Ford set to take on the world with 2015 Transit
Improved fuel efficiency over E-series
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The next time you need to rent a vehicle to move your graduating daughter out of your home, have a courier package home-delivered, get a ride from the airport or are considering a recreational vehicle for your retirement years, you may be looking at the new Ford Transit.
The new-for-2015 Transit is the U.S. automaker’s long-awaited replacement for its E-series, Ford’s venerable full-sized commercial van that started life as the Econoline in the 1960s. Like its smaller Transit Connect sibling, the new Transit is a result of the automaker’s One Ford product strategy that calls for one model to be designed for all global markets.
The Transit’s long development history and global sales weight means it can be offered in a plethora of configurations compared to the more limited E-series. Transit customers can pick from: van, passenger wagon, chassis cab-only or cutaway body styles; three body lengths and two wheelbases for the van and wagon; plus three roof heights, along with XL and XLT levels of trim.
In addition to more customization, Ford is also touting the new Transit’s improved fuel economy estimates over the old E-series — an operating expense that’s keeping commercial fleet managers up at night these days. As such, there are no V-8s on the Transit’s engine menu.
The standard mill is a 3.7- litre six-cylinder gas engine, making 275 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. An optional twinturbocharged 3.5-litre gas six puts out 310 h.p. and 400 lb-ft. The third engine choice, a 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel, will also become available, with 185 h.p. and 350 lb-ft of torque. All three Transit engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The best examples of how much more fuel-efficient the Transit is over the E-series are the medium-roof regular wheelbase wagons with the optional turbo-gas six. They score 16.8 litres per 100 km in the city and 12.4 L/100 km on the highway, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates (no Canadian figures yet). That’s an improvement of 46 per cent compared to the 23.5 L/100 km city/18 L/100 km highway ratings for the old E-series’ optional 6.8-litre, 10-cylinder gas engine. According to the EPA, that translates into fuel savings of US$1,700 annually.
While saving fuel is a crucial bonus, the new Transit is also more capable as a hauler: 272 kilograms in maximum payload capacity across all sizes of Transit vans versus comparable E-series vans. New Transit vans can carry more stuff than rival vans from General Motors and Chrysler, too — as much as 2,110 kg of maximum payload capacity, and offer a maximum towing capacity of 3,400 kg).
Overall, the new Transit is also leagues ahead of the Eseries from a space efficiency standpoint, and delivers a few “best-in-class” storage numbers. For example: Transit offers a “best-in-class” gas engine maximum cargo capacity of 13,799 litres — 75 per cent more than the largest E-series; extended-length Transit wagons offer “bestin-class” cargo storage (2,846 L) behind the last row of seats in the 15-passenger version; Transit high-roof van models offer “best-in-class” cargo height; and highroof wagon models deliver (yawn…) “best-in-class” passenger compartment height, allowing passengers as tall as six-foot-four to stand upright.
Transit also has a “bestin-class” rear-door opening height. But you may have already guessed that.
The 2015 Ford Transit drives a bit better than I expected for such a large and tall vehicle, and way better than the Neanderthal Eseries. I got to pilot a shortwheelbase, low-roof 2015 Transit 250 with the optional turbo-six. And while the topheavy and large vehicle won’t set any Nürburgring lap records, the drivetrain is relatively refined, with smooth linear power and smooth shifts from this engine and transmission combo.