2010 Ford Transit Connect Expert Review: Autoblog

If there were one undeniable business lesson to be learned from the auto industry during the past decade, it's to keep a close eye on your sales and a closer eye on your capacity. As Ferrari executives have repeatedly said over the years, the supply of any model should always be exactly one less than the demand. Less supply and you're leaving money on the table, more and you've got unused capacity.

This philosophy can be adapted to a wide array of businesses and is especially relevant to small businesses. Many small businesses need to deliver product or services to their customers. For many that operate locally, existing options like the Dodge Sprinter or Ford E-Series vans are simply too large, thirsty and unwieldy for their needs. Enter the Ford Transit Connect. Since being introduced last year in North America, an increasing number of businesses small and large have found the Transit Connect to be just the right size for their needs. We spent a week with a cargo van version to find out what it's like to live with. Follow the jump to read on.



Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

The Transit Connect has been a staple of Ford's commercial vehicle fleet in Europe since 2002, but it only joined the U.S. lineup about six months ago. Since that time we've seen more and more of the compact van on the streets. Like the big vans, the Transit Connect has been purpose designed as a commercial vehicle. As a result, its packaging and structure are optimized to accommodate after-market up-fitting with whatever equipment is most appropriate for a given application.

For a caterer this could include sliding racks for trays of food or insulated containers. A plumber or electrician might have tool cabinets and drawers full of parts. Unlike some of the panel versions of minivans that have been available over the years, the roof is taller and the sides flatter and more vertical, which makes fitting all of this aftermarket storage hardware easier and more efficient.



Perhaps the biggest advantage that the Transit Connect has over the larger offerings is the low floor. The big vans are all rear-wheel-drive body-on-frame designs, which means the load floor is well above the ground in order to clear the drivetrain. The front-wheel-drive Transit Connect has a simple beam axle in the back suspended by leaf springs and a cargo floor that is below the average person's knees. For the intended customer, this is a major convenience as users typically won't have to climb in and out to retrieve tools, parts or trays.

Given the primary target market, the Transit Connect's styling – or perhaps lack of styling – shouldn't be a problem. This is a vehicle designed around functional requirements and then wrapped in minimalist sheet metal. Aside from a reshaped lower front fascia that was implemented in time for the U.S. introduction, the rest of the face has remained largely unchanged since the Transit Connect debuted overseas in 2002. Thus, it has the more vertical headlight design that was typical of Euro-Fords of the time including the previous generation European Mondeo sedan.

Overall the Transit Connect has the type of utilitarian form-follows-function design that appeals to buyers of vehicles like the first generation Scion xB and Honda Element. We wouldn't be at all surprised to see a burgeoning "civilian" market for Transit Connects in the coming years. With some extra side windows in the high roof, the TC could well become the 21st century VW micro-bus.



The utility look extends to the interior of the Transit Connect, as Ford has made no effort to have the TC appear upscale. The plastics on the dashboard and door panels are gray and hard with no texturing on any surface that even attempts to look like an animal hide. This is a vehicle designed with the expectation that numerous people will drive it and climb into and out of the cabin multiple times a day. From the look of things, we would expect these plastics to hold up well over time and be easy to clean. The edges are also cleanly finished and all the seams even. Ford also took advantage of the high roof to add a shelf above the windshield header where drivers can store a variety of items as long as they aren't too heavy.

Our tester came to us in the windowless two-seat cargo configuration. The area behind the seats is covered by a simple rubber floor mat and the walls are bare metal aside from the radio frequency ID (RFID) readers. Those RFID readers are part of the installed Work Solutions package that Ford introduced two years ago on its full-size pickups and vans. The package includes an in-dash computer with a touch screen, bluetooth and integrated 3G wireless connectivity. A wireless bluetooth keyboard is also tucked into the back pocket of the passenger seat and users can also connect a bluetooth printer for generating invoices or estimates while out in the field.



A Tool Link application allows operators to stick RFID tags on their equipment and tools and then scan them all into the computer. It then creates tool lists and job lists, which can be linked together. Pressing the scan tools function triggers the system to check that all the necessary tools for a job are in the vehicle before leaving the shop as well as ensuring that nothing gets left behind at a job site. Unfortunately, Ford didn't include any extra tags that we could attach to our cameras and computers to try out the system.

The computer itself is a bit slow to boot up and the recessed screen can make it difficult to hit some of the smaller interface buttons near the edge. However, the overall functionality of the system seems like it could be well worth the price for those who are filling the van with small tools and easily lost equipment.

For now Ford only offers one powertrain option in the Transit Connect: a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder mated to a four-speed automatic transmission that generates 136 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque. With the short 4.20:1 final drive ratio, the 3,470-pound van had more than adequate acceleration off the line and no problem getting up to freeway speeds. We can't attest to how it feels with a full 1,600-pound payload on board, but given the mission of this vehicle, it should be sufficient.



