Ford’s new jack of all trades

Ford’s new Trail trim is designed for more demanding workplaces. Darren Cassey puts it to the test.

The Ford Transit is one of the most versatile and varied commercial vehicles on the market. There are big ones, small ones, load carriers, people carriers, and everything in-between. This recently expanded to include rugged Active and Trail models, too. The idea was to fit off-roadfocused looks and abilities, including four-wheel-drive, to give those who need practicality off the beaten track a good option. It’s the Trail variant we’re testing, to find out if there’s any compromise to on-road abilities for its off-road prowess.

WHAT’S NEW?

The models have been designed ‘to operate in tougher working environments’, with a mechanical limited-slip differential fitted to frontwheel-drive versions like we’re testing, with all-wheel-drive also available. It also gets an updated exterior with body cladding to protect against scrapes, a chunky front grille and an improved interior specification.

UNDER THE BONNET?

All Trail models use Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine, with a choice of 128, 168 and 182bhp. We’re testing the middle output, which also offers 405Nm of torque, economy of 41.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 174-179g/km. Although the power output isn’t massive, that hefty torque figure means that acceleration is brisk despite being a huge van. The

Transit coincided with a house move so we also got to test it fully loaded, and the engine took everything in its stride.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?

Trail models get a more highspec interior than standard Transit variants, including leather upholstery that’s said to be ‘wipe clean’. It’s far from premium material but it certainly helps to elevate the traditional cabin to something much closer to that of the family car. The infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also made navigation and communication easy. Perhaps the only complaint is the driving position, with the pedals quite far beneath the driver – this is typical of vans but in the Transit it required a lot more trial and error to get comfortable.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?

With Trail models being far from the cheapest entry into Transit life – our double cabin-van model starts at £43,182 and had been specified up to £46,091 – Ford has provided a decent amount of kit. There’s that leather upholstery for a start, as well as 16-inch alloy wheels, selectable drive modes, air conditioning, heated windscreen, automatic headlights, cruise control and more. Our car also had the ICE Pack 25, which although pricey at £1,475, has some excellent kit such as adaptive cruise control and the eight-inch touchscreen. The metallic black paint was a £78 option, LED load box lights cost £180, and mud flaps added £48.

THE VERDICT

The already excellent Ford Transit was never going to be a failure with the addition of more off-road capabilities, but the fact all this has been added with next to no impact on everyday driving is commendable. It’s not cheap, but for those who regularly work off the beaten track, the extra abilities can only be a good thing. The four-wheeldrive model will be pricier again, but for those who need it, add an extra breadth of capability that will be welcomed.