Raft of revisions for Ford Transit

Date: Friday, November 2, 2007

Ford has announced the introduction of two new drivetrains, heavy duty variants, ESP with Hill Start as standard and a larger fuel tank option for its market-leading Transit range.
The most exciting news is the introduction of the 200hp, five-cylinder 3.2-litre TDCi powerplant, first displayed at the British CV Show earlier this year. An extremely healthy peak torque of 470Nm (347 lb/ft) is on tap from 1,700rpm to 2,500rpm. A six-speed manual transmission is fitted as standard and it's available solely in the heavier weight rear-wheel drive Transits, starting with the medium-wheelbase 350.

Speaking of heavy duty, Ford has also extended Transit's appeal at the heavier end of the market with the announcement of 350HD and 460 rear-wheel drive models. These feature uprated front and rear axles to increase payload and the towing potential.

The second new drivetrain replaces the 130hp 2.2-litre unit currently found in front-wheel drive models. Power has been bumped to 140hp and the peak torque figure has risen from 310Nm to 350Nm (258 lb/ft) and is available between 1,800rpm and 2,400rpm. This new engine gets a six-speed manual transmission out of the box and can be found under the bonnet of the special edition Transit Sport.

Dual rear-wheel drive Transits now have ESP fitted as standard and this includes Jumbo vans, chassis and chassis double cabs and 17-seater minibuses. The ESP system has also been uprated across the whole range to include Hill Assist Launch which does exactly what it says on the tin.

Finally, Ford has announced the availability of a coated diesel particulate filter for £850 and a 103 litre-capacity fuel tank (£55) on certain derivatives.


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