We only drove the Transit Connect unloaded, so the center of gravity is considerably lower than it would likely be if fully loaded. With that in mind the van handles surprisingly well. This is obviously not a sports car, but the steering was nicely weighted and the van understeers resolutely when pushed to its limits. Devoid of cargo, body roll is kept to a minimum, and anyone actually carrying a load is unlikely to push very hard anyway. The leaf sprung rear beam axle generates a ride that is taut but not terribly uncomfortable or bouncy thanks to well tuned dampers. Mid-corner bumps also didn't upset the back end the way we've seen in pickup trucks in the past.

The Transit Connect is marketed primarily as a cargo van, but its also available with a second row bench providing seating for five and later this year will be offered with a taxi package. While no one will mistake it for the plush ride of a Lincoln Town Car or the more refined ride of passenger vans like the Honda Odyssey, the Transit Connect is neither spine pounding or nauseating.

A little known fact about the Transit Connect is that all of the vans are built in Europe and shipped to the U.S. with windows in their sliding doors and a second row bench seat already installed, which allows Ford to bypass the 1960s-era Chicken Tax on imported light trucks. Once they reach American shores, the sliding doors on most of the vans are replaced with window-less doors and the bench seats are removed to make them cargo vans. The removed parts are recycled, but this somewhat wasteful process may rub environmentally conscious buyers the wrong way.



The tall windshield and cut down glass below the side mirrors creates excellent visibility to the front and sides. Cargo vans, however, have no glass behind their front doors, which means there is no windshield-mounted rearview mirror and visibility when backing up is nil. But the Transit Connect's comparatively small footprint makes is much easier to maneuver in city traffic than a full-size van. Nevertheless, Ford should make a rear-view camera system standard on these panel vans as a safety feature.

Ford likes to promote the Transit Connect as being versatile enough for just about any conceivable application. With the appropriate racks or desks in the back, it could be anything from a plumbers van to a mobile webcast studio outfitted with a Tricaster, cameras and 3G broadband interface. The real beauty of the Transit Connect is that for many it will be just enough vehicle to provide better capacity utilization than a full-size van while offering much lower operating costs. We saw 22 mpg in a week of driving, which is probably double what most E-Series cargo vans get in the real world. Our thoroughly outfitted example also priced out at $26,500 even with the Work Solutions package, which is about $1,500 less than the starting point of a 2010 E-series.



There really is nothing else quite like the Transit Connect available in the U.S. market until Nissan brings over its NV200 and Fiat launches the Doblo, which means Ford has a monopoly on this form factor for the time being. Later this year Ford will also launch a battery electric version of the Transit Connect, which may well prove to be an ideal match for customers who operate within a limited range of their home base and give Ford even more of a lead in the right-sized van segment. Based on our experience with the Transit Connect, we can definitely understand why we're seeing more and more of them on the street.



Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

After relying on full-size E-series vans for commercial cargo carrying since the dawn of time, Ford is finally ready to offer North American businesses a more practical alternative. The Transit Connect is a compact, purpose-built van that's been available overseas since 2002, and Ford has sold more than 600,000 of the squat little haulers to businesses abroad over the past seven years. The company hopes that what's good for Europe is good for the States, so the first batch of U.S.-spec models are on their way to dealerships as you read this.

While the E-series vans are more than capable of carrying out their prescribed duties, for most, it's like using a sledgehammer to push a tack into a cork board. The Big-Es were simply more vehicle than necessary for most small businesses, especially those operating locally, delivering flowers, catering and plumbing. That's where the Transit Connect comes in.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

A panel van version of the Ford Windstar/Freestar was actually produced for commercial customers from the mid-'90s until it was discontinued earlier this decade. The reworked family haulers never sold in large numbers, however, and weren't particularly optimized for the task. As gas prices spiked in 2007 and 2008, Ford saw a market for something smaller than the E-series, but bigger than the Chevrolet HHR panel van. The Transit Connect is just the ticket.



Unlike the Windstar, the Transit Connect was specifically developed as a commercial vehicle. It has a beefier chassis designed to withstand the rigors of daily business use and Ford has a different testing regime for its commercial and consumer vehicles. With a high strength steel front cross-member and extra side cross-members, the Transit Connect endured Ford's rigid durability testing and walked away unscathed. It's a stout runabout and a testament to Ford's engineering abilities.

The Transit Connect was designed to endure the rigors of operation in urban environments. Among the problems that city drivers regularly encounter are minor fender benders, so the TC is equipped with a rear bumper made of rolled steel designed to absorb the energy of rear-end impacts so prevalent in vehicles lacking rear windows.



