Ford Transit Custom van upgraded for 2018

Ford Australia has today announced the arrival of its 2018.5 model year one-tonne Transit medium van, which features a redesigned interior with new seats and adds a reversing camera along with front and rear parking sensors as standard equipment.

Entry-level pricing is unchanged, with the Ford Transit Custom range starting at $40,990 for the 300S SWB model hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission. There’s a high-roof that adds $1500 and is offered on both SWB and LWB models now.

Heavily upgraded in 2017, with a new 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (96kW/385Nm) and six-speed auto, Ford is pushing hard to improve the appeal of its commercial van, which now gets a bigger 8.0-inch tablet-like touchscreen as standard.

All 2018 models are equipped with the SYNC 3 infotainment system which gets digital radio and works with Apple CarPlay and Android Audio. Improved voice commands tailored for the Aussie accent including “I need fuel” or “I need coffee” or “Find an address” are new as well.

Sat-nav is usually a $600 option but will be standard equipment on all 2018.5 models from launch, says Ford.

Updated seats with new foam cushions are designed to improve driver support and new plastics in the cabin are joined by more storage spaces, with an extra flip-out cup holder, bigger door pockets and 25 litres of stowage space across the instrument panel.

The exterior has been tizzied up too, with a redesigned lower bumper with more body-coloured panels and bolder grille design.

Although autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is not standard on the Ford Transit it is available as part of a technology pack that adds $1600 to the total price.

As well as AEB, the tech pack adds rear cross traffic alert, lane departure and blind spot warning systems, adaptive cruise control, auto head lights and wipers, automatic high-beam control, an upgraded 4.2-inch colour instrument panel, a heated windscreen and tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Transit also has a five-star ANCAP safety rating and comes with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. As is the case with Ford passenger cars, Transit buyers get auto club and loan car membership and Ford’s service price promise, with 30,000km/12 month service intervals.

There’s over 100 exterior colours to choose from and optional 16-inch alloy wheels ($1000) and a range of utility options, such as a rear cargo door liftgate ($550), dual side load doors ($1000) and a new rear side window located on the load door ($350).

How much is the Ford Transit Custom van?
300S SWB 2.0L 6MT – $40,990
300S SWB 2.0L 6AT – $43,790
340L LWB 2.0L 6MT – $42,990
340L LWB 2.0L 6AT – $45,790

How much are the Ford Transit Custom Options?
Prestige Paint – $600
SVO Paint – $1,250
High Roof (new) – $1,500
Technology Pack – $1,600
Satellite Navigation – $600
Rear Cargo Door Liftgate – $550
Rear Side Window (on side load door) (new) – $350
Dual Side Load Doors- $1,000
Dual Side Load Doors with Rear Side Windows (new) – $1,700
16-inch alloy wheels (new) – $1,000