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A capable performer
• Price: Cl 4,500 Engine: 1.6-Litre., 1094 Payload: 833kg Mileage: 6,725 Expenses: ED Faults: Loose mechanism inside driver's seat upright [undiagnosed) Average mpg: .3 / • Throughout the majority • of January. our Ford Transit Connect • has had to cope, much like the rest of the country, with snow, ice, . heavy rain, and sometimes all • three at once.
It has managed to weather the, • er, weather that was perhaps better • suited to penguins than people.
▪ Every morning, the windscreen . heater certainly came into its own.
• We set off several times loaded • down with blankets, flagons of coffee.
. a fully charged mobile phone and • plenty of spare clothes just in case we didn't arrive.
. However, we needn't have worried the front-wheel • drive van coped perfectly well under duress not least traversing the Yorkshire Dales between Kendal and . Ripon on the A684 at the height of the freezing weather.
• It's a tricky piece of road in good weather, but we were impressed by its handling and ability to hold the road as . others floundered repeatedly and quickly found the • snow-covered verges after sliding about a bit. After carrying out several trips up and down the . motorway network, we are still of the belief that this is • a very tidy vehicle thanks to its 1.6-litre 109hp diesel engine and five-speed manual transmission.
• However, that said, despite the Connect's good road • manners and solid construction, the engine is still a little bit rough and unrefined for our tastes. For example,
. on start-up (particularly when its cold), the diesel
clatter from the powerplant is loud enough to rouse your neighbours from their slumbering& CM's other bugbear remains with the Connect's low seating position. It needs elevating in order to match its size, if only to reduce the space at the top of the huge windscreen.
The Connect's all-round specification, however, does make up for the engine and seating position niggles especially smaller touches such as the tray above the windscreen for extra storage and the twin-sliding doors for full access to the loadspace.
Storage and access
Speaking of loadspace, the Connect was called on to transport garden refuse and that required volume. With 2.8m3, we were able to cram in more branch trimmings than we thought possible. Unfortunately, there are a number of crevasses inside the Connect's load bay (housing mainly the wiring), which quickly filled up with sand, twigs and two or three rather large spiders...
Furthermore, the standard protective rubber floor matting kept the bare metal from damage, although it did sustain a few minor scratches and scrapes In addition to the extra storage in the Connect, the twin-sliding doors, which provide full access to the loadspace, help to make this a versatile vehicle.
We also like the central console that houses the heating controls, CD player and the sat-nay, although when travelling at night, the screen reflects onto the windscreen. Perhaps a lip over the top of the screen would rectify that.
Kevin Swallow