PANEL VANS TESTERS' CHOICE FORD TRANSIT 350 IWO I
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E by Kevin Swallow Could it be that Slade's little ditty swung it for Ford? An endearing notion, maybe, but you've seen the advert, hummed the music—and bought more than 15,000 new Transit vans in 2000.
The Van of the Year award went to the all-new Transit and CMalso bowed to the inevitable. Not that Ford had it all its own way. Of all the categories in Testers' Choice, this was by far the most competitive because it was a big year for the 3.5 tonne sector. The industry waited with bated breath for the Transit launch and it was worth the wait, but the most famous van of them all faced some tough competition.
Setting the pace at the start of the year was the Fiat Ducat° Maxi 2.8id TD panel van. Its powerful 121hp engine and good fuel figures in harsh conditions impressed us; a more-than-decent payload and competitive price tag put it in the contender's slot but somehow it lacked the edge to set it aside from the masses.
Its badge-engineered partner, the Citroen Relay 1800 with its 2.5-litre 110hp turbo-diesel engine, set a fuel consumption record round our Kent route in March with a fearsome 29.8mpg. But it suffers from the same lack of charisma as the Maxi and fell by the wayside when compared to this sector's big hitters— which brings us to the Mercedes Sprinter 313. This eco-friendly van, fitted with a new common-rail DI engine and 4m wheelbase, certainly delivered the goods, and the engine was our testers' choice in its own right. Mercedes freely admits that the Sprinter is all about performance. Decent fuel figures and solid build quality are also among its virtues but we felt it lacked presence and as price is a tad high.
In July we tried out back-to-back contenders for the title, with the Iveco Daily setting the standard for the Transit to beat The Daily 35S 13V has proved a popular fleet vehicle and our test vehicle came with an impressive 125hp engine. But it was let down by questionable build quality and handling, and a broken detent spring in the gearbox (since modified at the production stage).
This set the scene for the Ford Transit the following week and we went over it with a finetooth comb. We might have appeared over-critical when it arrived, but the new Transit had been waiting in the wings for a long time and had a hard act to follow. It lived up to its billing, although the engine was a weak link and its fuel figures were distinctly average. Among its many virtues were a gearstick with more delicacy than many CDVs (despite being a yard long); exceptional urban/motorway handling; and the sort of CD player that will keep drivers happy through a long shift.
The chassis is exceptional and the choice of more than 20 variants gives the feeling that this really is the van for all seasons. Payload is one of the highest in this class, with good loadbox accessibility and class-leading security measures.
All of this combined to help the Transit win a unanimous but close points decision.
Among the also-rans came the three
tonne Toyota Hiace 2.4D GS with an impressive payload, decent handling and spec improvements, which was let down by its 74hp engine and disappointing fuel consumption.
In May we put the well-established Mazda E-Series through its paces. We were duly impressed by a payload of 1.3 tonnes from a 2.9-tonne GVW design and good fuel economy but less impressed by its lack of performance and comfort.
Come September we tried out a specialist Mercedes Sprinter 416 and found it had too much of everything for day-today operation—making it ideal for the emergency services, if a bit pricey.
The year closed with the re-vamped, accountant-friendly Nissan Cabstar. ft lived up to its reputation as a well-made CV but was let down by an unremarkable payload and average performance.
So the Transit finally earned its Testers' Choice title with its all-round performance.
We preferred Mercedes' Sprinter engine and felt Ford's rejection of common-rail technology leaves it a little behind the front runners in the engine stakes. But, for the benefit of future advertising campaigns, let's not forget that, just like the Transit, Noddy Holder kicked off his career in the 1960s—and he's still going strong too.