Ford’s Transit Custom Panel Van comes in two basic forms. You can order the workmanlike LWB (Long Wheel Base) model, or the Custom SWB (Short Wheel Base) Sport. For the purposes of his comparison we chose the LWB version, as Nissan and Hyundai offer more direct competitors with the LWB Transit Custom. Both the Ford Transit Custom vans use a 2,2-litre TDCI (turbo-diesel) engine, but the Sport’s engine is tuned to produce more power and torque, in keeping with its more sporty, lifestyle-orientated profile.
The Transit Custom LWB Panel Van comes with four side doors, with the sliding doors on the rear flanks helping to facilitate with loading from the side. The loading doors at the back of the vehicle open by 180 degrees, again for easy loading, and there is also an intermediate stop at a 90 degree angle for loading tight spaces.
A modern cab
There is seating for three people up front, and the van comes equipped with two airbags, and some modern driver aids. These include a rear parking camera with a display in the rear view mirror, front and rear park sensors, multi-function steering wheel controls, air-conditioning, and remote central locking.
Dynamic driver aids include ABS braking, stability control and hill-start assist, as well as cruise control. These features are all useful in helping drivers live easily with the Ford Transit Custom, with none of them being at all frivolous.
Loading is what it is all about
The Transit Custom in LWB form measures 5,34 metres in length. It is also quite wide at 2 290 mm (this figure including the wing mirrors). The important bit here is the loading capacity, and with vans, loading volume is often more important than payload, as items loaded into a van tend to be bulky in size rather than heavy. But the payload is nevertheless impressive at 1 505 kg, and the load volume is useful at 6 830 litres. The Transit is also rated with a 750 kg towing capability with an un-braked trailer.
Performance
The engine fitted to the 2.2 TDCI LWB Transit Custom is rated at 92 kW and 350 Nm, and this power-and-torque combination should prove sufficient for the type of work it is designed to do. Fuel consumption is claimed at an average of 7,3 litres/100 km, and in5real life this should work out to around 8,5 to 9,0 litres/100 km, so the big van will be economical to run. Transmission is to the front-wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Pricing, warranty and service plan
The Ford Transit Custom LWB is well-priced at R490 100. The price includes a 4-year/120 000 km warranty and a 6-year/90 000 km service plan.
The Competitors
Nissan NV350 Wide Body 2.5i Panel Van. R501 000. The Nissan NV350 is a design that has been around for some time. It features more of a cab-forward design (in terms of driver and passenger seating) and its most impressive stat is load volume: It boasts a volume 9 200 litres, which is some 30 per cent more than that of the Transit! The payload is 1 390 kg,
Engine-wise, the Nissan is less impressive by comparison. Its naturally-aspirated 2 488 cc petrol engine produces 108 kW, but it only has 215 Nm of torque on tap. This means that even with no load the Nissan is going to be working hard, with an unladen weight of `1 840 kg. Thus we have the claimed average fuel consumption at a heavy 12,5 litres/100 km, and remember this is an un-laden figure!
There is a more-economical diesel version available in the NV350 Wide Body range, but we didn’t include it for this comparison as it is priced at R525 700, which is some R35 000 more expensive than the Transit. The NV350 Wide Body 2.5i comes with a 6-year/150 000 km warranty and a 3-year/90 000 service plan
Hyundai H1 Panel Van
We have long been impressed by the Hyundai H1. It offers an extremely easy driving experience, thanks to a combination of strong power and a 5-speed automatic transmission. It is also very stable, being the only vehicle in this comparison that is rear-wheel-drive. This feeling of extra stability is even more relevant when the vehicle is heavily loaded.
Performance-wise, the H1 is the most impressive. Its 2457 cc turbo-diesel produces 125 kW and there is 441 Nm of torque on tap, so this is the vehicle that is going to cope best when laden, at least power-wise
However, when it comes to load ability, the Hyundai falls a little short of the others. Its loading volume is the least impressive at 4 426 litres (less than half that of the NV350 Wide Body’s capacity) and it has an 1 100 kg payload, again the least-impressive of the three.
The spec of the Hyundai h1 P{anel Van is also quite basic, with no stability control or reverse cameras, but it does offer cruise control. Nevertheless, that 7-year/200 000 km warranty with a 5-year/90 000 km service plan is unmatched in this company.
Our winner
It’s quite a strangte comparison, in that all these vehicles are so different in terms of their attributes, despite all being vans by definition! The Nissan NV350 is the most utilitarian and offers that massive cargo area as its main attraction. However, it is let down by a comparatively underpowered engine in terms of torque, and fuel consumption will be much heavier compared to its two diesel-engined rivals.
The Hyundai is the van we would buy if massive load areas weren’t our main criterion. It is an extremely accomplished cruisier and it offers fuss-free driveability around town, thanks to its automatic transmission. It also offers the best warranty-service plan combination here, and Hyundai’s are rated as very reliable modes of transport.
In the end, though, the Ford Transit Custom LWB offers the best compromise between load-carrying capability and a fine mix of refinement on offer, thanks to its package of driver aids. It is the most modern design here, having been launched just over a year ago, and it is also the least expensive.
So, hats off to Ford for offering this very usable, modern van.
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