Final Report
A few weeks ago my resident Transit Custom crew van departed our long-term fleet, and with a facelifted model on the way this year, the next time we get behind the wheel of the UK’s most popular van we are likely to see some changes.
Apart from its sales volume success, which is almost a given when it comes to market leader Ford, the Custom was met with almost universal critical acclaim upon its launch in 2013, so the question for the manufacturer is how to improve upon a winning formula.
Well, perhaps Ford could start with the interior.
We found our Custom’s cabin to be probably the most pleasant and certainly the most stylish of any in its class to spend time in, but it did lack a little when it came to functionality.
Overhead shelves above the windscreen in van cabs can be ugly, but they do provide somewhere to store paperwork out of sight, and the absence of one in our van tended to result in folders, documents and other bits and pieces accumulating on the passenger seats.
The lower storage bin in the front door is difficult to reach from the driver’s seat while the one above it is not big enough to hold a large (2.0-litre) water bottle, so it’s advisable to take a smaller one when planning journeys.
An open shelf on the passenger side of the dash occasionally shed its load on the floor when cornering or negotiating uneven surfaces, while a lidded compartment in front of the driver is awkwardly positioned, but does house one of two useful 12V power points in the cab.
The central dashboard display is attractively designed but perhaps veers too far towards style over practicality. The buttons are fiddly to use while other controls, such as the temperature dials, are off-centre and difficult to reach from the driver’s position. Last but not least in my opinion, DAB radio was not included, but for the revised model it surely will be.
Of undoubted practical use, however, is the desk that appears when you fold down the middle seat back. Along with a handy work surface it provides a pen tray and an elasticated band to hold documents in place and a pair of cup holders.
A further couple of cup holders are found at either end of the dashboard and also useful are the lockable glove box and the generous stowage space underneath the passenger seats that can accommodate a briefcase, tool box or work boots if not being used to slide in over-length items from the load bay.
The big, heavy tailgate takes some manhandling to open and close but conceals a generous cargo space for a double-cab van. The long-wheelbase provides the length but it is nearly high enough for an average-height adult to stand in too. So as well as being able to carry six people in relative comfort our custom also impressed with its load-lugging ability. One gripe for rear seat passengers is that there is only one sliding door – thankfully on the nearside – through which to get in and out.
When it comes to performance, handling and driveability, the Custom is in a class of its own. The 130hp 2.0-litre powertrain in my van provided plenty of zip and grunt and combined harmoniously with the slick, precise six-speed manual gearbox, while the steering was reassuringly well weighted and direct.
Equally impressive was the ability of the adaptive cruise control to take the strain out of long motorway slogs. Having set the desired speed you can then programme the space you want the van to keep from the vehicle in front. Without requiring the driver to use the foot brake, unless the traffic slows to a stop, the engine then dutifully brakes automatically to keep you at a safe distance.
End-of-term report
Load space 4/5
The double-cab can carry six people in relative comfort and also offers an impressive load-lugging capacity.
Customer service 3/5
Helpful staff and efficient service, including the provision of a courtesy vehicle, took the pain out of a visit to the workshop.
Interior storage 3/5
The Custom DCiV cabin is attractively designed but falls a little short when it comes to practicality.
Driver Assistance features 3/5
Comprehensively equipped but alerts are over-zealous.
People-carrying 3/5
Six can travel in comfort but having just one rear door lets the double-cab-in-van down
Handling/performance 5/5
Both have set the standard that rivals must strive to match.
