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In the highly competitive high-cube small van market you've got to excel in all areas. Ford seems to have got the research right with the Courier it's still one of the leaders.
Ford Motor Company is a big, slick, welloiled marketing machine, and it goes into a market very carefully. Existing models are analysed, customers are quizzed—and a perfectly optimised product should come out at the other end. The Courier is a good example: in the late eighties Ford saw high-cube vans such as the Renault Extra and Citroen C15, noted their success on the Continent and decided to take a piece of the action. The Fiesta-based Courier came into the market with a similar layout, adding better details and ergonomics.
But Ford is not the only manufacturer to play a waiting game: new models such as the Vauxhall Combo, Seat Inca and VW Caddy have upped the ante, offering superior equipment and refinement at attractive prices. So it's time for the Courier to have a facelift—the Fiesta itself has been completely redesigned, and while the load area remains much the same, the Courier gets an all-new front end, updated engines and revised suspension. It should be the most refined and comfortable high-cube on the market. Has Ford done enough? Is it back at the head of the pack? • PRODUCT PROFILE Few van buyers are impressed by squadrons of model variants, so Ford has stripped the Courier range to a simple choice—petrol or diesel. Both versions come in at £8,625, which conveniently undercuts all but the most basic version of Vauxhall's Combo, and is the same price as the previous model. But it's been undercut by the Seat Inca, and probably also by the near-identical VW Caddy.
And the Courier still costs only £530 more than the original model of five years ago; this isn't altruism on Ford's part, just a sign of how tough the high-cube market has become.
If you're keen to spend a little more money, Ford offers worthwhile options such as power-assisted steering, anti-lock brakes and a passenger's-side airbag—our test vehicle had all of these, bumping its price up by almost £1,000.
The petrol version does not have the Fiesta's new "1.25-litre" engine, instead it makes do with the 59hp (44kW), 13-litre Endura-E, derived from the previous HCS model, with a catalyst and multi-point fuel injection. • The diesel ellginu t ested here is a development of the previous Courier's powerplant the Endura-D is a four-cylinder indirect-injection unit also rated at 59hp (44kW). which is average for the class. Like the petrol model it uses Ford's EEC-V engine management system, replacing the me.chan cal injection of the previous model, and exhaust gas recirculation.
Claimed benefits include smoother, quieter running and easier diagnosis at servicing time. Further refinements include improved seals and drive belts, hydraulic clutch actuation and "torque-roll axis" engine mountings. Whatever the technology, the intention is to reduce NVII (noise, vibration and harshness) levels.
The suspension has also received attention, with the front MacPherson struts and control arms, along with the steering rack, now being mounted on a separate subframe. The whole is stiffer than before, and a front anti-roll bar has been added.
The rear suspension remains the same: a beam axle located by trailing arms and torsion bars.
The load area is unchanged: it still offers 2.5m3 of load volume according to the strict VDA measure, or 2.8m3 by the more optimistic SAE technique. Six tie-down points and a steel half-height bulkhead are standard, while a mesh screen will add £60 to the price.
The biggest changes are reserved for the driver and passenger: the new Fiesta cabin is larger and airier than its predecessor's, and much inure modern in appearance.
And then there's the Kombi: at last, the UK can get a passenger-carrying version of a high-cube van, as Continental buyers have been driving for years. This has the same basic bodyshell as the van, but adds side windows at the rear, and a rear seat that makes it a proper five-seater.
The rear seat can be folded forward to give a load area similar to the van's, or split. The Kombi version sacrifices less than 10kg of the van's payload, and costs £400 more. We've driven it—we'll be testing it soon—and it's a practical, versatile machine that is justly popular overseas: it takes the majority of Courier sales in Spain, for example. But the tax man, as ever, is the tly in the UK's ointment: the extra windows and seats mean that VAT is no longer reclaimable, so the Kombi ends up costing around £10,600.
The straightforward diesel van will remain the most popular choice.
• PRODUCTIVITY
Despite a pretty conventional indirect-injection engine, the Gruner has consistently delivered fine laden fuel consumption figures over CM's Kent test route. The new model is no exception: its 50.9mpg (5.51it/100km) defeats all the current competition by a handsome margin, though we await Volkswagen's directinjection Caddy with interest.
In any case this is an excellent result, 2mpg better than the old model despite tighter emissions regs and a gross weight that's gone up by 115kg. Doubtless the improvement can be put down to better aerodynamics and more efficient fuel injection, but an interesting change is the final drive ratio: it's now 3.84:1, still appreciably longer-legged than the Inca or Combo, hut not as extreme as the previous model's 3.59:1. Its acceleration figures are also better than before, though they don't match the flexible Vauxhall, while its average speed round the Kent route will hardly set the roads alight. A combination of road works and poor weather meant that we couldn't perform an unladen fuel test.
The Courier's payload has been overtaken by the competition, every one of the contenders doing better than its 509kgthe Inca manages 550kg and the Fiat Fiorillo 545kg, though you could opt for heavy-duty versions of the Combo or the Renault Extra which offer a payload of around 700kg.
