1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186 
The ubiquitous Ford Transit has been around the block enough
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
times to know when its competition has stepped up a gear. So is the latest revamp of Britain's number one enough to keep it out in front? We have one on long-term test to find out.
When Ford relaunched the Transit in 20(X) as the backbone of Britain', it played on the fact that everyone must have had driven a Transit at least once. The campaign was so successful that the few who proudly confessed they hadn't began to wonder if perhaps they'd missed out on a good thing.
Ford fended off its overseas competition, not to mention those domestic players that existed back then, and cemented its place as number one in the sales chart. Six years later the media was intrigued enough to again descend on Southampton to see the latest generation roll off the production line.
Questions abounded over potential improvements.., drive line collaboration... where it would be built.., and whether metallic orange would be the new silver. What rolled out was initially underwhelming.The frontend revamp brought the Transit into line with Continental models, and the rear light cluster was changed, but this was more evolution than revolution.
Closer inspection opened up a world of internal enhancements: improved car-like ergonomics; some subtle restyling to match the Germans, French and Italians; and changes to suspension and braking.There were also six new common-rail engines, including a development with PSA for the 2.2-litre version.
One-minute soundbites on TV couldn't do it justice. The message that is it was a customer-led British product (designed in Essex, engines from Dagenham, transmissions from Liverpool, assembly in Southampton) was there, but we were also told that it represented the "most significant changes for six years".
Those changes included 40% component replacement— evidence that Ford had indeed been busy listening to its customers who wanted a functional, reliable, durable but stylish concept and,as Ford pointed out,one "that should never feel like taking a step down from a passenger car".
In the subsequent 12 months Ford hasn't given up its pole position. Part of that success story,this week's test vehicle —the 3.3-tonne, short-wheelbase, medium-roof version— is the latest addition to CM's long-term test fleet.
Under the bonnet is the 2.4-litre Duratorq TDCi 115hp engine, and turning power into motion is a six-speed transmission.Torque has increased to 3 l ONm at 1.75Orpm, although there's no clue as to how much torque is on offer further up the rev range, or how long the economy band is (apart from referring to the green bit on the dial).
Performance can be gauged via the lefthand steering column stalk; this flashes up vehicle running data in the central dash, including real-time fuel economy. miles left in the tank,outside temperature and trip.
Ford claims a payload of 1,458kg, with fuel and water but without CM's standard 75kg driver.
Productivity These sub-3,500kg vans are more likely to cater for the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker as well as the utilities and construction market.That generally means low stop/start mileage, internal racking and being driven to the limit rather than nurtured into a ripe old age.
This Transit's short wheelbase and medium roof combine to offer a 7.48m3loadspace, which should be sufficient for any of the aforementioned trades: it comes with a full bulkhead.
As for fuel economy, which arguably won't be top of the shopping list for this van's likely buyers, it is already improving as CM racks up the miles.To date we have clocked up 8,000 miles; on regular runs between London and Kendal, consutnption has varied from 24.5mpg with the elements against us to 33.2mpg in decent conditions. Whacking it around the Kent route gave a figure of 32.3mpg, which stacks up well against 3.5tonners such as the Iveco Daily Agile and the LDV Maxus: it also outdoes the 3.0-tonne Citroen Relay. However, average speed was the lowest in this group.
While CwN. database of 3.3-tonners isn't exactly bursting at the seams, this test does provide something different from the 3.0-tonne middleweights and the standard 3.5-tonners. It has all the characteristics of the T350s, but with a lower CiVW it is likely to save you fuel.
On the road After all of Ford's hard work in developing the Transit's drivefine to meet the Euro-4 emission levels, drivers probably won't notice much difference between the latest engines and their predecessors.The main technical difference is the adoption of commonrail engines that provide more consistent performance over tougher terrain.
With 115hp to move 3.3 tonnes it feels overpowered but that's par for the course in the van market as operators demand consistent speed up hills and down dales. We haven't found any gaps in the six-speed transmission, but that's no surprise with one more cog than normal and all that power on tap.
If there is a problem with handling on the new-generation Transit it's the small steering wheel, which is disproportionate to the size of the vehicle and offers less leverage to steer. Drivers new to the vehicle may find themselves occasionally oversteering going into bends.
This doesn't spoil the driving experience unless you are inflexible to changing designs, but it did take us by surprise. A larger steering wheel generally makes the driver more appreciative of the size of vehicle. Steering that is smooth if sometimes cumbersome is to be preferred.
The addition of the full bulkhead as a standard fit helps turn the driving experience into a pretty quiet affair, allowing Adge Cutler and The Wurzels Live at the Webbington Country Club to dominate proceedings at a reasonable volume setting.
Cab comfort The idea,depicted by Ford's adverts, of not actually getting out of the cab to work might be a fantasy — but the concept of the van as the tradesman's friend isn't exaggerated.
With improved storage most of what you need can be stored up front rather than stuffed into a bag or thrown in the back; this is a definite strong point with the latest Transit.
The most prominent advance here is the use of the dead space on top of the dash in front of the window. Here are much-needed homes for all those things that run around the cab when you're moving: pens. mobiles, chewing gum. CDs, receipts and the likelhis innovative storage frees up the door pockets and centre dash for even more gear.
The centre shelf has a foldout section with two cup-holders. Plenty of paperwork can be slotted in there although anything shiny, such as a CD cover, can reflect light back onto the windscreen through the cup-holders.
In all we counted four bottle and four cupholders,which might be a record for a light CV.There is no shelf over the driver's head, but what you lose in storage you gain in better vision from the driver's seat for the taller among us.
This cab has three seats, so the dashmounted gearstick becomes a necessity with all seats occupied -and it's still a little tight if any of the passengers are more than average build or weight. However,cross-cab access is now in line with the competition.
This brings us back to Ford's policy of providing the Transit driver with a car-like feel, which seems restricted to making the steering wheel smaller.This is ideal for car-derived vans (CDVs) but not for the panel and chassis-cab end of the market. Its ergonomics, with upright seats and sitting positions, are completely different to CDVs.
If you are going to `car-ify' a CV then things such as CD players, air-con, subtle switches and top-notch storage, which Ford has already added, are fine. But the fact remains that Transit cabs are shorter and higher than CDV cabs, They feel and handle differently, and require the driver to sit in a way far removed from the car experience. An orange isn't a lemon by any stretch of the imagination. •