2024 Ford Transit Customized evaluation

After greater than a decade, there’s a brand new Ford Transit Customized on the town and it’s gunning for the Toyota HiAce.

The Blue Oval is touting sturdy provide of the brand new van, developed within the UK as a “clean-sheet” design.

Ford claims the brand new platform is 30 per cent stiffer, whereas there are weight reductions of as much as 100kg in contrast with the previous mannequin. Aerodynamic drag has additionally been lowered by 13 per cent.

The diesel engines are carried over from the previous van, however have been up to date.

The brand new-generation automobile entered growth in 2019, and as a part of Ford and Volkswagen’s partnership the Transit Customized will likely be used as the bottom for the next-generation Transporter.

Ford gives a dizzying number of Transit Customized fashions in Europe: diesel, petrol plug-in hybrid and electrical powertrains; two totally different lengths; cargo van and crew van fashions; and both front-, rear- or all-wheel drive relying on the powertrain.

There’s even a crew van physique type with an L-shaped bulkhead, good for when you need to carry 4 passengers and lengthy objects.

The corporate says its versatile manufacturing in Turkey permits it to simply alter the combination of autos, for instance rising output of the electrical E-Transit Customized ought to electrical van gross sales spike.

Ford could supply a variety of Transit Customs in Europe, the place vans are much more in style with tradies and the place there’s a lot much less of a ute tradition, however the native lineup is lots less complicated: short-wheelbase Development and Sport vans, a long-wheelbase Development van, and a long-wheelbase Sport crew van with a second row of seats. All use the identical powertrain.

First, a caveat. We didn’t get to drive any diesel-powered Transit Customs that lined up precisely with Australian-spec fashions.

There have been lower-output fashions with a handbook transmission, in addition to plug-in hybrid fashions, the latter of which we briefly sampled.

The majority of our time with the Transit Customized diesel, nevertheless, was in an all-wheel drive, long-wheelbase variant referred to as the Path.

Whereas we aren’t getting all-wheel drive right here, we’re getting that individual engine tune so it was essentially the most consultant mannequin on the launch occasion.

How does the Ford Transit Customized examine?

View an in depth breakdown of the Ford Transit Customized towards equally sized autos.

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Transit Customized

How a lot does the Ford Transit Customized price?

The brand new Transit Customized is already reaching dealerships in base Development guise, with Sport fashions following within the third quarter of 2024.

Costs exclude on-road prices

To see how the Transit Customized strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability software.

What’s the Ford Transit Customized like on the within?

The Transit Customized’s inside feels trendy and purposeful.

Ford repositioned the entrance wheels and suspension to make for a extra snug cabin.

With the gear shifter transferring to the column – or, within the case of the not-for-Australia handbook, excessive up on the centre console – it’s now simpler to slip throughout the entrance seats to exit from both facet, although the Sport will characteristic a barely totally different dashboard design that juts out extra. On all fashions, the ground can also be fully flat.

The column shifter is a little bit of an adjustment. It feels too much like the stalk on the opposite facet of the steering column, which implies you might unintentionally pop the automobile into impartial as soon as in a blue moon once you’re simply attempting to point.

The passenger airbag has been moved to the roof, liberating up house within the dashboard for an additional storage compartment that’s massive sufficient to suit a laptop computer.

The dashboard is completed in laborious (however hard-wearing) plastics appropriate for a van, although even this humble cargo service couldn’t escape the scourge of gloss-black trim. Not less than right here there’s solely slightly little bit of it, and in locations you’re unlikely to the touch.

The Path we drove had cozy seats, with a squishy fold-down armrest, and it was simple to discover a appropriate seating place. All fashions in Australia include an eight-way manually adjustable driver seat.

Normal on all Australian-market fashions are options like heated entrance seats and push-button begin.

There will likely be an accessible Cell Workplace Pack that permits you to tilt the steering wheel after which placed on a plastic cowl, permitting you to work in your laptop computer from behind the wheel with out awkwardly balancing it. Ford additionally demonstrated it’s the proper floor to eat your Macca’s off of, too.

This feature isn’t accessible at launch, with Ford promising it’ll come later. Pricing has but to be introduced.

The 12-inch instrument cluster, which features a 7.0-inch display, will look acquainted to anybody who’s been in a Ranger, and it’s clear and simple to learn.

The infotainment system is class-leading. It’s a big 13-inch touchscreen, helpfully angled in direction of the driving force, and all Australian-market fashions come normal with satellite tv for pc navigation and wi-fi connectivity for each Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The reversing digicam additionally has a excessive decision. Our solely grievance concerning the infotainment system is the maps could be considerably gradual to load.

There are not any bodily local weather controls, with these changes as an alternative made through the infotainment touchscreen. These controls are all the time anchored to the display, which helps make up for the dearth of bodily knobs and buttons.

There are some bodily controls on the sprint, such because the demister swap and a shortcut to the automobile settings menu, so it’s not like every thing has been moved solely to the touchscreen.

