WHENEVER people ask me “what is the best bakkie?” I tell them it is
not a bakkie, but a panel van — basically any panel van.
And when they then ask “right, what is the best panel van?” I point
to the Ford Transit.
This, after all, is the van that built England, went fastest (for a van) around
Nürburgring and annually wins a slew of best-van awards around the world. This
includes South Africa last year, when Car
magazine named the Transit Custom the Best Large MPV in the magazine’s Top 12
awards.
It is also the only van I’ve driven with a seat that can be
tailored so that each elbow support and button appears exactly where the reach
of my average bloke’s body wants it to be. And as long as you are stationary
when pairing a phone, the Bluetooth system links with your smart phone and music
in a few clicks.
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) announced in 2012 it
will import the Transit vans from Turkey to Africa, as part of its plan to
expand its commercial vehicle presence on the continent.
The low-roofed Custom versions of the Transit and Tourneo were
first introduced last year, using the same 2,2 turbo diesel from Ford’s
Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth that powers the popular Ford Ranger
bakkie.
Wheels spoke to Charl van Rooyen, who loves driving a company Transit
Custom in KZN.
Van Rooyen said especially farmers want to know more about the
van when he visits them.
Good news for these farmers is that Ford has now introduced four
new Transit vans that add a 2,2-ton payload to the 2013 Van of the Year, as well
as two new mini-buses.
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| The author checking if the flimsy looking step can take his weight. His thighs eventually grew tired but the step held. |
Available with the usual array of long or short wheel
bases, the van is either sold with a bin, as a panelvan with a high or low roof,
as a chassis cab, or as a factory-built minibus with 12 or 18 seats. And all of
them really steer with the same ease as does a Ford Fiesta.
This heavier 2,2-ton Transit is the third of four commercial
vehicles that Ford plans to launch in Africa under the Global One Ford
plan.
Marketing manager at FMCSA Gavin Golightly said Ford will next year
also introduce the Transit Connect and Tourneo Connect MPV, smaller panelvans
which will compete with VW’s Caddy and Nissan’s NV200.
When they arrive, these small Ford vans’ will have the one-litre,
74 kW EcoBoost engine, which should deliver best fuel consumption linked to a
six-speed manual transmission at coastal levels.
The only cloud to Ford’s silver lining is the rand, which is not
doing the Transit panel vans any favours against SA’s top-selling
Quantums.
Prices
Tourneo 12 seats: R459 900
Tourneo 18 seats: R559 900
Transit chassis cab MWB: R359 900
Transit chassis cab LWB: R439 900Transit van MWB: R399 900
Transit van LWB: R504 900
(All vans with 2,2 TDCi engines, VAT included, prices valid in 4Q2014)
Tourneo 18 seats: R559 900
Transit chassis cab MWB: R359 900
Transit chassis cab LWB: R439 900Transit van MWB: R399 900
Transit van LWB: R504 900
(All vans with 2,2 TDCi engines, VAT included, prices valid in 4Q2014)
