i Price: 216,500 (ex-VAT). Includes dual batteries, ABS, Quickclear windscreen,
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power steering, tachograph and full bulkhead. Engine: 2.5 litres, 60kW (80hp). GVIN: 3.2 tonnes.
Payload: 1,500k9. Average speed: 68.0km/h (42.3mph). Overall fuel consumption (laden): 10.4 lit/100km (27.0mpg).
History is more or less bunk, declared Henry Ford. He could be right, for it will take more than its reputation to keep Ford's Transit at the top of the panel van pyramid. But the nation's top car and van maker does have some formidable weapons in its sales armoury. Aside from its legendary marketing strength Ford has an uncanny knack of building a model variant for just about every imaginable niche in the light commercial market.
This week's roadtest vehicle, the Transit 150 SWB, is typical. It has the smallest Transit van body shell yet boasts a maximum gross weight of 3.2 tonnes, taking it to the brink of tachograph territory Following the adage about being hung for a sheep instead of a lamb, it's difficult to see who would want to Stop 300kg short of the heaviest 3.5-tonne Transit 190, which can carry much more in its larger long-wheelbase body Who buys a van like this—arms dealers? Stone merchants? The only example we know of has been fitted with a tail-lift and is used by a computer supplier. Whoever the 150 SWB is aimed at, they have the same needs as any other van user: economy, load capacity and ease of use.
• PRODUCT PROFILE When the Transit was updated a year ago, a number of new engines were fitted. Among them was a 2.5-litre, 60kW (80hp) fourcylinder direct-injection diesel to complement the 52kW (70hp) DI engine of equal capacity, and the turbocharged 75kW (100hp) unit which is based on the same block.
This test concentrates on the 60kW engine, which is standard on the 150 SWB; you'll have to pay a £705 premium for the turbo model, while the 52kW engine costs only £165 less— a saving that's hardly worth making Behind the four-pot DI engines there's the familiar Ford MT75 five-speed box and a single dry-plate clutch.The suspension is a mixture of new and old technology: independent MacPherson struts at the front with a traditional leaf-sprung rear axle at the rear. With the axles plated at 1,450kg (front) and 2,000kg (rear) there's a useful 250kg loading tolerance.
While many of its rivals have switched to front-wheel drive on their panel vans, Ford has stuck with powered rear wheels on the Transit. Inevitably that increases load floor height, so it has had to work hard at making loading easy.
Load volume is a vital factor in choosing a van, so it's a pity that Ford's figures for the Transit have been inconsistent. The 1990 and 1991 brochures state that the short-wheelbase body shell has a load volume of 6.0m3, but this year's brochure gives it at 5.1m3. Ford puts this 15% reduction down to the adoption of the more realistic and widely-used VDA method of load volume calculation, rather than the more optimistic SAE system (although strangely both brochures stated that the VDA method had been used).
Our test van came loaded up with options—enough to justify dual batteries— which we saw as necessities before long. The multi-adjustable seat and the heated windscreen improve the driver's lot without hitting the man who writes the cheques too hard. The same can't be said for the ABS, which adds a substantial cost with no immediate gain in productivity.
It is certainly hard to live up to a total price of about £16,503: so has the Transit 150 SWB got what it takes?
• PRODUCTIVITY For a start, its fuel consumption figures are good. The laden figure of 10.41it/100km (27mpg) beats the comparably powerful turbo-diesel Ducato's unladen figure. And once we removed its test load the Transit 150 SWB's economy rose by 20%. While we would not usually expect a difference of more than 10% between laden and unladen figures, remember that this van's GVW is almost twice its unladen weight. Around our Kent light van route the Transit also showed itself to be fairly nippy. Its overall average speed of 68km/h was well within striking distance of similarly powered test rivals The 150 SWB's higher-than-average gross weight means that it can carry much more than your average short-wheelbase panel van. Its payload is a whisker below the magic 1,500kg, and out of our test group only the turbo-diesel Ducato comes near it. The Transit's revised official load volume is now lower than that quoted for the VW Transporter, and substantially less than the Fiat Ducato's 6.5m3; it is even beaten by the ancient Leyland Daf 200. If load volume is critical, then buyer beware...
• ON THE ROAD The newer engine is well up to the job: Whatever the load our Transit had little difficulty in keeping up with speed limits. Traffic seldom baulked its progress, and the van never felt strained; indeed it left us with the feeling that the turbo option would be a luxury for most users.
