What's the news?
The new Ford Transit and Transit Custom commercial vehicles will feature the company's new EcoBlue diesel engine. At 2.0 litres this entirely new engine is smaller than the previous engine used in the Transit range but Ford claims that fuel efficiency will increase by up to 13 per cent compared to the older engine. Emissions have also been lowered according to Ford, with CO2 output now starting at 157g/km and this uses a selective catalytic reduction exhaust gas after-treatment with AdBlue. More importantly from a driver's perspective there is 20 per cent more torque available at lower engine speeds of just 1,250rpm.
In addition to making the EcoBlue engine more efficient Ford has also strived to reduce the running costs for owners. According to official figures over 130,000km the new engine could return a fuel saving of up to €1,600 in the case of a 105hp Transit Custom in comparison to the older 100hp model. Transit models will also have to option of an Auto-Start-Stop system to further reduce both emissions and fuel consumption. Ford claims that fuel consumption of 6.6 litres/100km is expected which represent a 10 per cent improvement. Scheduled servicing costs are also expected to come down as the intervals between services has been increased by up to 10,000km for both Transit and Transit Custom models.
In total, three different versions of the 2.0-litre EcoBlue engine will be offered. These will start with a 105hp/360Nm and this sees a 5hp and 50Nm increase over its predecessor. The mid-level engine now has 130hp and 385Nm, an increase of 5hp and 35Nm while the range-topping 170hp and 405Nm engine boasts a 15hp and 20Nm increase.
Further enhancements to the Transit range include an upgraded Electronic Stability Control (ESC0 system that is fitted as standard and includes a new Side Wind Stabilisation function. This applies the brakes to one side of the vehicle to reduce the effect of sudden gusts of side wind. Curve Control is another feature, which helps to slow the vehicle in a controlled way when it enters a bend or motorways exit ramp too quickly. Additionally, the Roll Stability Control feature helps to reduce the risk of the vehicle rolling over by controlling the individual wheel braking and torque of the engine.
Buyers will also be able to add more convenience and safety-related systems to the new Transit range. Adaptive Cruise Control uses a radar mounted in the front of the van to maintain a pre-set distance to the car in front when cruising on the motorway for example. Traffic Sign Recognition is another useful system that picks up the current speed limit sign and displays it on the instrument cluster so drivers always know what speed they should be doing on that stretch of road. Around town the Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection can lower the risk of a frontal collision with either another vehicle or a pedestrian at lower speeds. Even if the driver hasn't spotted the risk the Transit can perform an emergency brake to help mitigate an impact.
Anything else?
It will also be possible to specify the new EcoBlue engine with a six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission from late 2016. This automatic still gives the driver the option to shift gears manually by buttons mounted on the gear lever.