Can we miss bodily local weather controls? Sure, however the Transit Customized’s in-car tech is slick and user-friendly.

A wi-fi cellphone charger is normal, although the way in which it’s positioned on the dashboard makes it laborious to inform in case your cellphone is charging. Above it sits a USB-A and a USB-C charger, whereas subsequent to it’s a pop-out cupholder.

There are additionally cupholders at both finish of the dashboard, a compartment beneath the passenger seat, a storage shelf behind the infotainment touchscreen and instrument cluster, and huge bottle holders and miscellaneous oddment storage within the doorways.

Simply don’t mistake the shelf midway down the door as one thing it’s best to use to drag the door shut, because it’s a flexy little bit of plastic.

All fashions have a full-width metallic bulkhead with a window and pass-through hatch. Ford Australia hasn’t confirmed the intelligent Multicab model, which has a second row of seats just like the crew van however with solely two particular person seats.

Within the absence of a 3rd seat, the Multicab has an extended part of the load bay; this ends in an L-shaped load bay, so you may carry each passengers within the rear and lengthy objects.

Transit Customs in Australia come normal with a kerbside sliding door, although you may equip it with twin sliding doorways for $1000. Rear barn doorways are normal.

A digital rear-view mirror and built-in dashcam are non-obligatory, each of that are exceptionally helpful options to have in a van.

Shifting to the again, short-wheelbase fashions have six tie-down loops, whereas long-wheelbase fashions add an additional two. The load bay has LED lighting, and air-conditioning for again right here is non-obligatory.

You’ll be able to nonetheless match three euro pallets again right here, whereas the bulkhead isn’t too intrusive.

In comparison with the previous van, the Transit Customized has grown in some key dimensions. Load house top is up by 27mm, whereas cargo width between the wheel arches is up by 41mm and the utmost load house size together with the bulkhead pass-through is up 46mm.

It additionally has a decrease flooring top, making it simpler to load items into the again.

Nevertheless, most load quantity has shrunk for the SWB Development from 6m3 to five.8m3. It stays 6.8m3 within the LWB Development.

Payload drops to 1023kg within the SWB Transit Customized Sport and 854kg within the Double Cab mannequin. Braked towing capability has elevated significantly, from 1500-1900kg within the previous van, relying on the variant, to 2500kg.

To see how the Transit Customized strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability software.

What’s beneath the bonnet?

Only one powertrain will likely be provided right here, aside from the electrical powertrain within the E-Transit Customized.

To see how the Transit Customized strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability software.

How does the Ford Transit Customized drive?

We lately reviewed the associated Tourneo, which is up towards the extra car-like Kia Carnival within the folks mover section and feels as if it requires extra finessing. In brief, it doesn’t really feel fairly car-like sufficient.

The Transit Customized, in distinction, is up towards rivals just like the Toyota HiAce and Hyundai Staria Load. In opposition to this aggressive set it stacks up fairly nicely and feels fairly car-like for a van.

Take the steering. First, earlier than you even begin up the van, you’ll discover the Sensico leatherette-wrapped wheel is chunky and tactile, with intuitive switchgear.

When you’re on the transfer, you’ll discover the steering to be comfortably gentle. You genuinely really feel as if you possibly can drive this van one-handed, and given you may simply discover a snug seating place within the cozy driver’s seat, that is fairly a pleasant place to be in visitors or whereas out on the open highway.

The Transit Customized by no means feels too ungainly to drive, even on tighter metropolis streets, which is nice should you’re a courier or supply driver and spend most of your time within the city jungle.

The Transit Customized can also be beneath 2.0m tall, so that you received’t have any downside stepping into your typical buying centre automobile park.

We’re solely getting the extra highly effective 125kW turbo-diesel engine right here, and it has a passable quantity of grunt for this section.

Ford had put roughly half the Transit Customized payload’s price of weight within the again, besides laden it didn’t really feel winded.

The turbo-diesel engine is mated to an eight-speed computerized transmission that isn’t the smoothest unit. It doesn’t jolt between gears, however gear modifications are noticeable and a few extra finessing could be welcome.

There’s the standard rattly diesel engine be aware you discover in most vans, however the Transit Customized is sort of refined for the section.

Simply don’t put it in Sport, the place it holds gears for a lot too lengthy and makes the automobile noisy and obnoxious.

Journey consolation can also be good for the section, although we had been driving the van in Germany the place the roads are usually of a a lot greater normal than Australia’s.

Even with unbiased rear suspension it does sometimes really feel a bit uneven, and you’ll discover enlargement joints, however total it’s refined for a van.

The visitors signal recognition reliably learn highway indicators, and the clever pace restrict help seamlessly modified the adaptive cruise management pace each time the restrict modified.

There’s no lane centring, however the lane-keep help labored nicely at protecting us inside our lane even on curvy roads with out feeling omnipresent and overbearing.

