Transit Courier debuted as the fourth new van to join Ford Transit range

Are you excited about Ford's latest van to join the Transit family? The Transit Courier is the fourth and final model to be included in Ford's commercial vehicle range. It made its global debut at the Birmingham CV Show recently and is expected to sell well when it becomes available in the spring of 2014.

So we already know what the other Transits have to offer, but what does the new Courier add? For a start it's a tad bit smaller than the Transit Connect and is billed as a compact commercial van. According to their recent press release, Ford says it offers 10% more load volume and floor area than its closest competitors. The Transit Courier is based on Ford’s global B-segment platform and delivers class-leading load volume of 2.3m³ (SAE) with standard full bulkhead within an overall length of 4.16 metres. With a maximum payload capacity of 660kg, the Transit Courier can accommodate a wide variety of cargo and equipment, including a standard Euro pallet.

The Transit Courier will be available with highly-efficient diesel and petrol engines that target best-in-class fuel economy, and offer Auto-Start-Stop on all units. Customers can choose between the Dagenham-built 1.5-litre 75PS and 1.6-litre 95PS Duratorq TDCi diesel engines, and the remarkable 1.0-litre 100PS EcoBoost petrol engine.

And better still, it will come with more robust rugged bumpers and bodyside mouldings for extra protection against annoying dings and scratches that can add to the repair costs. The interior appearance is stylish and professional, as it should do, to compete with other new vans now adding those little bit of extra fine touches that provide van interiors with a high standard.

The cabin offers an ideal mobile-office environment, with smart stowage including a “mega-centre” console capable of storing A4 documents and small laptops; overhead stowage; and a storage drawer under the driver’s seat. A device dock in the centre of the instrument panel enables occupants to store, mount and charge mobile devices including phones and satnavs. It will also offer voice-activated in-car connectivity system, Ford SYNC with Emergency Assistance, Rear View Camera, Easy Fuel, Speed Limiter and standard ESC (Electronic Stability Control).

With the Transit family range (Transit, Custom, Connect, and Courier) now complete, Ford is predicting sales to grow by over 50% from what they currently sell today to 400,000 units per year by 2016.  I do like what I see so far, but as always, it's in the driving of any vehicle that will determine if this compact van will find its way into our hearts and onto our driveways.