Ready for the fight
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After stealing the show in Birmingham in April, the new Transit Custom has already built itself a big reputation. CM gets behind the wheel in Germany
Words: Andy Salter
FIRST IMPRESSIONS count for a lot when being introduced to a new vehicle. Whether it’s the touch of the door handle, comfort of the seat or the reassuring clunk of the door shutting – all these things matter. With one exception, the Transit Custom welcomes the driver with a pair of well-built, high-quality open arms: the styling should mean this is a van you’ll be proud to own and the missus, and/ or neighbours, won’t moan about it being parked on the drive. The feel and neatness of the steering wheel give an impression of a vehicle that’s easy to manoeuvre and the layout of the instrument panel and dashboard oozes quality. The exception is the handbrake, the quality of which appears to have been sacrificed, probably to keep the accountants happy, which is a pity as it feels flimsy and cheap.
In every other respect, however, the Transit Custom excels. Fire up the engine and you’re struck by how quiet the product is. Power comes from a 2.2-litre TDCi engine, which is available in 100hp, 125hp and 155hp variants. Our test van was the 125hp machine delivering 350Nm of torque to the wheels at 1,450rpm. The lowrevving nature of the engine, combined with its inherent low noise characteristics and some smart engineering of the chassis and body, makes for a hushed interior. The all-new platform is stiffer and stronger than before, reducing boom and vibration, while improved sound deadening on the bulkhead and headlining, along with better sealing of the doors and improved aerodynamics, all contribute.
All-round performer
Our test vehicle is fully-freighted, yet the engine shows excellent flexibility and performance across the driving range. Whether you’re looking for high-speed action or tootling along, the Custom feels equally at home. All versions employ a six-speed manual transmission (we expect an auto to join the line-up in the next 18 months or so), the stick is dash-mounted and the ratios well spaced to give sprightly acceleration, while the long top gear ratio ensures comfortable high-speed cruising.
The steering wheel is compact and although it is equipped with the obligatory buttons for controlling cruise, telephone, radio and the on-board information menus, it doesn’t feel too cluttered. The steering feels direct and gives a strong connection between the driver and the vehicle.
Combine this with superb handling and virtually no body roll in the corners, and you have a vehicle that gives great assurance barrelling around the twisting German countryside.
ESP, standard across the range, comes to the rescue if you push things too hard and, when it does, it corrects behaviour with a smooth nudge rather than the metaphorical smack across the knuckles of some other systems.
Braking is progressive and assured, our only minor gripe is with the position of the pedals – the brake pedal is mounted higher than the accelerator – which means you’re lifting your foot from one to the other – and gives some muscle ache after a while. The Ford engineers say that adjusting the seat to a higher position mitigates this, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now and look forward to putting this to the test when we get our hands on UK versions.
Plenty of storage
In-cab, the driver is spoilt for storage options. We particularly like the storage compartment above the instrument panel, which is deep enough for delivery notes, order books, pens and all the other paraphernalia that usually sits in the front window of the average van. There’s a 12V power point and connection point for USB/ iPhone as well. Elsewhere, there are countless cubbies, bottle holders and other storage points.
From launch, the vehicle will be offered in shortor long-wheelbase format, stretching the tape to 4.97m and 5.34m of overall length respectively, giving a maximum load volume of 6m3 and payload of 1,400kg. Service intervals are at 30,000 miles/two years, putting it at the top of the league in this van segment.
The Transit Custom goes into battle in a very competitive segment and to be successful it will need to go nose to nose with the likes of the VW Transporter, Renault Trafic and MercedesBenz Vito. We’ll be taking a more detailed look at how the Custom stacks up in a future issue but, on the evidence to date, it is ready for the fight. It should go onto every product shortlist for buyers active in this market. n