Ford Transit Custom (2013 - ) expert review

From £18,316 OTR

Verdict 4.6 out of 5

"It's the most practical one-tonne panel van yet. Feels great to drive, even better to look at but more importantly, the Custom has some very thoughtful additions which will make your ownership and time on the road in the van so much more enjoyable."

1. Exterior

Gone are the boxy looks of the old Transit. Instead, the Custom has rounded edges and more flowing lines. One key design change is the rear headlight stacks which make the Custom look far more modern – and makes it more competitive against rival vans. If you go for the Base trim - which will be the big fleet seller – it’ll come with plastic guards around the sides of the bodywork to protect it from scrapes. There’s a choice of nine different colours too.

Our rating: 5

2. Interior

The two test vans I drove were in the Limited trim, which is the mid-range, but the Base trim is still very, very good. Gone is the chunky dash, replaced with one that looks like it’s straight out of the Ford Focus. There’s a large cup holder for the driver and passenger and both get a scooped bottle bin for alarge drinks bottle (not all vans have this). The middle seat folds down to reveal a desk for writing on plus there are two more cup holders. There’s even a sunglasses holder in the roof and two coat hooks to the left of the driver’s shoulder – a nice touch.

Best of all is a pop-up lid in front of the driver which reveals another storage space with a 12-volt socket and USB port. You can plug in a sat-nav unit or mobile phone or music player while also keeping all those pesky wires under control (there is a second 12-volt plug near the passenger too).

The steering wheel can be adjusted for rake and reach - another first for the Transit - but the biggest improvement is the angle of the steering wheel itself. It’s been tilted away from the horizontal plane like they have in trucks. This simple change makes the Custom drive more like a car, than feel like a heavy van.

Drivers can change their seat height but they can also lean it further back than you can on other vans. It means you don’t have to drive uncomfortably, with your back completely straight and too upright. Opt for the Limited or Trendline trim and the seat is electrically adjustable too.

Our rating: 5

3. Practicality

You can fit three Euro pallets in the rear and it’s easier to see what’s going on inside thanks to LED lights. This simple change makes the Custom ten times more practical than others straight away. Even the SWB version can carry 3-metre long items inside the cargo area (the LWB can carry 3.4-metre long items). The Custom can also tow trailers starting at 2,000kg and if the trailer sways, the van senses this and reduces the engine torque and also applies the brakes to the appropriate wheels to help stop the sway. Pretty cool eh? The brochure says it has Hill Start Assist but what this actually means is the van won’t roll backwards down a slope when you take your foot off the power to go for the brake. It works in forward and reverse gears too. 

There’s no dirty fuel cap to unscrew because it has capless fuelling point with a safeguard to stop you from putting a petrol pump in. Need to fill from a jerry can? Thankfully Ford has put a special plastic nozzle in the glovebox especially for this.

The voice-activated SYNC is standard on Trend trim and above and is like having an extra pair of hands in the cab with you controlling the satnav, answering the phone or choosing a new track to listen to. It even reads out your incoming text messages. 

Turn the steering wheel beyond 30 degrees at night and cornering lights illuminate helping you to see that bit more. 

Parking sensors front and rear will stop you reversing into things and power-foldable mirrors will stop them from getting taken out by clumsy drivers. 

Finally, the rear of the van is going to get filthy whatever you use it for. Just as well that Ford has put an easyclean vinyl floor in the back as standard. Don’t forget the option to add a roofrack. It can carry 130kg of stuff and when not in use it folds down into the roof, to improve fuel economy and reduce wind noise. 

Our rating: 4.5

4. Ride and handling

The Volkswagen Transporter is generally believed to be the leader out of the panel vans when it comes to ride and handling. While the old Transit doesn’t hold the road quite as well as the Transporter, this new Transit Custom does. I found it’s more like driving an SUV than a panel van. The Custom feels really stable as you turn round country roads with next-to-no body roll. You feel connected to the road and the van responds well to your steering inputs. Changing gear feels nice and crisp and it never wants for torque. In third gear, you can sit nicely at 50mph and at 1,800rpm. 

A big surprise for me was how quiet the cabin is compared to the old Transit. It just makes the whole drive feel more like a premium car. It's front-wheel drive but there is no semi-automatic or automatic version yet, unlike some of its rivals. 

The Custom is also very easy to reverse. You can't see out of the back doors so instead a video screen appears in the mirror with guidelines showing you where your wheels will end up as you turn the steering wheel. Use the kerb mirrors in conjunction with the camera and it works a treat.

