Ford Motor Company South Africa has introduced the well-known Transit Custom van and it’s MPV cousin, the Tourneo Custom, in its bid to capture a slice of the load/people-lugging segments of the local market.
Both vehicles wear Ford’s kinetic design, bringing a trapezoidal grille and more modern styling to the usually utilitarian commercial and multi-purpose vehicle spheres. Similarly, the interiors are more in line with those of Ford’s passenger vehicle offerings.
A choice of short- and long-wheelbase configurations is offered in both the Transit and Tourneo model lines. In the Transit’s case, the SWB model serves up a loadspace of 6 m2 SAE (6,4 for the LWB), a load-through hatch in the bulkhead capable of accepting loads of up to 3 metres (3,4 metres for the LWB) and is capable of accommodating three Euro pallets stacked to a height of one metre.
In addition, the both the Transit and Tourneo can be specified with an integrated roof rack system that stows away when not in use. Payload configurations ranging from 600 to 1 400 kg are available in the Transit.
The eight-seater Tourneo is also offered in SWB and LWB configurations with wheelbases of 2,93 and 3,3 metres, respectively. The interior boasts a versatile seating arrangement with 30 variations possible thanks to second and third rows that can be folded or removed according to requirements. Measuring in at 4,97 and 5,34 metres in length, both the SWB and LWB Tourneo models have an overall height of just under 2,0 metres, which should ensure that access to most underground parking garages isn’t a roof-scouring affair.
Both the Transit and Tourneo are powered by Ford’s 2,2-litre Duratorq turbodiesel engine. In the Tourneo this engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and is available in two states of tune; 74 kW/310 N.m and 92 kW/350 N.m with an average fuel consumption of 6,5 litres/100 km and CO2 emissions of 172 g/km The Transit’s engine line-up largely mirrors that of the Tourneo with the exception of a high-powered variant with 114 kW and 385 N.m. All of the Transit units return an average fuel consumption below 7,3 litres/100 km.
Safety-wise, both models have a five-star EuroNCAP rating. Among its safety features, the Transit offers a driver’s airbag with the option to specify a passenger unit. The Tourneo has dual front, curtain and thorax airbags.
Both models come with a 4-year/100 000 km warranty and have service intervals of 15 000 km. The Tourneo adds a 5-year/90 000 km service plan that can be specified as an option for the Transit.
Prices:
Transit Custom Ambiente Low SWB: R302 700
Transit Custom Ambiente Hi SWB: R306 400
Transit Custom Ambiente Low LWB: 309 700
Transit Custom Ambiente Hi LWB: R317 400
Transit Custom Sport SWB: R364 600
Toureno Ambiente SWB: R385 200
Toureno Trend SWB: R407 800
Toureno Ambiente LWB: R392 200
Toureno Trend LWB: R414 700
