Ford’s all-new Transit Connect has just received its official pricing information for the UK market, where it starts off at £13,921, being on average around 7 percent less expensive than the outgoing model it replaces. Prices rise to £19,130 for a top spec and fully-kitted out long-wheelbase (L2) model, getting its go from the most powerful of the 1.6-liter diesels available.
There’s also Ford’s new 1.0-liter EcoBoost on offer, claimed to return 50.4 mpg UK and emissions of 129 g/km CO2 – very good numbers for a commercial vehicle with a petrol engine, though we suspect drivers will struggle to get near the figures in the real world, a task which will be easier in the even more frugal diesels.
If all-out efficiency is key, then there’s an ECOnetic model, which is good for 70.6 mpg UK, and emits 105 g/km CO2. It uses the 1.6-liter diesel, start-stop and an Active Grille Shutter to minimize drag and maximize efficiency.
Several body types are on offer, in two chassis lengths (L1 and L2), according to a Ford statement that reads:
“The Kombi and Double-Cab-in-Van models offer seating for five, or seven in the L2 Kombi model, and deliver flexible rear seat configurations. DCiV versions feature a movable mesh bulkhead. The L2 model also offers a unique fold-flat seat capability that optimizes loadspace from the front passenger seats rearwards and accommodates loads of up to 2m.”
This may be a subjective thing to say, but the styling is definitely not bad, both inside and out, with the interior being no worse in quality to that of a Fiesta hatch, though it lacks the small car’s rubberized soft-touch plastic atop the dash. Safety is also a strong point, with Active City Stop, many airbags as well as a Ford SYNC-dependent Emergency Assistance system, for which the brand has apparently been commended for by EuroNCAP.