OVERALL SCORE 70%
V362 Transit Trend D/Cab In Van 2.0TDCI 310LWB
Mileage 7,999
Official combined consumption 44.8mpg
Our average consumption 33.3mpg
Price (ex VAT) £27,140.83
Price range (ex VAT) £21,240–£32,461
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 36,000mls
Load length 2,922mm
Load width (min/max) 1,390/1,775mm
Load bay height 1,406mm
Gross payload 884kg
Load volume 6.2m3
Engine size/power 2,000cc/128hp
Gearbox 6-spd
CO2 170g/km
On sale September 2016
Click ‘Next’ for previous reports
4th Report
When you’re out and about in a big, long-wheelbase van it’s great to feel you’re well protected by a wealth of safety technology and driver-assistance features, particularly if, like me, much of your time behind the wheel is spent negotiating tight city streets populated with pedestrians, cyclists, moving traffic and parked vehicles.
On a fairly fundamental level, I’ve been grateful for our Transit Custom’s excellent dual-section wing mirrors, which provide both a wide and near view of what’s lurking behind the vehicle and are particularly useful when it comes to the preservation of cyclists and the legions of always-in-a-rush scooter-mounted pizza-delivery riders.
Our crew van does have a rear-view mirror too but this cannot be relied upon as it only affords a limited field of vision through the small window in the bulkhead and the glazed rear doors.
Another feature I’ve found invaluable has been the excellent rear-view camera, which comes as part of the optional £1,334 Visibility Pack Premium. Not only does this reduce the chances of reversing into pedestrians or parked vehicles, it also allows you to accurately gauge where the legal parking space ends and the dreaded double yellow lines begin.
All-round sensors provide comprehensive protection to the rest of the van’s body too.
I have previously remarked on how the adaptive cruise control enables safer and more relaxing long-distance journeys and other welcome features include side wind stabilisation and lane keeping alert.
Sometimes, however, it feels that all this radar and camera technology gets a tad over zealous.
The Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection alert, for example, is inclined to hysterically over react – frantically blaring and flashing orange on the dashboard when you do nothing more hazardous than drive down a residential street with parked cars on either side or pull out to pass a bus picking up passengers at a stop.
Another bugbear is the distance warning that begins frantically flashing when the van is moving steadily in traffic – keeping a perfectly safe distance behind the vehicle in front. Then there is the speed limit alert that is impressively vigilant in detecting when you pass between, say, 30mph and 20mph zones, but bleeps irritatingly every time you so much as touch upon the upper limit.
Still, better safe than sorry eh?
Report Card: Driver assistance features = 3/5
Comprehensively equipped but alerts are unnecessarily overzealous.
V362 Transit Trend D/Cab In Van 2.0TDCI 310LWB
Mileage 7,849
Official combined consumption 44.8mpg
Our average consumption 33.3mpg
Price (ex VAT) £27,140.83
Price range (ex VAT) £21,240–£32,461
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 36,000mls
Load length 2,922mm
Load width (min/max) 1,390/1,775mm
Load bay height 1,406mm
Gross payload 884kg
Load volume 6.2m3
Engine size/power 2,000cc/128hp
Gearbox 6-spd
CO2 170g/km
On sale September 2016
Click ‘Next’ for previous reports
3rd Report
‘Space, the final frontier’ is a phrase What Van? readers of a certain vintage and a penchant for science fiction television shows are likely to be familiar with but it is also arguably one of the last challenges Ford has to overcome before confirming the Transit Custom’s reputation as the outstanding medium van in the marketplace.
The first facelift of the Custom arrives early in 2018 sporting a completely new cabin, after the brand responded to customer feedback that the interior needed additional storage space and a more user-friendly dashboard.
The original cabin layout, which is the one installed in our long-term Custom DCiV, cannot be faulted for style but I have began to find it falls a little short in terms of practicality.
There is no overhead shelf above the windscreen to store folders and documents discreetly out of sight, which means the seats can become cluttered with paperwork, and the lower storage bin in the front door is difficult to reach while the one above it is not big enough to hold a large (2.0-litre) water bottle. An open shelf on the passenger side of the dash tends to allow items to fly out when cornering or traversing uneven surfaces while a lidded compartment in front of the driver is awkwardly positioned but does house one of the two 12V power points in the cab.