The five-speed box is easy to engage, in typical Ford fashion — once you get used to the wide gate which is one of the Transit's less car-like features. Gear ratios were unremarkable, so they must have been well chosen.
Power steering is a worthwhile option on a 3.5-tonner, but the Transit's system feels too light, despite incorporating a variable-ratio rack. Fortunately the 150 SWB is stable and seems largely immune to crosswinds, so this shouldn't be a problem at speed. Handling is generally neutral, with little sign of rearwheeldrive characteristics, so it's not daunting for inexperienced van drivers.
The ride is generally good, but the van does tend to pitch back and forth, even when fully laden. This irritating (and potentially nauseating) feature is a predictable consequence of having such stiff springing on a short wheelbase vehicle.
The brakes seemed over-light at first, like the steering, but became better with use. The optional ABS is an advanced Teves four-channel/four-sensor system, and while it doesn't seem to reduce braking distances in the dry (with test figures no better than the Ducato or Transporter), it certainly improves confidence in changeable weather. Whether this justifies an outlay of £825 is debatable: it may be worthwhile for a van used by a number of drivers with variable driving standards, but for a single driver the money might be better spent on improving everyday comfort and safety, with options such as the power steering or heated windscreen. The Transit's mirrors are good. Once adjusted they give plenty of vision for lane-changing and manoeuvring, and there should be no problem with rearward visibility even with a load that obscures the glazed rear doors.
• CAB COMFORT The Transit is a pretty civilised environment for the driver, particularly when fitted with the optional heated windscreen and its good quality radio cassette player. on a motorway journey for the driver to resort to earplugs. The direct-injection motor's "DI clatter" is certainly a factor in this but the engine and gearing could be more refined, and better sealing at the edges of the optional glazed bulkhead would have helped too.
This bulkhead is reassuringly substantial, given the probable weight of the loads, so it came as a surprise to see so many rivets holding it together: still, it produced no untoward squeaks or rattles.
Ford makes much of the ability to load a , standard pallet through the rear doors, but these days we expect that of a panel van. The other elements are right too: rear doors that open through 180° (latching at 90°); a side door which slides open easily and has a particularly well-designed handle; flat-topped wheel arches, and hefty tie-down eyes. Oddly, there are only five tie-down eyes; one seemed to be missing at the front nearside.
The spare wheel is slung beneath the floorpan, so someone's stopped to think about what happens when you get a flat and your spare's underneath a tonne of chipboard. The jack and wheelbrace are stowed neatly behind a moulding at the rear of the nearside load space wall. There's a broad step in the side door aperture, and our van had the optional step in the rear bumper.
Overall, while the load space is thoughtfully designed, we would have preferred the lower floor of a front-wheel-drive van like the Renault Trafic—particularly as the 150 SWB is presumably intended to transport dense, heavy items.
The driver's seat is adjustable for height as standard, while ours came with the useful options of seat heating and an inflatable lumbar support. Our tester didn't notice the seat after a while; a sure sign that it worked.
The same can't be said for the passenger seat, which really isn't big enough for two adults, and the belt arrangement gives a single passenger little elbow room. On our van it also rubbed against the bulkhead with an irritating chirupping noise.
Stowage space can be summed up as adequate. A useful pen tray is within easy reach, but oddments trays are shallow and the glovebox is not lockable.
• SUMMARY Leaving aside the question of where the Transit 150 SWB sits in the market, it's comfortable (apart from its noise levels), capable and should satisfy any driver. Our optionpacked test vehicle was expensive, and hardly representative of the breed. However, the host of options available, high residual values and widespread dealer support will be decisive for many users.
The Transit's obvious competitor has to be one of the Sevel designs, such as the Fiat Ducato 14 turbo-diesel: its body takes a com parable payload, is roomier and has a low loadbed. The Ducato is also faster, though more thirsty than the Ford. Most importantly it costs considerably less in basic form: the Ducato's list price is more than 20% lower than the Transit's.
The biggest threat, however, could come from Volkswagen's new panel van: while the Transporter's payload only goes up to 1,200kg, it possesses class-leading ride and handling, a superb interior and an air of quality comparable to the Ford's; the basic list price is a little less too. But the real cost depends on the options fitted-VW's ABS is more than £400 more expensive than Ford's-and your dealer's willingness to discount. Much also depends on whether the devaluation of the pound will affect VW prices. The Transit is practical, widely available and pleasant to drive, which is enough to keep it at Number One in the sales charts. But the 150 SWB is probably the answer to a problem that few users have.
by Toby Clark