transit, but has retained everything that makes the brand such a joy to drive.
Words: Julian Manes
FORD MIGHT NOT be expecting an improvement in sales "any time soon': according to its CV director, Steve Kimber, but it also knows that the current decline (44% in the first quarter of this year) will eventually improve.
And to make sure it is ready for that moment, the firm is developing five different engine technologies — the only ane in the industry to be doing so.
Clean diesel, Flexifuel (bio-ethanol Ind petrol), electric hybrid, hydrogen Ind fuel cell are all currently on the test bench, because, as Kimber states: "There's no single silver bullet that's going to satisfy everyone's needs."
However, before we all switch to flying vans, Ford has also focused on the present by introducing a fuel consumption-friendly version of its Transit, incorporating several features that combine to lower its thirst.
Adaptable vehicles
Baked ECOnetic and only available in 280 SWB 115 TDCi guise, it gets optimised roiling resistance tyres, a shift light indicator to tell the driver of the optimised gear changes, modified engine calibration and low friction oil, a standard 70mph limiter, and new wheel covers.
The gearing has also been altered to be shorter in first, for improved pull away performance, and longer in top to provide better fuel economy out on the highway, thanks to the fitment of a 4.36 final drive ratio.
All this adds up to a combined fuel consumption of 39.2mpg and a CO2 rating of 189g/km — down 24g/km on the standard 115 engine.
At this point, for all the posturing by the electric and hybrids camps, it's this type of approach that will gain the best results for a vehicle that needs to be used for various types of work.
Snappy changing
On the road, the ECOnetic drives like, well, a normal Transit. Granted, you can feel the altered gearing while accelerating, but that is not to the detriment of outright performance — the engine's torque is strong enough to avoid it feeling laboured.
The green light shift indicator is a bit of a gimmick, and, in reality, would mean you're constantly gazing at the central dial for the next prompt, but the gearshift is easy to operate and allows for some snappy changing.
Besides that, this is a regular Transit, which means it's painless to drive and a joy to live with.
The steering is particularly impressive. helping to place the vehicle precisely, while the damping does an admirable job of insulating you from all that's going on outside.
Inside, the Transit ECOnetic keeps its position of having one of the best layouts in its class, with plenty of practical touches for the modern driver, although there's slightly less space to manoeuvre than some. •