New Ford Transit Connect

Picked up a new Transit Connect with the 115hp 1.6 TDCi for work. First impression: Very nice!
It's a short wheelbase "Trend" cargo van with tow package.

Does the 115 use Urea?

No, no urea.

Gotta love the Germans. A 115hp 1.6L "van" with a "tow package". As if the Vanagon diesel wasn't enough proof they have a sense of humor!

BTW, nice TC, I wish we could get them here. All we get are ones equipped with leftover Focus 2.0L gasser engines bolted to a 4sp slushbox. Because, you know, 23 MPG is "good". See, Americans have a sense of humor, too.

On a serious note, what made you (or your employer) pick the Ford? I understand that in addition to the VW Caddy, you have other vehicles in that segment to choose from as well? Fiat? Renault? Toyota?

115hp is actually the top-of-the-line diesel. Base is 75hp, it took our Ford dealer some time to hunt down a 115hp version in some other dealer's inventory.
Nearly all TCs in inventory are 75hp ones. Probably fine for the city, but ours will do 600-km trips very frequently...
Toyota doesn't have a van in that segment. Of the other choices, the only one I seriously considered was the Caddy. (I have a very, very tall coworker who fits in the TC and Caddy just fine, but can't get comfortable in the Fiat Doblò)
The downsides of the Caddy:

• We needed the van for a project and couldn't wait the 3-4 months if would have taken to order one
• Vans you find in inventory usually doesn't have many options - this segment is mostly short-range urban delivery, and those customers like their vans as stripper models
• We needed something forklift loadable
• On the Caddy, doors instead of a hatch are an option, therefore the ones in inventory had the hatch -> forklift incompatible
• Transit Connect Cargo comes with doors standard
• It also comes with bluetooth standard in Trend trim, as well as other things. It's just better value than a Caddy with the options added (if you could find such a thing in inventory)
• The amount of 12V plugs in useful locations and storage for small items in the cab is pretty amazing
• While you can get a Caddy with a 2.0 TDI, nobody has something like that in inventory. Ford's 1.6 has 10hp more than the most powerful Caddy 1.6 TDI (105hp), and it has a 6-speed instead of a 5-speed. Since it will live on the autobahn, this is a good thing.
• 4-year warranty for launch, free maintenance, etc...

Cool, thanks for sharing! I'm surprised Volkswagen doesn't offer some "performance" version of the Caddy with a higher range TDI under the hood, given how many choices they have in everything else. I'm not sure I could live in a country where a twin-turbo TDI Transporter was available without having said Transporter in my driveway. You guys are so lucky.

They DO have a Caddy with the 170hp TDI. If you want to order that. Or a 4motion. Caddy comes in so many versions.

Oh, ok. Yeah, I'd gladly wait for several months to get that. Heck, I waited 4 months to get my 52hp Jetta.

I used to own a Mazda Rotary Pickup.
Basically a Ford Courier with a 13B Rotary engine. Talk about Zoom, Zoom.

my neighbor bought one of these about a year ago after his truck was stolen.(obviously not a diesel) he has only been getting about 16mpg (mostly local city driving), with a best of 18 on a trip from chicago to the western shores of Lake Michigan in Michigan. i have suggested he check for a dragging brake but he does not seem to interested in what i have to say, just wants to b*tch and moan about how poor his milage is. it is actually a nice utilitarian vehicle, probably be the perfect choice for me if the mileage was not so poor and i have a hard time making an economic rationalization for buying any vehicle less than 5 yrs used. i will be interested to hear what kind of mileage you get.

The display claims 7 l/100km now. After a few tanks, I'll post how it does.

I like the fold-up passenger seat.


It's actually a 3-seater, if the guy in the middle is an one-legged skinny dude.