Strong revision to Transit Custom

A strongly revised Transit Custom van due in Ireland in March will reinforce Ford's strong position in the 1-tonne van class, writes Brian Byrne.

With significant improvements outside, inside and under the hood, the latest iteration of the Custom builds on the elements which have made the vehicle a go-to for those who favour the blue oval brand in the medium van space.

As befits the company whose founder is often credited with the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' advice, the basic sound build and practical design of the Custom hasn't been tinkered with. Indeed, nothing has been 'tinkered' with, any changes are substantial.

Starting with the look. The face of the Transit Custom is now more strongly styled, and has been brought fully into line with the company's passenger cars design. This includes the one-piece trapezoidal grille, much more stylish lights, and a redesigned lower air intake. Apart from engineering reasons, it all makes the van look more purposeful. There are also reshaped bits to the bodywork.

Inside the cabin, there's been a complete reworking along the lines of the interior of the new Ford Fiesta, which very much modernises the dashboard and instruments layout. There are more storage spaces too, and the whole aesthetic has been upgraded with more premium materials. Harder wearing seating material too, which apparently has been seriously tortured by Ford's accelerated wear test equipment.

The powertrains are the new 2.0 diesels that were introduced by Ford last year, replacing the 2.2 units that had underpinned Transits up to then. A selection of drives this week in Germany showed they're efficient, quiet, and pull well depending on the version chosen and the application. Specifically the engine is available in 105/130/170hp versions, with 6-speed manual and automatic choices.

An EcoNetic option is aimed at the operator for whom fuel economy is particularly important. With stop-start, an accelerator system which actively aids an efficient driving style, a limiter to 100km/h, and low rolling resistance tyres, this version offers a 6pc improvement in fuel economy over the most efficient Transit Custom up to now.

The revised van will also be available with all the safety technologies which have been developed for Ford's passenger cars. Some are adapted and enhanced to better suit the needs of commercial vehicles, especially the radar-operated approaching vehicle monitoring system used when reversing out of a nose in parking space. It will even warn of approaching cyclists. The pre-collision warning system is now improved to respond to imminent situations even in darkness by the illumination of the van's lights.

The revision of the Transit Custom is the first step in a complete upgrade of Ford's commercial vehicles over the next 18 months. But there's big movement planned for the commercials power options too. Some 20 customer companies are taking delivery of plug-in hybrid variants of the Transit Custom before the end of this year, for evaluation before the version is put fully on sale.

This electrified powertrain will have its electric motor as the primary motive element, from a battery that can charged while the vehicle is not being used, and can also operated for long distances through a 1.0 petrol engine used as a generator of electricity. On electric power alone, the version will offer a 50km range, and up to 500km from the petrol-hybrid combination.