Transit 4x4 Chassis Cab

The niche players include a 4x4 Transit chassis cab which made its debut at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management Show at Paignton in Devon. Powered by a 140hp 2.4-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel married to a six-speed manual gearbox, it's based on a rear-wheel drive model. Drive is progressively fed to all four wheels automatically when the 4x4 system senses that the vehicle is starting to lose grip.

With modest ground clearance, the newcomer is designed to keep going when conventional road surfaces are covered in ice and snow rather than for arduous off-road work in deeply-rutted terrain. “It will become available in the UK towards the end of the year and we're taking orders now,” says Andrew Merryweather, commercial vehicle marketing and business planning manager.

Transit Cab-in-Van

Also at Paignton was a neat variation on an existing theme; a four-door double cab Transit with no rear seats, unglazed rear doors and a bulkhead separating the rear compartment from the cab. The idea is to create a reasonably secure area for users to store power tools and other items at risk of being stolen, and one that can be racked out if necessary. “A lot of councils are interested in this vehicle,” Merryweather says.

Although its environmental credentials have taken a battering in recent times, councils and other operators are also interested in biodiesel.  “Our vehicles can run on five per cent biodiesel and we've got a 30 per cent mix on trial with a couple of fleets,” he says.

Connect Crew Van

Something else that will doubtless attract local authorities and customers such as construction companies is a Transit Connect Crew Van with a sliding bulkhead.

If the five-seater Crew Van's rear seats are not being used, then they can be folded up and the £214-plus-fitting (excl VAT) bulkhead can be slid forward and locked into place to create more cargo space. If the seats are to be occupied, then the bulkhead can be slid backwards along its roof-mounted rails. The system is on offer on both the short- and the long-wheelbase derivatives.

And the newcomers destined for next year? Watch out for a new Fiesta Van, a facelifted Transit Connect and changes to the Ranger pick-up.

Don't forget either that Transit is now on offer with a stonking 3.2-litre diesel engine that's good for 200hp. We'll be putting a van fitted with it through its paces in a future issue.

The credit crunch may be biting, some major retailers may be feeling the pinch and the construction industry may be struggling, but the van market has yet to be caught in the backwash. Light commercial registrations remained buoyant at the time of writing, with many buyers ordering their vehicles with lots of extras.

“Customers are still after a high level of specification,” says Ford of Britain commercial vehicles director, Steve Kimber. “They want air-conditioning, satellite navigation and electric windows. It makes life easier for the driver and enhances the van's appeal when it comes time to sell it second-hand.”?

Order a vehicle from the factory that's tailored to your precise requirements, however, and you're going to have to wait. Ford is still quoting delivery times of up to 12 to 16 weeks. It can get you a van more quickly than that if you're not too fussy about equipment levels because it has plenty of stock in its network; more stock in fact than it has held for sometime. “As a consequence we should be able to deliver something to you in little more than a fortnight,” Kimber states.

Rising raw material bills are forcing prices upwards, a problem that plagues other manufacturers as well as Ford. “We aim to stay competitive in the marketplace, but we're under huge cost pressure,” he says.

The previous Transit was offered with a semi-auto 'box as an option under the DuraShift banner, but the current one isn't, and Kimber has no plans to introduce one. “We're looking at offering a full automatic, but I'm not convinced that the semi-auto route is the way to go,” he says. “When we had one our customers didn't want it because they didn't like the shift characteristics.” He doubts they've changed their minds.