Ford has chosen the 2013 Birmingham CV show to reveal its final new Transit-branded commercial vehicle, which completes the “transformation” of the Blue Oval’s range. The latest model, the Transit Courier van, is the entry-level offering, and it, along with the rest of the updated range, is expected to drive a strong predicted increase in sales by the year 2016.
According to the automaker’s European vice president of Product Development, Barb Samardzich, “Ford has now completely transformed its commercial vehicle line-up, with four all-new, class-leading Transits for European customers. With the all-new Transit range, we expect sales to grow to 400,000 units per year by 2016, well over 50 per cent more than we sell today.”
Set to go on sale in the spring of 2014, the Courier will be powered by the familiar range of diesel and petrol engines. If gasoline is your thing, then the 99hp (100PS) 1.0-liter EcoBoost unit is available, but if it’s all-out economy you’re after, then either the 74hp or 94hp (75 or 95 PS) diesels will provide motivation.
Ford is also filling its Transit range with kit, and you can now specify pretty much anything you will find on their regular road cars, including a voice-activated in-car connectivity system, Ford SYNC, rear view camera and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), with the latter being fitted as standard.
Lugging loads won’t be a problem either, and the maximum a Courier can carry is 660kg or 1,455 lbs. A source of pride also seems to be the load bay length, and this van can accommodate objects of up to 2.59 meters or 6.6 feet in length.
By Andrei Nedelea
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