Initially revealed a week after its passenger equivalent in Europe last year, the exterior updates to the Transit are identical and includes the same newly restyled headlights as the Fiesta, a redesigned grille and in the case of the flagship Sport, black 18-inch alloy wheels, twin racing stripes and a new bodykit made up of a new front bumper, wider door sills, wheel arch extensions, unique fog light bezels and a tweaked rear bumper.

Available in panel van and Kombi bodystyles with a choice of three trim levels; Ambiente, Trend and Sport, the Transit’s interior mirrors that of the Tourneo with a number of storage areas on offer, while the Sport gains partial leather seats with new fabric insert and leather side bolsters. Absent though is the touchscreen infotainment available in Europe, with Ford sticking with the smartphone-inspired dashboard that debuted on the previous generation Fiesta.

Also missing is the updated steering wheel, though the Blue Oval has upped the Transit’s safety tech to include dual front airbags on all models, as well as front and rear parking sensors with a reverse camera, ESP, Hill Launch Assist, Roll-Over Mitigation and Load Adaptive Control with Trailer Sway Control being optional when fitted with a towbar.

Providing seating for three or six in the case of the Kombi, the Transit can once again be had in short-or-long wheelbase configurations, with a payload of 1 155kg for the van exclusive Sport to 1 505kg for the Ambiente van. In terms of loading area, the long wheelbase van offers up a total of 6.83m³ which drops to 5.95m³ in the case of the Sport.

An option on other models, the Trend-spec Kombi comes as standard with dual sliding doors while a sealed floor is available on the Sport. Depending on the model, the Custom as towing rating of 750kg for an unbraked trailer, or up to 1 800kg for a braked version.

Motivation for the Custom is kept unchanged, with Ford opting not to introduce the 2.0-litre EcoBlue motor offered on the Old Continent, continuing instead with the Ranger’s 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCI that produces 74kW/310Nm in the panel van and 96kW/350Nm in both the van and Kombi. The Sport meanwhile offers up 114kW/385Nm from the same engine, with all models being fitted with a six-speed manual being the sole transmission option.

Standard on all models is a four year/120 000km warranty and a six year/90 000km service plan.

PRICING

PANEL VAN

KOMBI