The central dashboard display is attractively designed but the buttons are fiddly to use while other controls, such as the temperature dials, are off-centre and difficult to reach from the driver’s seat.
On the plus side, however, the middle seat back folds down into a useful table top with two cup holders, a pen tray and an elasticated band to hold documents in place. There are also cup holders and bottle holders at either end of the dashboard and a lockable glove box. A feature I have found particularly handy is the generous stowage space located underneath the passenger seats that can comfortably accommodate a briefcase, tool box or work boots. It should be remembered though, that this is where over-length items from the load bay also need to slide into.
Report Card: Interior storage
The Custom DCiV cabin is attractively designed but falls a little short when it comes to practicality.
Score: 3/5
V362 Transit Trend D/Cab In Van 2.0TDCI 310LWB
Mileage 6,422
Official combined consumption 44.8mpg
Our average consumption 35.1mpg
Price (ex VAT) £27,140.83
Price range (ex VAT) £21,240–£32,461
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 36,000mls
Load length 2,922mm
Load width (min/max) 1,390/1,775mm
Load bay height 1,406mm
Gross payload 884kg
Load volume 6.2m3
Engine size/power 2,000cc/128hp
CO2 170g/km
On sale September 2016
See previous reports below
2nd Report
Having had the Transit Custom crew van on our fleet for several weeks I’m coming to rely on its many virtues as both a long-distance motorway cruiser and civilised van about town.
Apart from the likes of regular supermarket runs, other recent assignments have included making use of the van’s five passenger seats to ferry almost half a boys’ football team to an away fixture on a rainy day, when the rubber-floored load bay proved the perfect place to chuck all the muddy boots and kit on the return journey.
On another weekend I employed the Custom to take my eldest daughter back to Leeds for the start of her second year at university. As she was moving into new accommodation there was plenty of stuff, such as crockery, furniture and bedding, to bring along to help her get settled in. This all fitted easily into the 6.2m3 load space.
On the long slog up the M1 (and back the next day) I was impressed by how the adaptive cruise control took the strain out of the journey. Having set the desired speed you can then programme the space you want the van to keep from the vehicle in front. Without requiring the driver to use the foot brake, unless the traffic slows to a complete stop, the engine then dutifully brakes automatically to keep you at a safe distance. The feature was especially welcome due to the great stretches of the motorway on which maximum speed is restricted to 50mph.
With less than 5,500 miles on the clock, though, it came as a bit of a surprise when a light flashed up on the dash telling me the van would require an AdBlue top up within about 600 miles – so at least it gave plenty of notice!
But this was followed shortly by another alert warning that an oil change was needed, which seemed altogether more urgent.
With the first full service not due until two years or 36,000 miles it came as a relief to be told upon booking an appointment at Ford dealership Bristol Street Motors, Orpington, that both matters were under warranty, apparently as part of an early service requirement.
A word of warning when it comes to AdBlue – if you delay topping up until the vehicle goes into limp mode, then the warranty is invalidated.
Much of the inconvenience the visit to the dealership caused was negated by the smooth and efficient service I received. I dropped my van off at 9am and the service advisor promptly gave me the key to a base-spec short-wheelbase Transit Custom for the day.
While this van could have done with a bit of a clean inside and out it was a decent attempt at short notice to supply a like-for-like replacement that would have coped with load-lugging duties if required.
Bristol Street called during the afternoon to let me know everything was done and on my way home I was able to return the courtesy vehicle, swap back into my van and continue on my way. Sorted.
Report Card: Customer Service Score = 3/5
Helpful staff and efficient service, including the provision of a courtesy vehicle, took the pain out of a visit to the workshop.
