Ford Transit

On the inside, the Ford Transit has a simply laid out cabin, which though doesn’t look as modern as in a modern-day sedan or SUV, but it is far from drab looking as in many other commercial or passenger vans.

The four-spoke steering wheel, as well as the pod-like instrument console, might not look flashy and attractive, but they get the job done right. The slanted centre console is finished in silver and has a 2-DIN music system placed in between vertical AC vents, the layout of which seems to be inspired from that in Ford Fiesta. At the top of the centre console sits a small cavity to keep your small items.

The position of the gear lever in between the steering wheel and centre console on the dashboard is quite unique, but at the same time, it feels very ergonomically placed too. The AC controls are positioned beside this gear lever, and for the AC vents at the rear, there are separate controls on the roof, above the inside rearview mirror.

The Ford Transit has a total seating capacity of fifteen people, all of which have got ample amount of room and separate AC vents for them. And even with all the seats up, there is a good amount of boot space at the back.

For a van, the Ford Transit looks pretty decent and manages to hide its boxy appearance in the design language borrowed from other of its SUV siblings. It has a certain character to its design which doesn’t make it look too boring.

At the front, the Ford Transit has the same kind of hexagonal grille with rounded edges as seen in modern Ford SUVs, with rounded edges, three big slats inside it and black finish to it. The headlamps are large and are curvy on the outside, and they are in angular unison with the slanted short bonnet.

There are many elements in the side profile that look quite interesting, like the flared wheel arches and the thick body cladded in continuation from that at the front. The side windows are huge and rectangular which go well with the design. However, the small wheels, though purposefully fitted, make the vehicle look a bit disproportionate.

At the rear, the Ford Transit has a deliberately executed rectangular profile, which is accentuated by large rectangular rear windscreen with tapered lower edges and slim vertical rectangular tail lamps on either side. The stop lamp mounted at the top of the rear windscreen is a nice touch here.

Vans usually exhibit great low-speed ride quality with not so engaging driving experience, and the same tradition is followed by the Ford Transit. Though it has a certain tautness in its steering setup, which makes it a traditional Ford vehicle. But then, the boxy appearance does filter in some amount of body roll at higher speeds.

The Ford Transit sources its power from a 2.2-litre four-cylinder Duratorq diesel engine, which is coupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. The engine is good enough to produce a maximum power output of 135 PS and a peak torque output of 385 Nm. For a vehicle of this size, the figures seem quite low on paper, but then, it gets the job done pretty decently.

For a basic passenger vehicle, the Ford Transit is decently equipped with essentials in safety, like dual airbags at the front, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, seat belt pre-tensioners with load limiters and ISOFIX mounts for child seats.

The Ford Transit is a traditional passenger van, which puts up a strong case with a nicer styling package in and out, decent equipment list and a supple ride and handling balance, which gives it a characteristic edge over other passenger vans.