SOMEONE once said you learn more from listening than talking.
Otherwise God would have given us two mouths and one ear. I agree. And so do Ford Pro bosses.
They could have just carried on churning out the mega-selling Transit Custom, telling themselves: “We know best, we’re No1.”
But they didn’t.
They sent engineers to ride shotgun with owners to find out how to make their next vans even more useful.
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Like the bloke who shoved a lump of wood through the bottom of the steering wheel to make a lunch table.
Ford’s solution?
The new tilt-up steering wheel holds a circular tray for eating Maccy D’s or working on a MacBook.
Genius.
Another grafter wanted to carry 8x4 ply in the back. But it didn’t quite fit. So Ford specially moulded the bulkhead in the middle so now it does.
Delivery drivers now have walk-through cab access. They didn’t before.
Auto versions now have the gear selector on a steering wheel stalk, meaning the middle-seat passenger can now have an actual right knee.
The manual handbrake has been binned in favour of an electronic one, freeing up even more space.
The new roof-mounted passenger airbag has made room for a second glovebox that’s so big you could lose your arm in it.
All-round cabin space is better.
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All-round visibility is better.
The tech is better. 5G, baby. Alexa too. There are many USB and USB-C ports for dashcams and other devices.
Everyone wins.
Even the base model, the £34k Leader, has that slick 13in touchscreen with reversing camera, as well as other driver-assistance tech to keep your licence clean.
The cargo area has a lower load floor and a new side step. The standard van height is under two metres (6ft 6in) to fit in city garages.
Builders can run power tools and lighting from 2.3kW onboard sockets. But that’s only with the plug-in hybrid and pure electric versions.
As for keeping tools safe, double locks on the rear doors help to avoid the old “peel and steal”.
Now we need to discuss the many engines and body styles.
The bread-and-butter 2-litre diesel — made in Dagenham — has four power outputs with a choice of manual or auto, front-wheel drive or intelligent all-wheel drive for the first time.
So you can now go more places with it. The 2.5-litre petrol plug-in hybrid uses proven tech from the Kuga. It’ll do 30-odd miles on electric power alone.
The pure electric E-Transit Custom coming summer 2024 will do 209 miles and tow 2.3 tonnes. Just not at the same time. They can all carry more than a tonne.
As for body styles, there are standard and XL-length panel vans, five and six-seat crew vans, plus the super-cool nine-seat Tourneo Custom MPV and Nugget camper van.
The new independent rear suspension improves both ride quality and high-speed stability.
There are seven trim levels including Sport, Trail, Active and the high-spec Limited we tried here. So there’s a lid for every pot.
Grumbles?
I have two. The first one is the rear doors don’t pin back fully. The second one is the price. It costs £4k more than today’s van.
But you can see where the money’s been spent. We all can.
The jewel in Ford’s crown is now even more sparkly.
Let’s finish with a few words from an expert.
Builder Peter Lee, aka Mr Transit, has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Britain’s best-loved van family.
He told me: “I can’t think of any reason to complain, apart from maybe the price. But that’s the same with everything these days, from washing machines to knives and forks.
“The others have been playing catch-up with Transit for 58 years and this moves Ford even further ahead. This is the best ever.”
I learned that from listening.