V362 Transit Trend D/Cab In Van 2.0TDCI 310LWB
Mileage 6,222
Official combined consumption 44.8mpg
Our average consumption 35.1mpg
Price (ex VAT) £27,140.83
Price range (ex VAT) £21,240–£32,461
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 36,000mls
Load length 2,922mm
Load width (min/max) 1,390/1,775mm
Load bay height 1,406mm
Gross payload 884kg
Load volume 6.2m3
Engine size/power 2,000cc/128hp
CO2 170g/km
On sale September 2016
Click ‘Next’ for previous reports
1st Report
The crew van version of the UK’s best-selling van is comfortable carrying both people and cargo, as James Dallas discovers.
The Ford Transit Custom has been picking up plaudits since it set a new benchmark in the medium van sector when it came to market in 2013.
It raised the bar for innovation and driveability and, arguably, toppled the Volkswagen Transporter as the benchmark model in the sector by matching its quality and adding more dash to its exterior and interior styling.
The Custom impressed us so much that we crowned it the What Van? Van of the Year in both 2013 and 2014, making it the first model ever to win the prize two years running.
In 2016 Ford introduced new engines to the line-up in advance of the Euro6 emissions legislation that came into force in September of that year.
The newcomer on our long-term test fleet is a Transit Custom Trend Double-cab-in-Van (DCiV) long-wheelbase powered by Ford’s 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine with an output of 130hp, which is married to six-speed manual transmission.
With space for six occupants, including the driver, this bodystyle is well suited for operators needing to get a team of workers as well as their tools or a load of materials to and from site.
It is also, of course, a good option for those who need a working van during the week and a family vehicle in the evenings and at weekends.
I wasted little time in putting the van through its paces on a bank holiday camping trip in the Forest of Dean.
While we did not have bums on all the seats on this occasion, with just two adults and two children travelling, it should be noted that the middle seat in the front row provides enough space for a passenger to travel in relative comfort, mainly because the dashboard-mounted gear stick does not intrude upon legroom, which is not the case in many vans that claim to offer three front seats.
In addition, the middle seat can be raised to reveal a generously proportioned hidey-hole for tools, bags or laptops and the backrest folds down to create the now almost mandatory table with cup holders.
A nearside sliding door gives access to the rear seats, so the load area can be reached solely via the heavy tailgate. A low step up enables easy access to it, however, and on our camping weekend we loaded it up with all the necessary paraphernalia such as tents, tables, gazebo, cooking stove and sleeping bags, not to mention the dog. On the way back we filled the cargo box with all the rubbish and recycling accumulated by five families over the previous three days.
The 310 LWB is the most spacious double-cab-in-van in the Custom line-up and larger than most medium-size crew vans on the market, which usually stick to a medium-wheelbase, low-roof format. It offers a load space of 6.2m3 combined with a payload of 884kg. The 310 L2 H2 Kombi version of the Transit Custom, however, boasts an 8.3m3 load space with a payload of 841kg.
VW, meanwhile, offers a LWB, high-roof Kombi derivative of its extensive Transporter range – the 2.0 TDI 102hp five-speed manual – with a 9.3m3 load box and a payload of 1,141kg. The list of options on our test van is as long as my arm and adds more than £5,000, excluding VAT, to the model’s price, but notable items include air-conditioning, Visibility pack premium (lane keeping, rear-view camera and adaptive cruise control), stop/start and a tow bar.
Report Card: Load Space Score = 4/5
The double-cab can carry six people in relative comfort and also offers an impressive load-lugging capacity.
Options (ex VAT)
Visibility pack premium £1,334
Front manual aircon £576
Alloy wheels £480
Roof rack £379
AGM cyclic durable batteries (x2) £307
Mud and snow tread £288
Tow bar £288
Liftgate £240
Passenger airbag £192
Stop/start system £192
Rear wash wipe (transmission linked) £146
Perimeter alarm £144
Configurable unlocking £125
Extra heavy-duty alternator £115
Fixed rear window £96
Floor cover – rubber £96
Front seat pack 15 £96
230V power converter £58
Rear aux 12V socket £58
Acceleration control £48
Fixed 2nd row window £48
Smokers pack £34
Tinted glass, complete £0
