I have to admit that this thing is growing on me. I like the utility aspect. No frills, just enough amenities to make it comfortable as a daily driver. I'm thinking it would serve well as a sport vehicle for hunting, camping, etc., hauling to the landfill or making a Home Depot run.

I've looked at them a couple times trying to convince myself that buying a commercial vehicle for daily use is not practical. However, the more I look the more I like. The XLT passenger version can be had with a complete power group and cloth seats. Carpeted half floor and headliner. I like the basic colors; Red, Blue, White, Silver and Black. MPG projected at 22/25, and a sticker price of $23,045.

I'm not ready to make the jump. I tend to wait on "just introduced vehicles", but I have a gut feeling that with that kind of mileage and price, these could be a hit outside of the commercial community. Especially if a package is introduced with a finished interior.

Comments?

 

I once owned an FJ40 Land Cruiser as a daily driver, and in earlier days, a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 without windows that rolled up--it had plexi windows that you had to erect. For many years, the thought of air conditioning in a car was not even something I had.

And I've had four full size vans, various conversions (two of them were Turtle Top camper conversions)...and especially the old Ford flatnose was as stark as a Transit Connect would ever be. When I bought my current E150 in 2003, we looked at Sprinter vans, which are definitely stark inside.

When my current E150 is ready to go (and this may not be for 5 more years or more unless gas shoots up again), a Transit Connect looks like it might be *just right* for what I need. I'm a bicyclist and a musician, and my son, now in college, was a Boy Scout for many years--my vans were always on campouts. Now, it's my wife and me, and we like to travel with 2 bicycles inside the vehicle, an acoustic guitar, and a bunch of stuff. Maybe camp a bit, use the van as a home base.

I LIKE the starkness in a functional vehicle. So long as I can hear myself think when going down the road, have a comfortable place to sit, I don't need nor do I want a plush and fancy interior. It's a truck and I don't need it to be pretending it's a luxury car. (But the FJ40 was downright brutal...I definitely need more comfort than that had.)

George

 

I was a little surprised Ford brought the Transit Connect to North America...they have bigger Transit models...some available with turbodiesels, that prob. get better mileage than the Connect's gas 4 cylinder.
The larger Transits have a lot more room than the Connect...think Sprinter size.

The prices seems a lot for what it is?

I think Ford did not have a better idea with the Connect.

 

I work for an elevator co and I just got a Transit Connect as my daily service vehicle. Been in a Chevy Astro for about 12 yrs so the Transit is different for sure. Overall I'm very happy w/it. Drives nice,very solid. My biggest complaint is it could use some more POWER. It'll get going but, you have twist that little 4 banger up real tight - 6700 rpms. Having been in a brand X van for so long will be interesting to see how the Ford stacks up. The chevys had their probs but never anything major.

 

We'll see when we get there....I've got at least 5 years left in my E150 (unless the engine blows up or a tree falls on it), and when it's time to replace it, will have to evaluate what there is on the market. I think the Connect is perfect for many small businesses; one step smaller gets you an Escape or HHR, with 70-80 cubic feet inside; the Connect has 135. I think the price is fine considering what else you can get for that money. It is not good for carrying 4x8 sheets of plywood or drywall.

Granted the Connect is not a vehicle we're going to camp inside of, but when my wife and I both retire and want to do some traveling (2 people, 2-3 bicycles, an acoustic guitar, and luggage), we will have to evaluate what's on the market and choose at that time. Today, I'd have the Connect on the short list but we have yet to drive one, or load a couple bikes into it and see how things look. If we camp, it'll be in a tent, but my wife prefers motels.

My E150 proved really valuable this month when my son moved from one house to another at college--they were able to carry big couches in the van in one trip, a stack of 5-6 twin sized mattresses in another trip, etc. I am definitely spoiled by the interior size of big vans, having owned four of them consecutively since 1986.

George

 

I hear you George. And Uncle Tony...

