Despite the fact that Ford sold more than 170,000 of the previous-shape Transit Connect since its launch in 2002, there was no denying that the compact carrier was starting to show its age. Strong competition from VW’s Caddy, Fiat’s Doblo Cargo and the PSA Berlingo/Partner duo, plus a renewed challenge from Vauxhall’s Combo, the revised Renault Kangoo and now Mercedes’ Citan, have seen Ford falling off the pace.
A facelift was never going to cut it against such strong competition, so when we first drove new Connect last year it came as little surprise to see how far Ford had moved the high cube game forward. Taking International Van of the Year, one year after bigger brother Transit Custom, demonstrated that we were not alone in liking the new van.
You can still get L1 and L2 Connects, though the roof height is the same on both models now. Carrying capacities are up, with L1 vans offering 2.9m3 of load volume with a bulkhead and the L2 van up to 3.6m3. With the option of multi-folding twin front passenger seats and a load-through hatch in the bulkhead, you can also carry loads up to 3m in length in the L1 van and up to 3.4m long in the larger model.
Ford is expecting the split to be 60% L1 and 40% L2, with panel vans accounting for 90% of sales. There is a double-cab-in-van option available on both models, accounting for 7% of sales and the remaining 3% are expected to be the L2-only Kombi people carrier.
Along with the greater volume, payloads have risen too, with L1 vans carrying
625-825kg and the L2 models 706kg to 1,004kg, offering a real alternative to the smallest Transit Custom for those looking to downsize.
Under the bonnet, the old 1.8-litre Duratorq has been replaced by a 1.6-litre diesel, offering 75hp, 95hp and 115hp. The two lower-powered engines continue to drive through a five-speed manual gearbox, while the 115hp motor gets six gears for more refined cruising.
Though offering similar power outputs, these engines deliver up to a 30% fuel economy improvement over the outgoing model, with ECOnetic models offering a claimed 70.6mpg and just 105g/km of CO2. Service intervals are also almost doubled to 20,000 miles or two years.
Also available, though only expected to account for 1-2% of UK sales, is Ford’s three-cylinder, 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine. This delivers 100hp and also gets a six-speed gearbox. It returns a claimed 50.4mpg and 129g/km and is expected to appeal to urban businesses that don’t need the long-legged abilities of the diesel engine.
Certainly out of town the 1.6-litre diesel delivers the goods with ease though, offering enough torque to propel the L2 Connect along smartly. The handling is typically sharp and ESC stability control is now standard, incorporating a host of electronic driver aids such as Load Adaptive Control and Torque Vectoring Control.
The new cab is a great place to spend the day too, particularly in generous Trend specification.
What we think
With orders for 4,000 Connects already, Ford is hoping to sell 14,000 in the UK this year, rising to 20,000 in the short term. We wouldn’t bet against it.
Specification
MODEL Ford Transit Connect 1.6 TDCi LWB Trend
BASIC PRICE £17,221
ENGINE 4-cyl/1,560cc
FUEL INJECTION Common-rail
POWER 115hp @ 3,600rpm
TORQUE 270Nm @1,750-2,500rpm
Weights (kg)
GVW 2,135
KERB WEIGHT 1,419
PAYLOAD 716
MAX TRAILER WEIGHT 1,200
Dimensions (mm)
LOAD SPACE LENGTH 2,153
LOAD SPACE WIDTH 1,538
LOAD SPACE HEIGHT 1,269
LOAD HEIGHT (unladen) 599
LOAD VOLUME 3.6m3
Cost considerations
FUEL TANK CAPACITY 60 litres
COMBINED MPG & CO2 57.6mpg/128g/km
OIL CHANGE 2 yr/20,000 miles
WARRANTY 3 yr/100,000 miles