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

Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Rear 3:4

Operating

Transit is covered by a three-year/ 100,000-mile warranty. Service intervals are set at two years/25,000 miles.Ford has suggested that Transits should undergo a one-year/10,000-mile interim workshop inspection. Who knows what damage may have been inflicted on the tyres, wheels, suspension and steering by the UK’s pot-holed motorways?

Remember that the Transit comes with a handy on-board maintenance monitor. It tells you everything from how much life is left in the engine oil to whether your AdBlue reservoir needs topping up.

Fuel economy? We achieved a steady 28mpg, rather better than the WLTP overall figure of 25.9mpg that Ford cites. We would probably have done better had we remembered to press the Eco button.

Deep side rubbing strips helped defend the Transit’s optional metallic paint against minor bumps and bangs.

Our Transit was not equipped with a spare wheel, but had a tyre inflator kit stowed under the driver’s seat instead. While such an approach gives you slightly more payload capacity, it’s not a lot of help if the damage inflicted by one of the aforementioned potholes is so severe that the tyre concerned is no longer capable of being inflated.

Ford Transit Limited 350 L2 H2 2.0L EcoBlue HD 10-speed auto 170hp RWD

Price (ex VAT) £41,235

Price range (ex VAT) £28,605-£45,100

Gross payload 1,203kg

Load length 3,044mm

Load width (min/max) 1,392mm/1,784mm

Load bay height 1,786mm

Load volume 9.5m³

Loading height 706mm

Rear door aperture 1,565mm x 1,648mm

Side door aperture 1,300mm x 1,600mm

Gross vehicle weight 3,500kg

Braked trailer towing weight 2,800kg

Engine size/power 1,996cc, 170hp @ 3,500rpm

Torque 390Nm @ 1,750-2,500rpm

Gearbox 10-spd auto

Fuel economy 25.9mpg (WLTP overall)

Fuel tank 70 litres

CO2 305g/km

Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls

Service intervals 2yrs/25,000mls

Insurance group 47A

Price as tested £41,885

Options

Metallic paint £650

Rivals

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Price (ex VAT) £27,345-£57,965

Load volume 7.8-17m³

Gross payload 731-2,529kg

Engines 150hp, 170hp 2.0 diesel, 143hp, 163hp 2.1 diesel, 190hp 3.0 diesel, 85kW electric motor

Verdict: Van operators who value safety and connectivity should head straight for Sprinter. Solidly-constructed and with a reputation for durability, it comes with the choice of two automatic transmissions, although neither of them are 10-speeders. A seven-speeder is optional on rear-wheel drive variants while a nine-speeder can be specified on its front-wheel drive stable mates. Look out for the electric model, which is now available.

Fiat Professional Ducato

Price (ex VAT) £27,005-£75,570

Load volume 8-17m³

Gross payload 690-1,885kg

Engines 120hp, 140hp, 160hp, 180hp 2.2 diesel, 90kW electric motor

Verdict: Sharing the same basic design as Citroen’s Relay and Peugeot’s Boxer, and recently revised, Ducato is available with a nine-speed automatic gearbox. The new electric model is well worth a look, with the choice of two battery packs and a claimed range of up to 230 miles between recharges. Citroen, Peugeot and Fiat Professional are all owned by global automotive conglomerate Stellantis.

Volkswagen Crafter

Price (ex VAT) £28,405-£45,505

Load volume 9.3-18.4m³

Gross payload 761-2,472kg

Engines 102hp, 122hp, 140hp, 177hp 2.0 diesel

Verdict: Crafter has always languished in the shadow of Mercedes-Benz’s Sprinter. That’s a pity, because it is just as well put together as the three-pointed star’s offering, with the same emphasis on safety and durability. Crafter is also marketed by MAN as the TGE, and MAN has stolen a march on VW by getting an electric TGE onto the UK market. An e-Crafter had yet to appear on this side of the Channel at the time of writing.

The Final Verdict

Design 8/10 – A practical workhorse that ticks almost all the boxes.

Cabin 8/10 – Well-equipped, with lots of storage space and comfortable seating.

Ride 8/10 – Better than what is on offer from many of the Transit’s rivals.

Refinement 6/10 – In-cab and suspension noise levels were too high and build quality
needs tightening up a little.

Load area 7/10 – Plenty of tie-down points and a beefy bulkhead, but rear door
pillars should be fitted with grab-handles.

Handling/performance 7/10 – Both are to a high standard, although we’d have welcomed more urgency from the auto box’s kick-down facility.

Engine/transmission 9/10 – Well matched, with Ford’s usual slick gear change worthy of applause.

Standard equipment 8/10 – Opt for Limited trim and you get almost all the goodies you are likely to need. Side park assist is a definite plus.

Operating costs 7/10 – Sensible warranty should help keep expenditure down and Transit residual values are invariably healthy. Fuel economy is respectable but not outstanding.

What Van? subjective rating 7/10 – Nobody ever got shot for buying a Transit. It should certainly be on your shopping list – but Mercedes-Benz's Sprinter may be edging closer to the top.

Overall Rating = 75/100

What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide