Ford Transit Custom Review

The Ford Transit Custom van won Auto Express Van of the Year when it first came out in 2012.

The Custom van has taken the van market by storm.  This new van drives and has the cabin comfort similar to that of a car.

The Custom van is the only 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating in its class.

The Custom comes with either a short wheel base or a long wheel base, low roof or high roof and a choice of three engine sizes.  All models are front wheel drive and achieve good mpg compared with other similar vans.

This van comes in five different trim levels – Base, Trend, Limited and Sport.

Running Costs and MPG

The Ford Transit Custom is fitted with Ford’s 2.2 litre Duratorq TDCi engine and comes with a choice of 99bhp, 123bhp or 153bhp all come with a 6 speed manual gearbox.

Ford say the fuel consumption is between 39 mpg and 42 mpg.  Emission levels are between 178 and 189 g/km of CO2.

Safety and Security Features

Ford Transit Custom vans have remote control central door locking as standard.  The driver can also open just one door individually without automatically unlocking the other doors which is a great extra security feature.

There is a switch on the driver’s door to control the locking and unlocking of all the van’s doors.

With the awarded maximum five star Euro NCAP safety rating this is the first van to receive a Euro NCAP Advanced Reward in recognition of the optional lane keeping alert system.  This system causes the steering wheel to vibrate if the van was to drift across road markings without indicating. 

The Ford Custom van comes with ESP (electronic stability programme), traction control and emergency brake assist, this increases the pressure on the brakes when the system senses an emergency-braking manoeuvre.

Another great safety feature is that the van’s indicators automatically flash when the van brakes heavily which warns other drivers.

The Transit Custom van comes with rollover mitigation, this is designed to identify a potentially dangerous driving situation and then activate the ESP to restore vehicle stability.

Also, load adaptive control adjusts the ESP system to compensate for varying loads in the rear of the van.

The Custom van is fitted with Driver Alert as standard.  This system sounds an alarm if it detects the driver losing concentration.

Load Space and Practicality

Depending on which wheel base Custom van you go for the load space varies between 5.9 – 6.8 cubic metres for the low roof models.  The long wheel base high roof model has 8.29 cubic metres of load space.

A full factory fitted steel bulkhead is standard on all Ford Transit Custom vans.  This gives protection to the van occupants against moving loads and also reduces noise in the cab. 

The bulkhead can be opened behind the floor of the passenger seat which enables the transportation of longer loads.

The short wheelbase model can carry three Euro pallets.  All Transit Custom vans come with an easy clean load floor liner with tie-down rings in the floor and lower walls. 

The front passenger seat cushions can be opened to reveal a storage compartment large enough to hold a laptop or small tool box which is a great added storage and security feature.

Driving and Performance

The Ford Transit Custom van is the first van to come with an adjustable steering column.  This van also has an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat.  Both these features help to make the Ford Transit Custom an extremely comfortable van to drive for any size or shape driver.

The Custom van has excellent mirrors that have secondary blind spot lenses.  The high driving position of this van gives excellent visibility.

The six speed gearbox is very smooth and easy to use and all three engines deliver a great performance.

Cab and Interior

The cab of the Custom van is well equipped, all models have an aux input, a trip computer, electric windows, two 12v charging points, passenger seat storage compartment and courtesy headlight delay which allows you to walk away when it’s dark before the lights turn off.

Air conditioning comes as standard on the limited and sports trims.  The Trend model has front fog lights, heated electric mirrors, cruise control, a heated windscreen, auto lights and rain-sensing windscreen wipers, Ford’s SYNC audio streaming and voice control system and leather trim for the steering wheel and gear lever. 

The limited model also has DAB radio, heated front seats, air conditioning and power fold doors and the sport model has numerous styling additions and part-leather interior. 

Van dimensions

(Width is body without side mirrors, overall width including mirrors is 2,290mm)

Load area dimensions

(Widths are maximum, width between wheel arches is 1,390mm)

Specifications

·        Power: 99bhp – 153bhp

·        Weight (GVW): 2,500kg – 3,325kg

·        Payload: 683kg – 1,484kgkg

·        Loading height (approx, unladen) :533mm - 589mm

Similar Vans: VW Transporter, Mercedes Vito, Vauxhall Vivaro, Renault Trafic and Citroen Dispatch.