On the topic of driving, anyone who's spent time behind the wheel of a full-size van understands the joys of body roll, pitch, a bouncy ride and lifeless steering. Thankfully, the Transit Connect is mercilessly devoid of the these unsavory characteristics. Although the TC does not share a platform with any of FoMoCo's cars, its layout is more car-like than truck-like, which pays dividends in the driving department. Our brief time behind the wheel (What, you were expecting a full-on track test?) didn't give us an opportunity to flog the Transit Connect within an inch of its life, but the steering wheel -- adjustable for both reach and angle -- was reasonably well weighted and provided adequate feedback.

The transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout and uni-body construction means there is no drive-shaft or massive frame rails to suck up valuable space, so the floor is low and flat, allowing parcels to be loaded with ease while keeping the center of gravity closer to the ground. In our relatively unladen tester, there was remarkably little body roll when cornering. Granted, this isn't a sports car, so don't expect to break a G in the bends, but reasonable handling should be universal these days and the Transit Connect doesn't have the potential to scare anyone. However, until we can get behind the wheel of a fully-loaded model (cargo, not options), we'll reserve judgment on it's ability to simultaneously shuffle and haul.



As a commercial cargo vehicle, the Transit Connect is designed to take whatever its users demand, both in mass and volume. On the mass side, the cargo variant has a load capacity of 1,600 lbs. Supporting that much weight requires fairly rigid springs, so the ride is on the stiff side, particularly when rolling freight-free. However, it's not uncomfortably harsh and the damping is set perfectly to keep the body from bouncing around, but a Lexus it is not. Over uneven patches of pavement, occupants will definitely feel the ruts and divots, but it's still remarkably more pleasant than driving your run-of-the-mill full-size pickup.

As the Transit Connect is a work truck first and foremost, it's got to have a comfortable and functional interior. Here, Ford scores high marks. As with other recent offerings from the Blue Oval, the seats are excellent, with firm cushions providing good lateral, back and thigh support. The dashboard is covered with hard plastic that's far from luxurious, but it should be fairly durable and easy to clean when coffee, soda or Thousand Island dressing inevitably finds its way onto the dash. The shift lever for the four-speed automatic is mounted on the center console, as are the window switches, and visibility out the front and sides are excellent thanks to the tall windshield and side glass.



The Transit Connect is available as a five passenger wagon fitted with a second row bench seat, and both the cargo van and wagon variants are available with sliding side and rear doors and windows. Without that glass, rearward visibility is limited to the side mirrors – and that's not nearly enough. Although Ford does offer backup sensors as an option, the Transit Connect isn't available with a rear-view camera. As such, anyone spending considerable amounts of time in the cramped confines of urban environments might want to source a back-up camera from the aftermarket.

Sending power to the automatic transmission, is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine putting out 136 hp and 128 lb-ft of torque. The engine is smooth, but moving 3,470 pounds with that much power takes some time. The Transit Connect's acceleration is leisurely (at best), but acceptable given the intended purpose. Considering Ford is moving to six-speed transmissions on the rest of its line, one might wonder why this all-new (for North America) vehicle only gets four ratios. According to Ford, since the Transit Connect is designed primarily for urban markets, the lower gear ratios are the ones that will be used most often and Ford wants to keep the price of entry down to appeal to small businesses.



Despite the lackluster though smooth-shifting gearbox, the Transit Connect gets very respectable numbers from the EPA, with 22 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. A year from now, Ford will start offering a fully electric version with a choice of two lithium ion battery sizes: the 21 kWh pack will give a range of about 60 miles, while a 28 kWh pack should push the Transit Connect for about 100 miles.

The Transit Connect fits within FoMoCo's criteria of a commercial vehicle, so it's eligible for Ford's Work Solutions package. That means buyers can get the same in-dash computer available in the F-series and E-series that allows them to communicate with the home office, print out estimates and invoices, and send and receive email. The tool link system includes an RFID reader that can detect the tags applied to tools and other items that need to go out for various jobs, while the crew chief system communicates with the vehicles in a fleet and allows dispatchers to track locations and send the closest unit out for an assignment.



The Transit Connect's starting price comes in at $21,475 (including delivery), or $4,500 less than a base E-150 cargo van (and it will undoubtedly cost less to operate). With a 135 cubic-foot capacity behind the front seats, it more than doubles the 62.7 cubic-feet of the Chevy HHR Panel, and its 39-foot turning circle and compact length of just 180.6 inches makes it easy to maneuver in parking lots and tight urban alleyways. Ford has made arrangements with retailers on both sides of the country so dealers can order and install whatever types of storage, racks or other hardware buyers require.

The unit we drove was equipped with slide-out racks suitable for a caterer, while others were specifically equipped for florists, contractors and general delivery. And that's just the tip of the customizable iceberg. The Transit Connect seems poised to be all things to all businesses, and considering the lack of alternatives, we think it's got a serious chance at wide-spread success.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

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