Thinking of buying one. I have a '00 toyota hiace and the yoke is guzzlin diesel and not much power to go with it so it might have to go. Just wondering what the Transit connect are like on juice, power etc. Anyone know when the new Transit panel van are out ?

 

I work on transits and coneect all day every day mate, they're really good vans , go for a tdci tho, the di's are a bit gutless! main probs are c.v joints causing vibrations, rear antiroll bar links breaking off, alternator wiring corroding, not much else really, they're basically a focus van at the end of the day! thimk the new tranny's out this year sometime, with volvo power! Hope this helps

 

I got one for work. Drove the smaller one for 2 years previously, and this one is the LWB version and had it for abotu 1500miles so far...

Jucie wise, not fantastic. Most of my driving is stop start town driving, and much of the time I leave then engine running to power my hoover, drill battery, etc, and such like and I get, if lucky, 300miles to a £45 tankfull...

Driving wise, the smaller one is better, and a tad quicker. It feels less likely to fall over round the bends, and when you pass a lorry on the motorway The little one is nimbler through the country lanes aswell

Inside they aren't too bad, but Ford have begun to be right cheap bastids and taken half the stuff out! Ours are boggo-basic of course (Autoglass spend money on fitters? Yeah fucking right! lol) but they are available with all mod cons of course - but a good example is : my 03 plate small van had interior mirror adjusters - my 55 reg one don't! I have to actually GET out to adjust the N/S mirror, and then get back in to check it, then repeat untill it is right! Very annoying when you park it up and someone knocks the fucker!!!!

Clutch pedal is a killer for city driving as you have to use your whole leg from the hip to depress it rather than just from the ankle or knee as in a car, due to seating position and pedal arrangement - like wise with throttle, tho it is a little better there, but not much. Gear selection varies - mines a bit notchy, but some of ours are slick as fook, and some and like stiring a bowl of porridge

Dash is MASSIVE. One big fooking slab of plastic, and surprisingly for Ford Commercial, there are few cubby holes in it. If you have the ashtray in the dash, you don't get ANY storage spaces in the dash. No ashtry = 1 cubby whole, but it's tiny and you can't even fit a CD in there. Door pockets have big-ish compartments (not as big as the slightly older version) but are too low to reach into for small items. On top of dash is a flat section with a half cover which is good for a map book or A4 clipboard, but every time you nail it the fooker slides out! I had to glue a couple of strips of rubber to the dash to stop this happening!

High top versions have a shelf above your head for stuff, but the lip is too low and again, nail it, anything with a slight bit of weight comes out and conks you on the bonce! Very annoying having a fooking A to Z hit you on the head when trying to nail something off the lights

You do get two cup holders behind the handbrak tho, and a nice space for a phone and a pen under the handbreak

Don't even try to wheel the bastid - it spins for a second then the whole fooking van starts banging as it bounces up and down on the tarmac - it's like it's on fooking hydralics lol

Seats aren't the best I have sat in, but not too bar. Ford again have made cutbacks and half the adjustment has gone from them - most importantly the raise/lower adjuster, which is pissing me off as now it's set height I keep banging my knee's in the sodding sterring column and dash They very kindly put in a pocket on the back of the drivers seat big enough for more map books and paperwork - but you can't fooking get to it anyway cos of the wrap-around cage that seperates the front from the back Dumbasses

In an empty van, loadspace is good - ours are shit cos they are all racked out by our transport division - but Ford do fit a lot with the centre divide, which is fucking shite! Wheel arches are big - space between the two is only about 52" (4.3ft) Side doors on both sides are a nice touch, but even on the long wheelbase vans they are short so don't plan on taking anything of any size out of em!!!

Engine's aren't great - mine is still slow as fuck, but then I have been told it needs a good 3k to "open up" fully....

Bodywork wise - wing mirrors ALWAYS break on em when they have been bashed or brushed more than a handfull of times - rear bumper is pants and the plastic cover comes off easily breaking all the clips. The rear bumper end caps are worse tho - even tap em slightly agains something (my fence usually ) and they snap the clips and fall off, and you can NEVER get the new ones to line up to re-fit. I eneded up needing about 5 of em in 2 years (I swear I had three of em nicked from outside my house one year!) and evertime I ended up drilling and riviting the fuckers on cos the poppers don't line up!!! And if they do line up, they don't stay on....

All round they aren't bad, but Ford could have put a bit more effort into em and they would have been a LOT better....

 

mine was ok, i had the tdci lx model with electric windows, mirrors, heated windscreen etc.

went well around town but wernt that fast on motorway driving, my vivaro 15mph quicker even loaded

my biggest complaint was the crappy fold down passenger seat, really uncomfortable on a long journey

mpg was average but apart from that i liked it

 

Cheers fella's. A fairly comprehensive review there ! Hey Thrush, Ever think of bang'n a cv into top gear magazine ?? Bit of a motoring reviewer in you i'd say. LOL CheeRS Bud. They do give a small bit of bother then and they sound as if they're not much lighter on juice than the hiakie. I'll have to test drive one. In fairness to the hiace in the 4 years i have it all i had to change was drop link bushes and brake pads. Not bad eh. Pity cozzies aren't the same.

 

Had one for work since chrimbo, done 8k so far. Thrush covered most of it but

damn sight better than the escort pile i had before, got the lx with aircon and cd player. Cubby holes are shite, but paperwork goes on the huge dash and stays there, but the tray stuff falls out. Got a lift up passenger seat that you can fit stuff under but its a hassle so the crap i never use but have to keep int he van goes there - eye wash etc.

Ok on motorway 90mph cruise is fine, but seems to make a horrible boomy noise when lightly loaded.

 

Funniest thing ive heard in ages!!!!!!!!!!!

 

we had a delivery guy who was a flid. his arms were like paddles so he can move things but only if someone is the other end etc. well anyway this connect was changed so he could drive it etc. well one day the heavy package came down on his head from the shelf and he couldn't move so he had to call us to the M40 hard shoulder to take it off his head FPMSL


harsh but fucking funny when they got there.