Load volume is much of a muchness in this class, except for the Fiat Fiorino with its extra-long loadbed: the Courier's realistic VDA figure of 2.51n3 lies between the Inca/Caddy and the larger Combo. The load area is just as before: square-cornered and practical, though the
load mat is not as impressively chunky as the Inca's, nor are the 90°/180° rear door stays quite as pretty.
As you can see from our comparison table, the Courier's annual servicing time is reasonable and its parts prices excellent. But its 12month wananty looks a little dull against the Seat's three years, especially as the Spanish van is listed at £700 less (and you'd save another £400 on power steering and a mesh bulkhead). We suspect that Ford dealers will start to offer very favourable terms on extended warranties.
• ON THE ROAD
At the Courier's launch, Ford executives were keen to demonstrate how vibration-free the Endura-D is by standing a coin upright on the cam cover while it was idling. Sure enough. it worked with a rather squat coin. The engine certainly runs more smoothly than before, and is matched to a smoother transmission, making tricky driving conditions easier. The engine isn't as silky as the Combo's lsuzu unit, but it's a good advert for the sophistication of today's vans.
The tall gearing can catch you out on hills or when overtaking, and A-roads are likely to need full use of the top three gears; fortunately, the gearchange seems less rubbery than it did. Ford claims that the Courier's hill-climbing ability is better than before, and that it can tackle a 24% gradient front a standing start, fully laden.
This may well be true, but it refused our attempts to mount a 25% (1-in-4) test hill; comparable vehicles can manage that extra 1%. Still, the handbrake will hold you securely until help comes.
The service brakes are certainly impressive, with average retardation figures that clearly lead the class and plenty of feedback. Tithe optional ABS were activated in the dry. we didn't notice it. The ABS option also includes Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), a feature that, according to Ford, limits rear wheel slip to improving braking stability.
Power steering is practically obligatory for anyone who uses a van in town, and the Ford's setup is quick and precise. Fast changes of direction are fright-free though noticeable body roll is disconcerting at first. Overall, the van's handling is safe and predictable.
The Courier's ride quality, especially at low speed, is superb: if this is your sole transport, you shouldn't feel too deprived.
There are a couple of niggles left over from the old model though: the door mirrors, regarded as excellent in 1991, have been thoroughly outdone by the Combo's mas,sive mirrors but remain unchanged for this model. Also, the Courier's pedals are still slightly offset, which mn be a pain in the knee after a long journey. But then there are the nice details, such as a little yellow "clothes peg" tool in the under-bonnet fuse box to help in removing fuses, and the day-glo finish on the bonnet catch and the bonnet prop, useful on a gloomy day.
• CAB COMFORT The cab is where Ford has really made an effort: it looks bang up to date, with a curvaceous dashboard, chunky controls and airbags on both sides (the driver's-side bag comes as standard). It's not substantially larger than before, but it feels like it is, with plenty of seat adjustment available, and lighter-coloured, less oppressive trim. The seats are fairly supportive, though they may prove a bit small for epic journeys, and headroom is marginal for a six-footer. It lies somewhere between the Combo and the Caddy/Inca in the space race.
Ford's pushing the safety of its vans as much as anybody, so the Courier gets a much stronger cabin, side door beams and foam pads, anti-submarining seat bases and seatbelt "grabbers".
Even with the passenger airbag in place, there's a reasonable amount of stowage space: a glovebox, door pockets, several cubbies, an overhead document shelf and a small drawer beneath the passenger's seat. There's still nowhere to keep a can of ginger beer when you're on the move, though.
The heater has nice fat rotary controls and a recirculation setting as standard-it works well, too.
The radio/cassette unit is just as chunky: built to a non-standard size to deter theft its massive buttons look a wee bit Fisher-Price but it works OK, and having some of the buttons on a removable plate to disable the radio is a good idea-even if it was, ahem, borrowed from Vauxhall.
Security is almost as big an issue as safety these days: beneath the radio's removable panel lies a flashing LED (frightening, eh?) but more tangible deterrents include the Safeguard engine immobiliser, anti-burst door locks and a visible VIN plate on the dashboard.
The Courier's ride is exemplary, but according to our standard measurements it's not actually as quiet as we thought: tickover and low-speed noise figures are very low, but road and (especially) wind noise builds up at speed-high-speed figures are a decibel or two higher than the Combo and Inca. This may be due to the abrupt junction between the sleek passenger compartment and the boxy load area. The engine is felt rather than heard, with a vibration through the pedals and floor that isn't apparent in the petrol version. Low speed refinement shouldn't be sniffed at: many Courier drivers will spend most of their time in traffic jams, and will appreciate the lack of noise from outside.
• SUMMARY
Ford has had a tough task in catching up with other manufacturers: the high-cube market is exceptionally competitive, so a new model has to excel one way or another. But they've concentrated on the right areas, improving the drivetrain and cabin dramatically while leaving the adequate load area alone.
The Courier is very good indeed--the most refined van in its class, still the most economical and one of the safest. But it doesn't match the performance, payload or price of others. It's up with the best but not clearly the leader, so making a firm decision has never been more difficult.
There are plenty of reasons to buy the Courier, whether you're a tradesman looking for an attractive dual-purpose car/van or a fleet buyer specifying a daily rental vehicle. No-one will be sacked for choosing the Courier-so once again the big Ford marketing machine has done its job.
by Toby Clark