We averaged 9.5L/100km on a reasonably brief drive loop consisting of a mixture of suburban and freeway driving.

Ford Australia says there are not any plans to convey the thriftier plug-in hybrid Transit Customized right here.

This mates a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol four-cylinder engine with a 11.8kWh (useable) battery, with a complete system output of 171kW and claimed WLTP electrical vary of 56km.

If that powertrain sounds acquainted, that’s as a result of the defunct Escape Plug-In Hybrid – bought because the Kuga Plug-In Hybrid, and nonetheless Europe’s best-selling PHEV – makes use of the identical primary powertrain.

The Transit Customized PHEV additionally options Professional Energy Onboard just like the E-Transit Customized, permitting you to energy instruments, lights and home equipment.

It’s a disgrace we received’t get the PHEV. We had a quick drive of this mannequin and located the transitions between electrical and petrol energy clean, whereas there was loads of grunt.

It’s all the time a bit uncommon to listen to a petroleum engine be aware in a van, however it’s definitely simpler on the ears than the diesel.

What do you get?

The Transit Customized will likely be provided right here in two trim ranges: Development and Sport.

Normal tools on the Development contains:

• 16-inch metal wheels
• 16-inch metal spare
• Tyre strain monitoring
• Unbiased rear suspension
• Entrance and rear disc brakes
• Drive mode choice: Regular, Eco, Slippery and Tow/Haul
• Electrical park brake
• Automated LED headlights
• Automated high-beam
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Energy-folding exterior mirrors
• 13-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite tv for pc navigation
  • One yr of linked navigation providers
• DAB+ digital radio
• 5G embedded modem
• 12-inch instrument cluster
  • 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster display
• Wi-fi cellphone charger
• USB-A and USB-C shops
• 4-speaker sound system
• FordPass app connectivity
• 8-way manually adjustable driver’s seat
• Heated outboard entrance seats
• Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Push-button begin
• Single-zone local weather management
• Lockable glove field
• Load Space Safety Package
• Aspect and rear door safety
• Moulded load flooring liner
• LED load bay lighting

The Sport provides:

• Physique equipment
• Gray-finish 17-inch alloy wheels
• Physique stripes

The next choices can be found on the Development:

• Twin facet load doorways with no home windows: $1000
• Safe Visibility Pack with metal rear doorways, digital rear-view mirror with built-in dashcam: $1500 (LWB solely)
• Load Area Air Conditioning: $700

We’d prefer to see a digital rear-view mirror be a standalone possibility throughout the vary, because it’s a really helpful characteristic to have.

Is the Ford Transit Customized protected?

Whereas the associated Tourneo has three- and four-star security rankings from Euro NCAP relying on specification, the Transit Customized doesn’t have a standard star score from the security authority encompassing facets like occupant safety.

It does, nevertheless, have a Platinum score from Euro NCAP based mostly on testing of its driver help expertise.

Normal security tools throughout the vary contains:

• Autonomous emergency braking with intersection help
• Reverse AEB
• Adaptive cruise management
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Evasive steering help
• Lane-keep help
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Protected exit warning
• Visitors signal recognition
• Trailer sway help
• Reversing digicam with 180-degree view
• Entrance and rear parking sensors
• Entrance, front-side and curtain airbags

How a lot does the Ford Transit Customized price to run?

Ford backs its autos with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.

Servicing is required each 12 months or 30,000km, whichever comes first, and is priced as follows for retail and small enterprise prospects:

For different consumers, these providers are priced at $580, $915, $715, $915 and $575, respectively. You solely pay $290 per service with a HiAce, however the Toyota requires servicing each six months or 10,000km – a significantly shorter interval than with the Ford.

CarExpert’s Tackle the Ford Transit Customized

The Transit Customized is a neatly packaged, well-equipped van.

It builds on the strengths of the previous van, with higher tech and extra trendy styling.

The inside is extra purposeful and user-friendly in some respects (simpler accessibility, extra storage), much less so in others (awkward column shifter, no bodily local weather controls).

The identical applies to the cargo bay. It’s simpler to load items into than earlier than, however it’s barely smaller in some measurements.

There’s little doubt the Transit Customized is an efficient van, however it isn’t an inexpensive van.

The HiAce vary opens at $48,886 earlier than on-road prices in handbook guise, whereas even the most affordable auto is $50,886 earlier than on-roads – round $5000 lower than the most affordable Transit Customized. It additionally gives a long-wheelbase configuration as normal, although its characteristic checklist isn’t fairly so long as the Ford’s.

If the underside line is a very powerful factor to you, there are additionally LDV’s numerous vans to think about.

Not solely is the brand new Transit Customized a powerful package deal total, nevertheless, Ford guarantees there will likely be sturdy provide, whereas it additionally has an electrical model coming later this yr – one thing Toyota can’t match.

Will this be sufficient to see the Transit Customized overtake the dominant HiAce because the Ford Ranger has performed the HiLux? That continues to be to be seen.

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