Drivetrain from Ford Focus and practical van solutions from Transit make Transit Connect a Columbi egg for those who need a van without sacrificing driving pleasure. But I didn't choose it for fun.
A good reason for van?
My daughter and her boyfriend are coming to visit for Christmas. They need a wider bed. Therefore, today's task was to get rid of the old one and buy a "new" bed at "finn.no". A sofa bed from IKEA fits well. Since I no longer have villa, Volvo and own trailer, I had to go online to hire a van. Fortunately, I still have wife og whoop-whoop, - so on a walk with vov-voven the other day I noticed a brand new Ford Transit Connect for rent in the neighborhood. "I have to try that one", I thought. Because if I'm being completely honest, there's a little bit of anticipation in driving a brand new car, even if it's "just" a van.
Do you really need a reason to drive a van?
I found an all right place behind the wheel. You sit at passenger car height, with plenty of space in the height and a windscreen like on a tour bus. The car has three seats where the middle one can be folded down as a stable work table and the armrests – an excellent combination. The compartment in vans is not only for driving, but also a warm room where you chat, eat, drink coffee and the like.
Same engine, new automatic transmission
It was 5 years since last time I drove the Transit Connect. Later, it came in an upgraded version, including a new front. I noted the changes on the dashboard. The ugly button cluster is gone and the infotainment screen is larger. The engine is the same, but not the automatic gearbox. I liked the old one better, but now you know that there have been a number of problems with Ford's Powershift solutions.
Automatic transmission in a van is not so stupid, especially if you do mail and goods deliveries - and the like. The car I drove 5 years ago had a 6-speed double-clutch solution. It made better use of the fine bottom draft in the engine than the new automatic gearbox. The new one is a conventional 8-speed gearbox with torque converter. It takes some getting used to for the right foot to cooperate 100 percent. If you step on the gas a little too hard, the gearbox downshifts instead of holding the gear. I had mixed feelings. Automatic cash registers make driving fun - at the same time, I think it can get a bit fussy. On the highway you don't notice that the car shifts between the highest gears, but I wish it could hold the gears a little longer before downshifting.
Short or long?
Ford Transit Connect comes in two sizes, L1 and L2 – short and long. I had the short one. With a total length of 4,43, it slips playfully easily into all parking pockets, but the luggage compartment is limited in length. The mattresses and bed frames that I had to drive onto the pile were 2 metres. The maximum load length of the L1 is 178 cm down at the floor, but only 155 directly behind the back of the driver's seat. The long version of the Transit Connect, L2, can carry 215 cm down at the floor - sufficient for all frame mattresses. My solution was to cut up the mattresses and bend the steel. They should have been discarded anyway. I made room for the frame rails by opening the loading hatch into the compartment. The "new" piece of furniture was a two-seater sofa bed. We got it loaded fine.
The Ford Connect L1 falls short as a moving vehicle. The cargo space is nevertheless a decent 2,9 cubic meters and rather snobbish with two sliding doors, a side window on the right side, inner lining on the floor and Plexiglas in the partition from Lafinto. In addition, there are many nice furnishing solutions to buy, with shelves, drawers and double floors and more, so you can keep your sewing things in order. You can also buy great camping equipment from abroad, but then you should probably choose L2 because of the bed space.
Facts about the 2022 Ford Transit Connect 1.5 Ecoblue
Weights and Measures
External dimensions - L, W, H: 443 x 184 x 186 cm
Wheelbase: 266 cm
Net weight: 1602 kg (without driver)
Payload: 728 kg
Number of seats: 3
Max trailer weight w/brakes: 1390 kg
– without brakes: 750 kg
Roof load: 100 kg
Drivetrain
Diesel engine: Transverse 1,5 Ecoblue 4-cyl. Turbo
Power: 120 HP
Torque: 270 Nm @ 1750 – 4000 revs
Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, Ford 8F35 (conventional with torque converter)
Front wheel drive
consumption
In ht vehicle license: 6,0 litres/100 km
Own measurements: 5,8 litres/100 km
From brochure: 5,1 litres/100 km (combined)
– 5,8 litres/100 km (city driving)
Cargo space
Volume: 2,9 cubic meters
Load length along the floor: 178,6 cm
Load length behind partition: 155,8 cm
Load length through hatch: 300,0 cm
Height in cargo space: 126,3 cm
About the car
Place of manufacture: Otosan, Turkey
Colour: Magnetic
Equipment level: Prof+
Price: 410 (with 600 ecoblue 1.5 HP, 100 Nm)
Varnish supplement: 6
Leased by Hyre.no
Model: 2022
Mileage: New
Km driven: 75
Source: Ford.no, Vegvesen.no
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