Ford Transit Connect Tourneo
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During the 12 months with CM, Ford’s Tourneo Connect impressed and proved to be a good alternative to VW’s Caddy Maxi Kombi lifestyle van with a good choice of engine and options.
Our T230 model was powered by the 1.8-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine. The badge says peak power is 110PS, but really it is 108hp. This engine rating delivers 280Nm peak torque and it comes with a five-speed transmission. With two rows of seats, it has 2.1m3 storage volume and if you remove the second row that goes to 3.4m3. List price (during our time with the vehicle) was £16,050 (plus VAT).
In a year we clocked up more than 25,000 miles at an average of 47.7mpg. This included a lot of motorway running, moving five employees from hotels to conferences and back to hotels, as well as a Christmas break with the family in the West Country.
Throughout, the van delivered a consistent driving experience with a strong and responsive engine, smooth transmission and very true handling. More importantly, for its size, we found the average fuel economy stood up very well. Of the optional extras, we especially liked the Quickclear heated windscreen, and auto headlights that turn themselves on and off according to different light levels.
Our only real grumble centred around a noisy engine at 70mph on the motorway – we’d advise more noise insulation between the engine and the cabin. Also the thread in the fuel cap broke, so we were unable to unscrew it to refill. This was sorted under warranty.
Ironically, no sooner were the winter tyres that had been fitted courtesy of Michelin removed in March, then Cumbria got its only snow of the winter and we had to navigate snow-covered roads without them. ATS Euromaster supplied and fitted the five Michelin Alpins for £509.88 (plus VAT) and offered storage for the summer rubber at £7.50 each. We highly recommend these in winter weather as the outward angled grooves help to dispose of rain water and are arguably better than the more traditional circumferential tyres.
It’s fair to say we shed a tear when the Tourneo Connect departed: it was a welcome change to our usual panel van fleet, and we shared many good trips.
Quick check
• Price: £16,050 (plus VAT) while the vehicle was with CM • Engine: 1.8-litre, 108hp, 280Nm torque • Payload: 745kg (cargo volume, with one row of seats 3.4m3, with two rows 2.1m3) • Mileage: 26,321 • Expenses: £153 service (warranty, new fuel cap) • Faults: Fuel cap broke • Average MPG: 47.7mpg