The all-new Transit Courier will go on sale this summer, completing Ford’s new range of Transit vans.

Ford has confirmed the specification of its all-new Transit Courier small van, which the firm hopes will take market share from the Peugeot Bipper/Citroen Nemo/Fiat Fiorino model, which is made by the French PSA group.

The Transit Courier goes on sale this summer, and is the final model to be added to Ford’s all-new four-van range, following the Transit Connect, Transit Custom and Transit.

Engine room

Transit Courier will be available with three engine choices, all of which promise outstanding fuell efficiency and low emissions:

• 95PS 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel: 76.3mpg / 97 g/km CO2
• 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol: 54.3mpg / 119g/km CO2
• 75PS 1.5-litre diesel: 72.4mpg / 103g/km CO2

All of these figures are for vans specified with Ford’s optional Auto-Start-Stop system and in some cases a 100 km/h speed limiter, but they promise impressive fuel consumption nonetheless.

The new Ford Transit Courier

All powertrains offer extended one-year/20,000 mile service intervals and the vehicle design has been optimised for ease of serviceability and repair.

A multi-piece rear bumper, rugged body-side protection and high-mounted front and rear lights help to reduce the cost of accident damage and lead to lower insurance premiums. Expensive fuelling errors are avoided by the unique, standard-fit, Ford Easy Fuel system.

Load up

In the load department, the Transit Courier promises a lot, too. The van will have a maximum payload of 660kg and can hold a standard Euro pallet, while the load compartment will include a number of features that should make it attractive to fleet buyers and tradesmen:

• Longer load length at floor level of 1.62m, and easier loading of bulky items via optional sliding rear side doors (width 453mm with bulkhead)
• Full-height, full-width steel bulkhead (glazed or unglazed), fully compliant with the internationally-recognised standards for load restraints DIN and ISO
• 

  Inside the new Ford Transit Courier

  Optional folding mesh bulkhead (DIN- and ISO-compliant) and fold-dive passenger seat for longer items up to 2.59m, and maximum load volume of 2.6m³ (SAE)

• Six cargo tie-down points (DIN- and ISO-compliant), including four rear side-mounted points to avoid obstruction of the floor area
• Multiple pre-installed bodyside fixing points to mount racking or framework
• Optional ultra-bright LED loadspace lighting for the van bodystyle

Safety first

Finally, Ford continues to raise the bar in terms of safety — traditionally a weak spot for many vans.

Customers can specify Ford SYNC with Emergency Assistance, the latter of which assists the occupants to call the local emergency services operator in the event of an accident, as well as Speed Limiters and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System. The standard Electronic Stability Control system features Hill Start Assist, Traction Control and Roll-Over Mitigation.

The passenger-carrying Kombi model (effectively a crew cab) also offers side curtain airbags, knee airbags and second-row seat beltminders, in addition to cab area driver, passenger and side airbags.

As with Ford’s other new Transit models, it’s hard to see the new Transit Courier failing — Ford’s cars and vans are amongst the best in the world at the moment, and while it may lack the cachet of the German brands, Ford’s new vehicles don’t want for anything in terms of quality, driveability, practicality or safety.