Gee, when did vans get so good?
Severely, I used to be anticipating a circa 18-hour drive in a van to be, if not disagreeable, then nonetheless a little bit of a chore.
Nevertheless, I used to be in a Ford Transit Customized, which proved a cushty technique to haul a cargo bay filled with my accomplice’s garments, kitchenware, and even some furnishings from Melbourne to Brisbane.
I’d like to let you know how the Transit Customized compares with the Hyundai Staria Load or the top-selling Toyota HiAce throughout an analogous distance however, ah, I believe I’m good for cross-country street journeys for a short while.
Let’s discuss what the Transit Customized does proper, although, and the place it wants enchancment.
How a lot does the Ford Transit Customized price?
You get a selection of two trim ranges within the diesel-powered Transit Customized vary: Pattern and Sport.
| Mannequin | Value earlier than on-road prices |
|---|---|
| Ford Transit Customized Pattern SWB | $56,590 |
| Ford Transit Customized Pattern LWB | $57,590 |
| Ford Transit Customized Sport SWB | $59,990 |
| Ford Transit Customized Sport Double Cab | $62,990 |
Each can be found in short- and long-wheelbase physique types, nonetheless, the long-wheelbase Sport is what Ford calls a Double Cab and it features a second row of seating.
The Pattern LWB, subsequently, is the one to decide on if you’d like most cargo area. In order for you it with plug-in hybrid energy, you’ll must cough up an additional $10,000, whereas the electrical model instructions an extra $10,000 premium on high of that.
It’s removed from the most affordable automobile within the mid-size business van phase. For instance, the Toyota HiAce LWB – which has an analogous general cargo bay quantity – is a number of thousand {dollars} cheaper.
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
What’s the Ford Transit Customized like on the within?
We did the majority of our drive in someday, which labored out to round 14 hours within the Transit Customized. Not as soon as did our our bodies complain.
Kudos to the designers of the Transit Customized’s seats, as a result of they proved comfy and supportive. That’s regardless of the passenger seat truly being extra of a bench than a conventional bucket seat.
The material upholstery is nice, and the outboard seats even characteristic heating.
The driving force’s seat has a fold-down armrest that you would be able to ratchet into your required place, and the dearth of a centre console means you may simply shimmy throughout the entrance seats if, for instance, somebody has parked too near the motive force’s door. That is aided by a totally flat cabin flooring.
The steering wheel has tilt and telescopic adjustment, although we discovered the pedal placement to be a bit awkward.
About that steering wheel: it’s fantastic. The switchgear is logically laid out and tactile, whereas the leather-based wrapping is splendidly mushy and the dimensions is spot-on. It’s a greater steering wheel than you’ll discover in lots of passenger vehicles!
Abroad, an non-compulsory Cell Workplace Pack features a folding model of the steering wheel, permitting you to make use of it as a piece floor or, let’s be sincere, a better technique to eat your Maccas. Sadly, it’s not but obtainable right here.
As anticipated of a van, there’s ample storage even up entrance. Storage cabinets span the width of the dashboard, whereas the doorways have a small pocket for gadgets like pens, after which bigger pockets at their base.
These bigger storage cavities incorporate bottle holders giant sufficient for 1.5-litre bottles, whereas we had been in a position to safely stash gadgets like 3L milk bottles and even a vase within the different a part of the decrease cavity.
Either side of the dashboard has a cupholder that may match a medium McCafe beverage or a 600ml mushy drink bottle, whereas there’s one other cupholder that folds out from the centre stack.
The whole lot feels solidly assembled and hard-wearing, and the cabin general seems fashionable.
Our tester got here geared up with a metallic bulkhead, serving to to insulate the entrance of the van from any sounds (however not essentially smells) within the rear and that includes a intelligent load-through hatch which we didn’t find yourself utilizing.
You’ll be able to nonetheless see by way of the window within the bulkhead and out by way of the home windows within the barn doorways, however at night time time the reflection of the touchscreen virtually fully obscures your view out the again.
You may get a digital rear-view mirror within the Transit Customized, however this comes solely in an choice bundle that features a stable bulkhead with no window.
Thankfully, the Transit Customized comes normal with blind-spot monitoring, whereas the outside mirrors characteristic two various kinds of mirror so that you’ve received a number of viewing angles. There’s no surround-view digital camera, although you get a reversing digital camera with first rate decision plus entrance and rear parking sensors.
The windscreen is big and the view out the entrance is expansive, although we had been perturbed by a demister that might flip itself off far too shortly.
That brings us to maybe our biggest gripe: the dearth of bodily local weather controls. There are shortcuts anchored to the underside of the touchscreen, however they are often finicky on the transfer – notably temperature adjustment – and would probably show cumbersome when you’re sporting gloves.
