Those with a long memory will know that this isn’t Ford’s first Courier van. Based on a Fiesta chassis cowl, the last one was literally a high-cube box mounted behind the car’s front end. Though it did provide a competent urban delivery vehicle, it was certainly no looker.
This Transit Courier also uses a compact Ford car as its base, this time it’s the B-Max, which again shares much with the Fiesta. It’s a far more integrated design however, and a very smart looking compact high-cube LCV for urban business users.
It boasts a usable 2.3m3 of load volume, behind a standard full height steel bulkhead. For those that need more space, there is an optional folding mesh bulkhead with fold/dive passenger seat, extending the load volume to 2.6m3. There is also a Kombi version with folding rear seats that offers 1.0m3 of loadspace with the seats up and 1.9m3 with the rear seats folded.
Transit Courier is offered with three engines, a 75hp 1.5TDCi, the 1.6-litre diesel with 95hp that we have here and Ford’s award winning three-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, delivering 100hp. With fuel consumption in the mid 50s and CO2 levels of just 119g/km the EcoBoost motor could prove surprisingly successful for small businesses in city environments, especially if London Mayor Boris Johnson gets his way and charges extra for journeys into the Capital in a diesel van.
Both diesel vans drive through five-speed manual gearboxes to the front wheels and either one can be ordered with Start/Stop as an option. However, even without it, our 1.6-litre test van offers a claimed 70.6mpg and just 105g/km. If you tick the Start-Stop box, that drops to a claimed 74.3mpg and 100g/km and if you also opt for a fixed 62mph speed limiter, Ford claims you can get to 76.3mpg and just 97g/km.
The 1.6TDCi van that we have here can carry 660kg, which puts it on a par with its main competition, the Citroen/Peugeot/Fiat trio that currently dominate this compact high-cube sector.
There are two trim levels for Courier. Base comes with daytime running lights, Ford’s Easy-Fuel cap-less fuel filling system, Electronic Stability Control, reach and rake adjustable steering, a DAB radio with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a driver’s airbag and load compartment lighting.
The Trend trim that we have here adds front fog lights, a side loading door, auto wipers and lights, heated electric mirrors, a driver’s side underseat storage drawer, an overhead stowage shelf, Ford SYNC with a dash display, electric windows, an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar and armrest, plus a 12V outlet in the load area.
This isn’t a huge sector of the market, with Nemo, Bipper and Fiorino the main competitors. Car-based commercials like Fiesta Van and Vauxhall’s Corsavan don’t offer the same carrying capacity of the high-cube models, though for some urban runabouts that isn’t always a problem.
As with the larger Transit models, Courier offers a great drive on both urban and country roads, coping equally well on motorways. Add in 20,000 mile service intervals, impressive fuel economy and low total cost of ownership and Ford could well have a winner on its hands again.
What we think
Sales numbers won’t be as high as for the larger Transit models, but with Transit Courier, Ford completes what has to be the best LCV line-up on the market at present.
Specification
MODEL Ford Transit Courier 1.6TDCi Trend
BASIC PRICE £13,221
ENGINE 4-cyl/1,560cc
FUEL INJECTION Common-rail
POWER 95hp @ 3,800rpm
TORQUE 215Nm @ 1,750rpm-2,500rpm
Weights (kg)
GVW 1,795
KERB WEIGHT 1,135
PAYLOAD 660
MAX TRAILER WEIGHT 500
Dimensions (mm)
LOAD SPACE LENGTH 1,620
LOAD SPACE WIDTH 1,488
LOAD SPACE HEIGHT 1,244
LOAD HEIGHT (unladen) 547
LOAD VOLUME 2.3m3
Cost considerations
COMBINED MPG & CO2 70.6mpg/105g/km
OIL CHANGE 1 yr/20,000 miles
WARRANTY 3 yr/100,000 miles
