The What Van? Road Test: Ford Transit (2020)

Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Cab

Interior and equipment

The Transit’s three-seater cab does not lack storage space.

There are no less than four shelves on top of the dashboard, one of which plays host to a 12v power point and a USB socket. Both are duplicated in the centre of the fascia.

There is shelving at the top of the Quickclear heated windscreen and a roomy, lidded and lockable glove box with a shelf above it.

Glance down and you will spot a holder for an A4 clipboard, to the left of and below the moulding that accommodates the gear shift.

There are good-sized cup holders at each extremity of the fascia and big bins are mounted on each of the doors, with the one on the driver’s side featuring a moulding shaped to embrace a bottle or flask.

For some reason, the one on the passenger side doesn’t – a curious omission.

Beneath the bin on the driver’s door there is a compartment with a cover held in place by studs. It can accommodate an optional first aid kit.

The mid section of the centre seat’s back can be flipped down and transformed into a useful desk. It features a tray for your pens, two cup holders and an elasticated strap to keep your paperwork in place.

A stowage area concealed beneath the passenger seat cushions is ideal for hiding smartphones, valuable tools and other items that you don’t want to lose to the light-fingered.

Incorporating lumbar adjustment and an in-board armrest, the driver’s seat is height-adjustable. So is the leather-trimmed steering wheel, which plays host to the DAB radio’s remote controls.

In-cab kit includes manual air-conditioning, a driver’s airbag – you’ll pay extra for passenger and curtain airbags – and an 8in TFT touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard with Bluetooth connectivity.

Ford SYNC is provided, which ties in with compatible smartphones and enables drivers to use either the touchscreen or voice commands to control everything from texts and phone calls to satellite navigation and music. AppLink enables SYNC-compatible apps to be controlled.

Emergency assistance helps the driver call for rescue in the event of a collision and is able to pinpoint the van’s precise location.

Electrically adjustable, heated and folding exterior mirrors are fitted; each comes equipped with a fixed lower wide-angle section.

Reversing sensors are provided as well and can be turned off. Sensors are fitted at the front to make parking in tight slots less stressful, and this Transit comes with side park assist to make life even simpler.

Ultrasonic sensors alert you if your vehicles sides are getting perilously close to an obstruction and are at risk of suffering damage.

A heated windscreen and rain-sensing windscreen wipers form part of the package, as do front fog lights and bright Bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights. The headlights illuminate automatically when the daylight fades.

The plethora of onboard safety systems includes ABS, electronic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, hill start assist, emergency brake assist, emergency brake warning and roll stability control. Also present and correct are side wind mitigation, cruise control with adjustable speed limiter, and traction control system, which can be switched off.

The Transit’s independent front suspension encompasses independent MacPherson struts with variable-rate coil springs and a stabiliser bar. Leaf springs help support the rear, and gas-pressurised shock absorbers are fitted all round, as are disc brakes.

Our Transit’s 16in alloy wheels wore Michelin Agilis 235/65 R16C tyres.Electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering delivers an 11.9m kerb-to-kerb turning circle.

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