It also has a driving system similar to the one on the new Ford Focus, where it will brake certain wheels and give more torque to the wheel with the most traction. This is designed to improve handling and create a more stable and agile feel when cornering. It works brilliantly.

Our rating: 4.5

5. Performance

I drove the both the short and long-wheelbase versions with the 125bhp engine. Even with a half-load on board, the Custom never felt like it was ever running out of breath. In actual fact, the thing shifted along very nicely, even up hills. You won’t feel the same sprightliness from the 100hp engine though and if you go for the full 155hp one, well, you’ll lick along with more gusto even with a full loaded rear. 

Our rating: 4

6. Running costs

It’s going to be a lot less to run than the previous Transit. Ford says it’s listened to van owners about ‘whole life’ costs, so they’ve addressed this by making service intervals every two years or 30,000 miles. This is the best in class. The standard bumper-to-bumper warranty is three years or 100,000 miles and there’s 12 years of anti-perforation protection for the paintwork. 

You’re looking at paying £215 in road tax per year (£275 if you choose the nine-seat Kombi version) and a fill-up of the 80-litre fuel tank will set you back around £115 in diesel. Based on the 31.2 mpg I recorded on my test drives, it means you’ll get about 550 miles from a tank of diesel. That’s when carrying a half load too. 

Residual values (RVs) are expected to be particularly good; after four years in service (or after 80,000miles) RVs will be enhanced by £1,500, meaning the Custom leaps £500 ahead of its nearest rival. 

Our rating: 4

7. Cargo area

Even the smaller SWB version can carry three Euro pallets in the rear – they slide in one after the other and this is the only van in its class able to do this. You can also fit in 8x4 foot sheets horizontally and vertically. 

The rear side-swinging doors come standard in the UK and they can be locked in place at 90° to the van so that the wind doesn’t blow them wide open or swing them round into a wall or a pedestrian. Undo the stays and the doors can be opened to the full 180 degrees. You can also have a top-hinged tailgate instead.

The rear is easy to clean out too, thanks to the plastic liner fitted as standard. It rises up 10cm around the bottom of the van walls and wipes down with a bucket and sponge. There are load-lashing eyes on the floor too but Ford has finally realized that we really need them on the sides of the van, where they are much more practical.

One further improvement is that the loadspace is now illuminated by ultra-bright LEDs instead of standard bulbs – a small change but such a useful one. It completely transforms loading and unloading tasks when you can see properly.

Finally, and best of all, is a load through hatch in the cab divider that goes under the passenger seat. this allows long items, such as ladders or pipes to be loaded with ease. The SWB takes 3-metre long items while the LWB can accept 3.4metres.

Our rating: 4.5

8. Safety

Ford has made the Custom its safest ever Transit. ESP is fitted as standard, as is Electronic Brake Assist and there are disc brakes both on the front and on the rear (some vans don’t have them on the rear). 

The reshaped bodywork might look nice but it’s very safe, too. Compared to the existing Transit, the bodywork is made up of 18% more high-strength steel with most of this steel used around the door openings so the van keeps its shape after an accident and so you can get out more easily. If you do crash in this, take some reassurance that 30 full crash test validations have been carried out and the Transit Custom has passed admirably receiving five stars from Euro NCAP – the first van ever in this sector. It’s also the first van in the class to gain Euro NCAP Advanced rewards for the safety technology available on a Commercial Vehicle. 

A driver’s airbag is standard (passenger one optional) and in the event of a heavy front impact, the steering wheel is pulled away from the driver. 

On the options list are a speed limiter and a Lane Keeping Alert - the latter vibrates the steering wheel if it senses the van is drifting out of position. It also shows a mug-of-tea icon in the drivers display if it thinks you’re driving too tired.

Finally if you opt for the SYNC system, this comes with Emergency Assistance which pinpoints your accident location and calls the emergency services using the Bluetooth on your mobile phone. 

Our rating: 5

9. Equipment

There are three trim levels: Base, Trend and Limited. Prices will range from £17,450 to £25,545 ex-VAT. Trend gives you Ford SYNC with Emergency Assistance, a heated windscreen, front and rear parking sensors, power-foldable mirrors, cruise control and rain-sensing wipers. Limited gives you the same as Trend but with Ford SYNC with DAB added on, air conditioning, heated seats, a body-coloured rear bumper and 16” alloy wheels.

Our rating: 5

10. Why buy?

"Because you want a van that has proved itself as the backbone of British business for over 47 years. It’s now got even better. Little wonder it was awarded the International Van of The year 2013. It’s a one-tonne panel van that’s not only very practical, but great to look at and even better to drive.” 

Our rating: 4.5