I never thought I would consider a Commercial designated vehicle for a DD either. We have a Tribute (Escape clone) a Mustang Bullitt and a high mileage F-150. While it's true the Connect does not carry a 4 X8 sheet of anything, in a pinch I can borrow a p.u., or rent one from the Home Depot to carry the plywood or wall board. We do have three dogs, two little Bichon Frise and one new Collie. That means they don't fit the F-150 cab, it's a standard cab. Nor the Mustang, and only barely can we squeese into the Tribute. The Connect is lower than the two trucks for easy doggie ingress or egress. Bare in the back is good for clean up of Collie hair. The price isn't over the top either. It also has way more space in the back than any of the vehicles except the F-150, and that is open air. Not good for dog duty in the rain. ;-)

Bottom line? For us, it is appealing.

 

If anyone is interested, check Google Images for a couple of interesting photo's of European versions.

It has potential in the looks department. However, the price would increase.

 

If Ford would bring the entire Transit line to the US, it would make sense. The Connect is the only one that does NOT make sense to offer in the US. The transit is the most popular vehicle of it's type in England (possibly the rest of Europe, not sure) for several good reasons, but the Connect makes as much sense in the US as Japanese ultra-compacts, there's just no need/demand, because there's already better options that fit the lifestyles and enviroments of the US. Cities are far less crowded and parking/driving space is not scarce as it is in England and Japan, so the type of vehicles that generally sell well over there don't normally translate into US sales. In England (especially around London), the larger transits and sprinters are the equivilent of large moving trucks in the US, it's the biggest thing you can practically drive around town with lane width restrictions all over. That problem doesn't exist in the US.

If Ford of Europe (if you didn't know, there's a difference, basically a separate company) had brought the Transit line to the US years ago, the Sprinter sales would almost all be Ford sales, because the Mercedes/Dodge Sprinter has less features and costs more than comparable Transits for commercial use (a transit is a commercial vehicle, reguardless of it's size). The reason the Connect is for sale here is that the engine already meets our emissions requirements, while the Diesel full size Transits which are hot sellers in England have not been tested by the US government, therefore can't be sold here. Since the costs of certifying a new engine is high, it doesn't make sense to bring it here because the Sprinter has already flooded the niche.

It's a "why not" decision on the part of Ford US, one that even if it doesn't sell, no large losses will abound, unlike of they have brought over the whole line and it didn't sell. The reality is that company execs realize the majority of US drivers wouldn't know a good car if it ran over them. Case in point: The Ford Focus. The US Focus is a POS, the European Focus was completely different (shared no parts, wasn't built in brazil like the US one), and was an excellent car. Why the difference? The Brazillian Focus was cheaper to make, even though it sold for the same equivilent price as the European Focus.

And while I'm ranting: Ford of Austrailia's Falcon. Enough said.

 

And you've done market research to determine this? I've already seen a whole bunch of Transit Connects in service here in the Detroit area. There are a lot of small businesses that use Escapes and other small SUV's, and having something like the Connect with twice the cargo room with the same footprint and similar operating costs makes a LOT of sense to me. Let's compare notes in a couple years, but I think you're wrong on this.

Yes, the big Transit is a neat vehicle, but we have the Econoline, and once you put a gas engine in the Transit, I don't think it will have that many advantages in the US market. Aftermarket converters already make lots of ambulances, box trucks, etc. based on the Econoline and I don't think they're going to be enthusiastic about converting to the Transit. And the Transit will cost more money here.

How many Sprinter ambulances have you seen in the US so far? I've seen exactly...zero. But every day I'll see at least 10 Econoline ambulances.

And most US Focuses in our area were built in the Wayne, Michigan plant about 20 miles from my house, same place as my wife's old '86 Escort GT.

George

 

Must be a regional thing, there are no Econoline ambulances here, just F-650 and larger, very few are F-550s. 4 of the local Ford dealers I run cars for haven't sold a single Connect, and I've yet to see a single one on the road, either. From talking to the sales guys, they say it's the just plainly the wrong vehicle. Maybe like the sprinter, once someone uses it, it will gain popularity? The sat on the showrooms for quite a while, most I see are fleet purchases.

