Vans strike a lovely medium in the South African Light Commercial Vehicle market. The Transit nameplate has been around for some time in Europe and has been gaining traction in South Africa since its local introduction over the years. Cue the latest generation Transit Custom, set to rumble in the One-Ton van segment, bolstering reliability, versatility, and capability.
Related: Ford previews the new Tourneo and Transit Custom at Nampo
For this launch, Ford SA partnered with Gift of The Givers for a charitable cause: delivering care parcels to those in need at the Tembisa Child Welfare Centre and Soweto Home for the Aged. A round trip was due, and loaded Transit Vans were ready to strut their stuff.
Design Inside and Out
Heaps of time was spent by Ford and its consumers working on points to improve upon for the new Transit Custom. The D-Ford design lab kept themselves quite busy with this vehicle. Many of these key improvements further boosted the vehicle's productivity. The Transit Custom is on an all-new platform with greater load capacity. It's 100kg lighter than the previous generation, and the wheelbase is lengthened but maintains short overhangs for greater load capacity and for ease of driving and parking about. The Transit Custom is 5.45 metres long, 2.7 metres wide with the mirrors included and a shade under 2 metres in height at 1.96 metres. This vehicle is definitely big and long, but care has been taken to make it easy to drive with various driver assistance systems. In terms of exterior aesthetics, in front, you'll see more slimline elements compared to the previous generation. Such as the headlights, grille, and airdam, which all look sleeker. Along the side, some key contours and body creases are evident. In the rear, you'll have column-style taillights and, a 180° split barn door tailgate and black badging to round off the look.
Inside, you'll find some cleverly placed storage compartments and plenty of bottle holders. A more convenient spot to place the USB port and phone placement would be welcome. Still, otherwise, the interior is well laid out for tradesmen's purposes, albeit with some modern vehicle niceties to throw into the mix. The 13-inch infotainment touchscreen features the SYNC-4 system as standard. The instrument cluster is also digitised with an 8-inch screen. Ford dubs this cabin as more passenger car-like to reduce fatigue, and we'd liken the cabin of the Transit Custom as similar to a Ranger single cab, albeit with typical van ergonomics. It's not unfamiliar, and it's pleasant to pilot. Hard-wearing cabin materials are present, such as plastic trim pieces and cloth upholstery on the seats. The cabin is pretty well-considered and will suit tradesmen and even small business people alike.
Drive and Handling
The Transit Custom is propelled by a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with AdBlue and a 20-litre AdBlue tank. Power figures are 100kW and 360Nm, with that power sent via a 6-speed gearbox to the front wheels. In this scribe's opinion, the powertrain here is sweet as a nut. Power delivery is perky yet smooth with well-adjusted gear ratios. The 6-speed manual is lovely for rowing through with a short, precise throw. Our vehicles weren't loaded to the brim with parcels but with a decent amount, and the Transit felt fine. In terms of suspension, this Transit Custom is kitted with a new semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension that not only results in a 100mm lower floor height for easy loading, but the Transit handles very well. As you'd expect of a van, the Transit Custom is more softly sprung, and it helps with rougher road conditions, but it doesn't wallow about; it's quite confident, actually. On the highway, it's not a flying brick but feels SUV-like.
The strut towers' front wheels have been repositioned further forward to give better cross-cab access, legroom, and a shorter overhang. Despite its size, this vehicle is quite easy to judge distance with and easy to manoeuvre around town. You can also choose between three Drive Modes: Normal, Eco, and Slippery.
Dimensions and Load Ratings
| Feature | Dimensions |
| Maximum Payload | 1269kg |
| Maximum Load Volume | 5.8 cubic metres |
| Width - Load space between wheel arches | 1 392mm |
| Height - Load space floor to roof | 1 433mm |
| Height - Rear Loading Height | 531 - 585mm |
| Length - Load space maximum to bulkhead | 2 602mm |
| Length - Load space maximum incl load through hatch | 3 050mm |
| Euro Pallet (1200 x 800mm) | 3 |
| Max Towing capacity | 1 500kg braked |
Standard Feature Set
Exterior
| Infotainment and more
|
Interior
| Security
|
There are also plenty of optional extras to check out too when you spec and build a Transit to suit your lifestyle.
Optional Extras
- LED Headlamps
- Automatic Dual-Zone Climate Control
- Power-fold and Heated Mirrors
- Wireless Charging
- Mobile Office Pack
- Dual Side Load Doors
- Close Assist Side Doors
- Full-Width Metal Bulkhead with Window
- Load Area Protection Kit
- Integrated and Foldable Roof Rack
- Thatcham Category 1 Alarm and Immobiliser
- Trailer Tow Electrics
- Extended Range Single Fuel Tank
- Heavy Duty Battery
- Driver Assistance Pack 2 - Front Parking Sensors, Rear View Camera 180° Split View, Intersection Assist, Navigation System.
Safety
You'll find the following safety equipment in the Transit Custom:
- 6 Airbags (Driver, passenger, side and curtain.)
- ABS, EBD, EBA
- ESC with Traction Control
- Hill Launch Assist
- Driver Alert with Impairment Monitor
- Collision Mitigation
- Intelligent Speed Assistance
- Speed Sign Recognition
- Lane Keeping Aid
- Roll Over Mitigation
- TPMS
Pricing
| Model | Pricing |
| Ford Transit Custom Base Long Wheelbase Van 2.0l SiT 6MT | from R692 200 |
The Transit Custom comes standard with a 4-year /120 000km warranty, 4-year /Unlimited km roadside assistance and a 5-year/unlimited corrosion warranty. The service plan is optional with plans available of up to 8-years /165 000km with service intervals being 15 000km or annually, whichever comes first. A maintainance plan of up to the same mileage is available too.
*Pricing stated here was correct at the time of publishing and is subject to change without prior notice.
To conclude
The culmination of the years of refining the Transit formula is distilled in this vehicle. It's a pleasure to drive the Transit, and it will appeal to many business people as a dependable workhorse. We would like to see how the Transit handles heavier loads to see if it breaks a sweat. On a side note, the Transit did well with the day's initiative, and it's great to see Ford South Africa getting involved in helping to uplift various communities.
