Brake Magazine Visits The Belfry For Ford’s Commercial Vehicle Day

This month, Brake Magazine was invited to Ford’s Commercial Vehicle Day at the Belfry. Representatives at Ford were on hand to demonstrate the latest offerings in their range of small commercial vehicles- including various editions of the Transit and Tourneo models.

Spending the day at the resort, we test drove a number of new commercial vehicles and were guided through the additions that had been made since the previous models. Including the more sporty feeling Transit Custom Sport Van and the Tourneo Custom Titanium L1, which both featured welcome improvements.

Transit Custom Sport Van:

The first vehicle of the day was the Ford Transit – the custom sports edition inspired by the manufacturer’s ST line of cars. It features a 2-litre 170bhp diesel engine which makes it feel a bit sportier than the typical transit van, although, the gearbox is quite high up with short shifts that take a little time to get used to – while cargo space remains standard across the range.

Inside, the cabin is pretty much what you’d expect from a transit van, albeit with a few minor additions. The dials have a sporty blue glow and there is a sat nav and CD player with phone connectivity via auxiliary input and Bluetooth. These all contribute to making it feel slightly more impressive than the standard Transit van but not by much.

Tourneo Custom Titanium L1:

Ford’s Tourneo is the passenger friendly version of the Transit van, featuring space for 8 people and a respectable 130bhp. The steering and suspension is much softer and the van also features two rows of three-person benches in the back with sliding doors on either side- providing easy access.

This model features privacy glass while maintaining better visibility than the Transit. The gearbox feels slightly softer than the Custom Sport Van, but that is to be expected with the slightly less powerful engine and chunkier tyres. There is also more room in the front, however, it is much noisier than other models.

Transit Courier Sport Van:

The Courier Sport Van is a more basic model in the Transit range and that is reflected in the lower trim level and less comfortable ride. Its seats are considerably firmer than the Sport and Titanium variants, making the ride much stiffer on longer journeys. There is also less technology but it’s still enough to keep you entertained with phone connectivity and a CD player.

It feels much less spacious than the others that were tested and offers the basic Transit experience. At just £11,000, you can’t really complain and it does what it needs to do very well. The slightly smaller 1.5-litre 90bhp engine lacks any sort of thrills but it will do for long hauls and even navigating inner-city streets.

As ever, Ford has brought a well-rounded selection of commercial vehicles that are perfectly suited for the jobs they are utilised for and there shouldn’t be many complaints from tradesmen across the UK.