 

Interesting on the ambulance demographics...I'm in a metro area (near suburb of Detroit) and virtually every ambulance is a diesel E350/450 with a box on the back, or a long-body E350. I'm wondering if you're out in the country with longer runs or something?

When I bought my '02 E150 in 2003, I *almost* bought a Sprinter passenger van. Dealer had a demo for $28k. But it was loud, rode like an oxcart with the 65 lb tire pressures, and the body already shook and rattled. I was concerned about rust (salt belt) and parts/service--this was when Chrysler was waffling between Freightliner and Dodge. Also, even the low top would not go thru an automatic car wash--so I had even more concern about rust. My wiife works as a TV tech, and her station has a long/tall Sprinter that they use a lot. Sprinter seems like a better vehicle for a business that puts 50k miles on the van in a year, but I drive our van about 12k per year.

I'm a bicyclist, so I see a lot of vehicles going by when I'm riding, and there are already a lot of Connects on the road around here. Seems like they're perfect for delivering groceries, dry cleaning, catering type stuff, and like that. And they're really cool rolling billboards. Like I said above, when it's time to move on from my E150, the Connect may just fit into the right slot for me--I like "industrial strength" vehicles in terms of durable interiors that don't get torn up by bicycles and other cargo. Hopefully, that will be the next gen Connect which they're gonna build here in Wayne, MI along the new Focus--2011/2012 I think.

And I will watch for actual owner reports on the Transit Connect as well. As with the Sprinter, I don't want to be an "early adopter" of any vehicle. I'm thinking I would actually prefer the Connect with a larger engine (2.5 liter?), and 5/6 speed auto (or a stick), and stretched a foot or two....

Good thread,
George

 

I think for what it is its overpriced. $22k for a a sparce XL with FWD and a small 4 banger is too much IMO. I don't like FWD at all either.

Other than those things I like it. Doesn't look too bad (dealer only has windowless) I want to see one with windows and in a different color other than white. I like all the room in the back.

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe a little more power and more transmission options. Especially if the non business market starts buying them.

 

I think the price is reasonable, and it can't be real cheap bringing it here from Turkey. Sticker prices on Escapes tend to be high as well, and Ford just runs rebates to effectively lower them most of the time.

As for FWD, you gain a flat, low load floor and pick up a lot of cubic feet without having to run a driveshaft thru the whole van. Not good for pulling a trailer, and not great for really heavy loads.

I went on a bike ride today and we've got a florist about a mile away. Brand new Transit Connect with big graphics on the sides in the driveway. I think it's gonna be great for businesses like that.

George

 

I'm in St. Louis, but even downtown isn't "metro" compared to Chicago or Detroit, even less like New York and straight-out alien compared to London. The runs may be longer I guess, but it's not a one or three hospital city, i can name 5 major ones off the bat not including the smaller ones. One thing I've noticed is alot is different in STL compared to any city I've been to, and their not joking about it being a really big "small town".

I still think it'd would be the hot ticket for like when I do small service calls if it had an optional turbodiesel and manual transmission, just that I rarely do service calls that don't call for more of a vehicle than that. Different cars for different needs, thats really what it boils down to, I use a F-250 converted to an F-550 and full utility bed as a work truck, and it still doesn't carry everything I'd like. I've been shopping used F-550 ambulances for converting to a tool truck, but I'm just dreaming in this economy. I can see courier, but there's vehicles that get better mileage for cheaper out there. Heck the sprinter does better, though it's a POS IMO. I might drop in a dealer and check it out just for fun anyways.

 

i stopped and looked at one, lots of headroom, for sure! milage not impressive for a 2.0 4 cyl ,but maybe its geared deep to have more low-end? liked the shelf above the driver/front passenger seats. id prefer a diesel myself and a manual trans option. i did have a astro once myself. wish i could find another in good shape with low miles. one of the few g.m. vehicles that was worth having.