Best of both worlds
As we end off our second month with the versatile Ford Tourneo, we have become quite enamored with the family van that can. As we showed in our first recap, the Tourneo is more than just a people mover; it is perfectly capable of transporting more than just people and is very effective as a small business tool that can transport your crew and their equipment. So far, we have employed it as a camera vehicle during filming and have made use of the cavernous space during the December holidays for various events, but the Tourneo has many more tricks up its sleeve.
Related: Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0SiT SWB Limited (2023) long-term test 1
Besides its capabilities as a people mover, the Tourneo can be used in other ways, which we did, of course, explore. This was also done during the 167 days of the toughest month of the year, January, where everyone was watching their wallets and the price of diesel was still hovering around R23 a litre.
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Space wagon
The first weeks of January saw us taking part in one final event before the back-to-school bug bit. This saw us removing all the rear seats from the Tourneo to allow for maximum space for the transport of the equipment needed for an event. Removal of the seating arrangement was a simple task requiring the mere pull of a tab, a flip of a lever, and some muscle. We will say this though, the seats on their own are rather substantial and really should be manhandled by two people as the seats can weigh in at as much as 45kg a piece. If you don't mind the workout and don't mind the odd holding points, then the seat change can be done by one person.
The space that the removal of the seats unveiled was positively massive, and we were able to fit all the gazebos, weights, tables, chairs, and three crew members inside. Once the event was done and dusted and all the relevant furniture returned, replacing the seats was a cinch with the easy-to-use clip system and carpet guide. This only confirmed what we already knew about the sheer versatility of the Tourneo, and we even had a 220v plug to charge a laptop!
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Frugal as ever
As most South Africans know when the depths of January roll around, every litre of fuel counts. This was the perfect time to put the manufacturer's fuel claims to the test. As mentioned in our original road test last year, Ford claims the Tourneo should return 6.7l/100km from the 2.0 single turbo diesel 6-speed auto transmission combo and during our initial test, we hovered around 10l/100km. Activating the Tourneo's Eco mode and employing frugal driving techniques, we managed to bring those numbers way down.
Thrifty suburban driving saw us pulling numbers ranging from 7.7 to 8.9l/100km, but it was once we got out onto the open road that those numbers dropped even further with a 200km round trip posting an astounding 5.5l/100km, an astounding and welcome result. The ECO mode is the surefire winner here and goes to show that even a slab-sided van can be economical if you try.
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Verdict
In two short months, the Tourneo has become an indispensable part of the AutoTrader team as we continue to find new and exciting ways to make use of this versatile van. Unfortunately, we only have more month with this amazing vehicle, and the last installment of our long-term test is going to concern the cost of ownership. In a more personal capacity, the Tourneo has wiggled its way into my family's hearts and the wife and kids are going to miss having the space and convenience on hand. Stay tuned for our final update next month and our social medal channels as we highlight some of our favourite things about the Tourneo.
