The Transit has dominated the UK market for 47 years, during which time the manufacturer has shifted 6.3 million units worldwide. The van’s ubiquity is such that its name has become genericised to the same extent as the Bic Biro or the Hoover vacuum cleaner.
Having put the emphasis on boosting the model’s style and refinement, Ford is aiming the smaller Transit (a two-tonner will be unveiled at the Hanover Show in September) at small businesses and skilled tradesmen who, it claims, will be proud to park the vans on their drives.
The Transit Custom features a load capacity of 6.0m3 and chief engineer Barry Gale said payloads will correspond to the current range at just below and above the 1000kg mark.
The new Transit line-up will be powered by the 2.2-litre TDCi Euro5 diesel engines used in the current generation and stop/start technology will be a standard feature in all models. Ford said Co2 emissions would come in at a class-leading 178g/km with an 8% improvement in mpg across the board.
