Ford is to expand the range of Transit models that are available in Econetic form in 2011. Ford’s Econetic badging is used to signify the company’s lowest emission, most fuel efficient vehicles.

At present, only one Transit Econetic model is available, the FWD, short wheelbase, low roof 280 with a 115PS engine and a 1 tonne payload. 2011 will see this range of Econetic choices expanded to include longer wheelbase models and some other variants.

Ford is also introducing a new Euro V engine to replace the current Euro IV options in the Transit. This will bring the company in line with other panel van models, such as the Mercedes Sprinter  and Volkswagen Transporter, which are already available with a range of Euro V engine options. At present, only the current Transit Econetic is available with an engine that meets Euro V emissions standards.

Like other Ford Econetic models, the Transit Econetic uses a combination of altered gearing, engine mapping and aerodynamic changes to minimise fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. These improvements are said to result in an approximate 10% improvement in both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to the standard models.

The current Transit Econetic model has an official combined fuel consumption figure of 39.2mpg. As a comparison, the best I have managed in my (mk6) Transit is 37mpg, and that was lightly loaded and with much higher CO2 emissions, thanks to the older engine design. Whether many fleet drivers will achieve the official 39.2mpg figure is another question, but there should be a relative improvement in fuel consumption compared to the standard van models, in any case.