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The Ford Tourneo Connect is one of a growing breed of cars derived from vans and designed for maximum space, carrying capacity – five or seven seats are the usual options – and fun, in a utilitarian kind of way. You may remember the days when they made vans out of Ford Escorts, say, but now manufacturers have to prioritize the more demanding commercial side of things, maximizing space and adding additional conveniences for delivery drivers and others.
The “civilized” Renault Kangoo and Citroen Berlingo were a couple of early entrants, and the class got better and, frankly, the “cars” bigger and bigger over the years. The industry calls them “leisure vehicles” or LAVs (I kid you not), but for obvious reasons that abbreviation doesn’t see much in the marketing literature.
There are quite a few around now, including a whole family of electric Stellantis models – the latest Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Rifter and Vauxhall Combo Life, plus a Toyota sibling with a diesel engine. The Renault Kangoo and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz T-Class are also siblings, while this new Ford Tourneo is a rebadged VW Caddy. The other compact five-to-seven-seater on the market is the Dacia Jogger, which is more car-like and exceptional value.
Right, back to Tourneo. Inside the house, there’s no doubting its van origins. It is good because it is very spacious and versatile. There are cubby holes all over the place, including on the roof, and an immense sense of space. You can specify five- or seven-seat versions, each with long or shorter wheelbases, and you can flip, fold and remove the rear rows of seats to suit – all quite easily. The laws of physics are not lifted, so more passenger space equals less luggage space, and vice versa. However, the extra-long seven-seater version I tested should suit even the largest families. With its lively and hard-wearing blue and gray fabric upholstery, it’s like a mobile playroom.
THE SPEC
Ford Tourneo Connect Active
Price: £33,296 (as tested, starts at £28,409)
Engine capacity: 2.0l diesel, 7sp auto, FWD
Power output (PS): 122
Top speed (mph): 106
0 to 60 (seconds): 13.3
fuel economy (mpg): 52.9
CO2 emissions (WLTP, g/km): 140
Outside, they did their best in appearance, and the car is not too high in the air. Dark windows, smart alloys, and bright blue paint on my one made it almost stylish. Additional points for practicality are the sliding side doors (both sides), handy for tight corners. On the negative side, the rear hatch needs a bit of clearance, though it does offer good rain cover. For that reason and its overall length of 4,853mm, it’s quite difficult to park – 15 feet or so, quite a bit shorter than a BMW 5-Series and slightly beyond the average UK parking space. Twin folding doors would be better.
The diesel engine is willing and economical, and the seven-speed auto box is smooth enough, but there’s not much else to praise, and it doesn’t really invite the enthusiast to put it through its paces (nor is it intended to). . A better choice would be the 1.5-litre petrol engine, given the current consumer hatred of diesel, not helped by VW’s Dieselgate scandal. You’ll get exceptional economy with either, even with a full load of seven adults and clobber.
There is a standard range of driver assistance features, accessed via buttons on the steering wheel. The Active version includes extra luxury, including full connectivity via a 6in touchscreen. However, that unit is a bit VW that isn’t that easy to use, with its touch-sensitive slider controls for heating and radio volume being difficult to use. I also found one of the sliding doors a little reluctant to close. Traditionally, vans were short-lived, difficult to use, and covered large mileages in short periods of time. So they’re tough, but not necessarily designed for the kind of longer-term ownership that many private buyers prefer; however, this is a great car deal for the money.
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