The centre stack has just about no switchgear, other than a handful of shortcut buttons for capabilities like the motive force help methods menu plus a quantity knob.
The touchscreen is a powerful 13-inch unit operating the SYNC4 working system, and options wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The latter connects shortly and maintained a secure connection throughout our street journey, fortunately deciding to attend till we had been in Brisbane to sometimes throw up a repetitive “The inserted USB machine isn’t responding” error message after we had a cellphone plugged in. This was mounted by unplugging my cellphone.
There’s a wi-fi cellphone charger so in idea you don’t must ever plug in your cellphone, however in my expertise wi-fi cellphone chargers cost too slowly and warmth up your cellphone an excessive amount of. Cue Alborz chiding me for having an Android.
There’s a easy 7.0-inch instrument cluster display that’s presentable and logically laid out, and is flanked by a few extra conventional metres for gasoline degree and engine temperature.
Shifting to the rear, there’s a single sliding door on the kerbside, although you may choice a driver’s facet sliding door as nicely.
Unlocking the automobile as soon as doesn’t unlock the rear, so that you’ll must press that button on the fob once more; alternatively, you may individually unlock simply the rear of the automobile, which is useful in case you are unloading items and don’t need anyone to nick your van.
You’ll want to provide the sliding door and the barn doorways a agency slam to shut them, although even nonetheless we skilled a handful of phantom ‘tailgate open’ alerts within the instrument cluster.
Contained in the cargo bay, you’ll discover brilliant LED lighting. There’s a useful swap on the rear to activate further lighting, whereas alongside the edges of the cargo bay you’ll discover eight tie-down factors in addition to padding so your stuff doesn’t harm the partitions of the van.
As normal, there’s a single sliding door inside a gap 1030mm huge and 1301mm tall, although you may choice a second sliding door.
The rear door opening is 1400mm huge and 1316mm tall, and the Transit Customized LWB is rated to suit 4 Euro (1200mm x 800mm) pallets.
| Dimensions | Ford Transit Customized LWB |
|---|---|
| Size | 5450mm |
| Width | 2275mm |
| Peak | 1980mm |
| Wheelbase | 3500mm |
| Cargo bay quantity | 6m3 – VDA, behind bulkhead |
| Cargo bay size | 3002mm |
| Cargo bay width | 1392mm – between arches |
| Cargo bay peak | 1425mm |
| Payload | 1018kg – at kerb weight |
| Kerb weight | 2207kg |
| Gross Automobile Mass (GVM) | 3225kg |
| Braked towing capability | 2500kg |
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
What’s below the bonnet?
For now, the Transit Customized is a diesel-only affair in Australia, nonetheless, plug-in hybrid and electrical variations are coming quickly.
| Specs | Ford Transit Customized |
|---|---|
| Engine | 2.0L turbo-diesel 4cyl |
| Energy | 125kW |
| Torque | 390Nm |
| Transmission | 8-speed auto |
| Drive kind | Entrance-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2207kg |
| Gas financial system (claimed) | 8.0L/100km |
| Gas financial system (as examined) | 7.8L/100km |
| Gas tank capability | 70L |
| Gas requirement | Diesel |
Out of an abundance of warning, we stuffed up at 1 / 4 of the tank remaining each instances we stuffed up the van. Which means we might have simply carried out Melbourne to Brisbane on two tanks.
The Transit Customized shortly settled right into a gasoline consumption groove, and couldn’t be shaken from 7.7 to 7.8 litres per 100km. The ultimate rating was 7.8L/100km throughout over 1800km of driving.
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
How does the Ford Transit Customized drive?
The very first thing you discover about the best way the Transit Customized drives is its glorious steering.
Not solely is the wheel pretty to carry, as talked about earlier, however the steering is properly weighted – it’s gentle sufficient that will help you manoeuvre round tight carparks, however confidence-inspiring out on the street, too.
Then there’s the powertrain. The eight-speed automated sometimes reveals a not-so-smooth shift at low velocity, however in any other case it’s well-matched for the torquey turbo-diesel engine.
You modify gears utilizing a stalk on the column, which can journey up folks for whom the Transit Customized is amongst a fleet of autos they often drive. If this shall be your major supply of transportation, nonetheless, you’ll discover you shortly get used to the stalk.
The Transit Customized feels prefer it has extra grunt than its outputs counsel, whereas the cabin is sort of nicely insulated from the same old clatter you get from a turbo-diesel. Thoughts you, the cabin does get a bit boomy at excessive speeds with tyre roar, however this can be a van in spite of everything.
We drove over some moderately rotten rural roads in New South Wales, and the Transit Customized took them in its stride. It has a surprisingly loping journey for a van, and unusually options impartial rear suspension. And but, regardless of being softly sprung, physique management was commendable.
After we picked up the automobile, we discovered the headlight beam didn’t prolong far sufficient, however adjusting the headlight purpose with the toggle to the right-hand facet of the steering wheel mounted this.
