Ford Transit: Medium LCV Comparison 2014

The load bay comes with a tough moulded liner and eight very sturdy tie-down anchor points. There's also a sturdy metal bulkhead with hatch to accommodate longer items.

The bulkhead adds to the refinement and offers good protection but its window is fairly small – with the mesh grille and barn-style rear doors, rear vision is restricted. This can be offset by an accessory reversing camera and parking sensors and the split standard/convex side mirrors are excellent.

The three roof rack bars are standard items that fold up or down in seconds while the tinted weathershields are an accessory.

The Transit Custom has the lightest payload here but it's near the best in terms of cubic capacity, despite our test vehicle being the shorter of the two available wheelbases. It has the greatest width between wheel arches and the tallest floor to ceiling height.

Load bay access is via an all-steel single sliding side door or the rear 50/50 barn doors (each with wiper and demister). The Ford has generous load bay aperture dimensions and nice touches abound – like the reflective strips on the barn doors, the 12V socket in the load bay, and the side door grab handle.

A generous side step (but no grab handle) aids the easy entry to the cabin, which offers superb comfort. The high-quality driver's seat is fully adjustable and features heating and a folding armrest.

Clever storage options range from the fold-down workspace in the centre seat to the two-deck sidepockets and the concealed dash-top storage bin with 12V socket.

On the go the Transit Custom's sound suppression is impressive. At 68dBA at 80km/h it's well below anything else here and that adds greatly to driver comfort.

Rounding off an eminently practical package is a 2500kg towing capacity – the best on test.

A classy dash is complemented by a soft-touch, leather-trimmed steering wheel and the door-close grips feel substantial to use – although the same couldn’t be said for the flimsy-feeling inside door handles.

The Transit might lack grab-handles for entering and leaving the cab but the two above-door grab handles are soft-close (unique in this group) and there’s a nice, solid feel to things like the door bins and bottle holders.

There’s a practical, one-piece and easy-clean cabin floor mat and the cloth covering for the seats looks well up to the task. Paint quality looks good throughout and the half double-sealed inner doors are cleanly presented and free of rough welds or less-than-perfect stamping.

The cargo area features a full double-skin to protect the outer panels against damage from within and there’s a durable-looking one-piece floor mat – but the roof structure is peppered with all sorts of sharp-edged holes and openings that could inflict damage if inadvertently grabbed.

Once you’ve discovered the secret of opening the Transit’s bonnet (externally, via the ignition key), you’ll find a clean but slightly pokey engine bay with easy access to the main service points such as oil dipstick, screen washer and battery. The ribbed plastic covered wiring is generally neatly presented too.

On the road
The Transit Custom's 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel delivers adequate if not exactly scintillating performance.

In our acceleration testing it came behind all contenders bar Renault's Trafic, although the engine toils away without complaint and handles our 600kg test load without fuss.

The front-wheel drive Ford van is mid-pack for power but it's big on torque, its maximum 350Nm chiming in from a low 1450rpm.

It feels happiest in its 2000 to 4000rpm midrange but will rev out to 4500rpm if required, its linear delivery and the well-spaced ratios of its six-speed manual gearbox (there's no auto option) well suited to its workhorse role.

Both the clutch and accelerator are light and responsive and while the gearshift is appreciably heavier than the Scudo's there's a sense of precision to it we preferred. Vibration in general is negligible – it's anything but harsh.

The brakes are powerful and incorporate a variety of modern safety systems. The Transit Custom came second only to Fiat's Scudo in our braking test.

The LCV did however record our highest fuel consumption – a surprise given Ford's factory claim is lower than that of any other vehicle represented. Bear in mind our measured fuel figures serve only as a comparative guide for the vehicles on test and are not definitive. At least the Transit Custom has the largest fuel tank of the six – 95 litres.

It also excels in tight spaces thanks to an excellent 10.9-metre turning circle and the hill launch assist (a part of its stability control package) is a welcome feature.

Value for money
Ford offers the Transit Custom, in 290S form as tested, for $37,490 (plus on-road costs).

Having only been released in 2014 the Transit feels modern, and included features such as trailer sway control, six standard airbags, and hill launch assist further contribute to this feeling. Even the options are well priced – Moondust Silver (the only metallic option) costs just $385 extra.

Ford also offers capped-price servicing for the Transit Custom. It’s valid for an 84-month/105,000km period, with the first service fixed at $355. Intervals are set at 12 months/15,000km.

There’s also 12 months of complimentary roadside assistance, which otherwise costs $90 to renew. The Transit’s warranty is the industry-standard 36-month/100,000km offering.

Although a Transit ‘Custom’ was unavailable here in the previous VM series, a similarly specified 2011 Transit (new price: $47,990) now resales for a median price of $22,400, or 59 per cent of its purchase price, according to redbook.com.au.

Suitable integration of technology
The Transit set the pace for this comparison when it came to suitable integration of technology. Its features are extensive and everything the competition does, the Ford does just that little bit better.

It’s worth mentioning that the Transit on test features the optional City Pack valued at $1500 (front and rear parking sensors, rear camera, electrochromatic mirror with camera display and front fog lights) but still remains cheaper than both the Mercedes-Benz Vito and Hyundai iLoad.

The Transit features cruise control plus speed limiter, Bluetooth connectivity for hands free telephony and audio streaming, two cabin lights and two cargo lights, auto driver’s window and electric, heated side mirrors. A multifunction steering wheel, clear instrumentation and a 3.5-inch screen add to the considered line-up of features.

The Transit is more car-like in its appearance, and technology is well labelled and intuitive – although selecting the audio source takes considerable button hunting. The Transit’s heated driver’s and passenger's seats are a God-send while road-testing on a cold Melbourne day – a creature comfort unique among these rivals.

trucksales.com.au's 2014 Medium LCV Comparison

>> And the winner is - The Verdict

Ford Transit Custom 290S pricing and specifications
Price: $37,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 92kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 7.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Max. rated payload: 1032kg