What we couldn’t repair, nonetheless, was the automated high-beam. It proved erratic and inconsistent, dipping the lights on pitch-black nation roads. It received to the purpose the place I simply wished the Transit Customized didn’t have the characteristic, as I used to be always having to flick the headlight stalk anyway and this was simply giving me one other detent to flick by way of.
The low-beam headlights are LEDs, that are pretty and brilliant. The high-beams might elegantly fade on, however they’re disappointingly halogen models. Ford refers to those headlights as “hybrid” headlights, which makes them sound extra intelligent than they’re…
You refill the Transit Customized through a flap on the passenger’s facet, although you’ll must open the passenger-side door with a view to open this flap. Thankfully, the filler itself doesn’t have a cap.
The blind-spot monitoring labored nicely, as did the lane-keep help although there’s no lane centring. There’s adaptive cruise management, which might usually enable the van to exceed the velocity restrict by 2km/h – not perfect, however that shouldn’t be sufficient to get you in bother with the legislation.
There’s an annoying overspeed alert, however you may flip it off or simply drown it out with music. The driving force fatigue monitoring characteristic doesn’t scan your eyes like in some vehicles, although when you swerve over a lane marking or drive for a very long time with no break, it’s going to flash up a useful reminder.
The secure exit warning characteristic is a welcome inclusion, sounding a chime if the van detects you’re about to open your door into oncoming visitors.
The Transit Customized is below 2m tall, so it ought to slot in most carparks. Very useful.
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
What do you get?
The Pattern is the entry-level Transit Customized.
2025 Ford Transit Customized tools highlights:
- 7.0-inch instrument cluster display
- 13.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- DAB+ digital radio
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- 5G embedded modem
- Wi-fi cellphone charger
- FordPass app connectivity
- 4-speaker sound system
- 8-way guide driver’s seat with single armrest
- Heated entrance seats
- Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
- Drive mode choice: Regular, Eco, Slippery and Tow/Haul
- Load Space Safety Equipment
- Facet and rear door safety
- Moulded load flooring liner
- LED load bay lighting
- Steel bulkhead
- Kerbside sliding door
- Built-in roof racks
- Halogen and LED ‘hybrid’ headlights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Quickclear heated windscreen
- Push-button begin
Metallic paint is a $700 choice, although our tester got here in normal Frozen White. You may also spend $1400 and get SVO Paint, permitting you to select from a wider vary of colors than the monochromatic trio of $700 finishes.
Different choices embrace:
- A two-seat configuration: $150; deletes the load-through hatch
- Rear liftgate: $700; replaces the barn doorways
- Safe Visibility Pack: $1500; consists of metal rear doorways with no home windows, a metallic bulkhead with no window; and a digital rear-view mirror with an built-in sprint cam
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
Is the Ford Transit Customized secure?
Whereas like most vans the Transit Customized hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP, it does have a 96 per cent ranking in evaluation of its driver help methods.
Commonplace security tools consists of:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Intersection help
- Reverse AEB
- Adaptive cruise management
- Blind-spot help
- Evasive steering help
- Lane hold help
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Secure exit warning
- Site visitors signal recognition
- Reversing digital camera with 180-degree view
- Entrance, rear parking sensors
- Entrance, front-side, and curtain airbags
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
How a lot does the Ford Transit Customized price to run?
Ford backs its autos with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, with 12 months of roadside help included on the time of buy and prolonged with each service supplied they’re accomplished inside Ford’s community.
| Servicing and Guarantee | Ford Transit Customized |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 5 years, limitless kilometres |
| Roadside help | 12 months – from buy, then service-initiated |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 30,000 kilometres |
| Capped value servicing | 4 years, $499 every – retail, small enterprise solely |
| Whole capped value service price | $1996 |
For different consumers, the primary 4 companies are priced at $580, $915, $715, and $915 respectively.
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
CarExpert’s Tackle the Ford Transit Customized
An 18-hour drive generally is a actual torture take a look at of a automobile. If one thing is bugging you once you set off, it’s sure to infuriate you by the top of the journey.
I’ve been in vehicles with uncomfortable seats, or with annoying lane-keeping aids, that might have had me raging on the finish of 18 hours.
However any faults the Ford has are minor, and I shortly got here to respect this van. Hell, at one level I even thought, “Hey, would I need to personal one among these?” (The reply isn’t any: I hate transferring my very own stuff, so the very last thing I’d need as a van proprietor is to get roped into serving to each pal and member of the family transfer).
With its comfy inside, spacious load bay, punchy powertrain and slick infotainment, the Transit Customized ought to be in your shortlist when you’re shopping for a van.
Excited about shopping for a Ford Transit Customized? Get in contact with one among CarExpert’s trusted sellers right here
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