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.
Nonetheless, I used to be in a Ford Transit Customized, which proved a snug strategy to haul a cargo bay stuffed with my companion’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 the same distance however, ah, I feel I’m good for cross-country street journeys for a short time.
Let’s discuss what the Transit Customized does proper, although, and the place it wants enchancment.
How a lot does the Ford Transit Customized value?
You get a selection of two trim ranges within the diesel-powered Transit Customized vary: Development and Sport.
| Mannequin | Value earlier than on-road prices |
|---|---|
| Ford Transit Customized Development SWB | $56,590 |
| Ford Transit Customized Development 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 Development LWB, due to this fact, is the one to decide on if you would like most cargo house. If you would like it with plug-in hybrid energy, you’ll must cough up an additional $10,000, whereas the electrical model instructions a further $10,000 premium on high of that.
It’s removed from the most cost effective car within the mid-size business van phase. For instance, the Toyota HiAce LWB – which has the same 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 in the future, 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 snug and supportive. That’s regardless of the passenger seat really being extra of a bench than a standard bucket seat.
The material upholstery is nice, and the outboard seats even function 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’ll be able to simply shimmy throughout the entrance seats if, for instance, somebody has parked too near the driving 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 comfortable and the dimensions is spot-on. It’s a greater steering wheel than you’ll discover in lots of passenger automobiles!
Abroad, an optionally available 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 trustworthy, a neater strategy to eat your Maccas. Sadly, it’s not but accessible 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 massive sufficient for 1.5-litre bottles, whereas we have been capable of 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 comfortable drink bottle, whereas there’s one other cupholder that folds out from the centre stack.
Every part feels solidly assembled and hard-wearing, and the cabin general seems fashionable.
Our tester got here outfitted with a steel 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 possibly can nonetheless see by means of the window within the bulkhead and out by means of the home windows within the barn doorways, however at evening time the reflection of the touchscreen nearly fully obscures your view out the again.
You will get a digital rear-view mirror within the Transit Customized, however this comes solely in an possibility bundle that features a stable bulkhead with no window.
Fortuitously, the Transit Customized comes normal with blind-spot monitoring, whereas the outside mirrors function two several types of mirror so that you’ve obtained a number of viewing angles. There’s no surround-view digital camera, although you get a reversing digital camera with respectable decision plus entrance and rear parking sensors.
The windscreen is large and the view out the entrance is expansive, although we have been perturbed by a demister that may flip itself off far too shortly.
That brings us to maybe our best 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 – significantly temperature adjustment – and would probably show cumbersome in case you’re sporting gloves.
The centre stack has just about no switchgear, other than a handful of shortcut buttons for capabilities like the driving force help programs menu plus a quantity knob.
The touchscreen is a powerful 13-inch unit working 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 have been in Brisbane to sometimes throw up a repetitive “The inserted USB machine isn’t responding” error message after we had a telephone plugged in. This was mounted by unplugging my telephone.
There’s a wi-fi telephone charger so in idea you don’t must ever plug in your telephone, however in my expertise wi-fi telephone chargers cost too slowly and warmth up your telephone an excessive amount of. Cue Alborz chiding me for having an Android.
There’s a easy 7.0-inch instrument cluster display screen that’s presentable and logically laid out, and is flanked by a few extra conventional metres for gasoline stage and engine temperature.
Shifting to the rear, there’s a single sliding door on the kerbside, although you’ll be able to possibility a driver’s aspect sliding door as properly.
Unlocking the car as soon as doesn’t unlock the rear, so that you’ll must press that button on the fob once more; alternatively, you’ll be able to individually unlock simply the rear of the car, which is helpful if you’re unloading items and don’t need anyone to nick your van.
You’ll want to offer 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 vivid LED lighting. There’s a useful change on the rear to activate extra 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 extensive and 1301mm tall, although you’ll be able to possibility a second sliding door.
The rear door opening is 1400mm extensive 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 |
| Top | 1980mm |
| Wheelbase | 3500mm |
| Cargo bay quantity | 6m3 – VDA, behind bulkhead |
| Cargo bay size | 3002mm |
| Cargo bay width | 1392mm – between arches |
| Cargo bay top | 1425mm |
| Payload | 1018kg – at kerb weight |
| Kerb weight | 2207kg |
| Gross Car 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 underneath 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 |
| Gasoline economic system (claimed) | 8.0L/100km |
| Gasoline economic system (as examined) | 7.8L/100km |
| Gasoline tank capability | 70L |
| Gasoline requirement | Diesel |
Out of an abundance of warning, we crammed up at 1 / 4 of the tank remaining each occasions we crammed up the van. Meaning we may have simply completed 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 wonderful steering.
Not solely is the wheel pretty to carry, as talked about earlier, however the steering is properly weighted – it’s mild sufficient that can assist you manoeuvre round tight carparks, however confidence-inspiring out on the street, too.
Then there’s the powertrain. The eight-speed computerized sometimes displays 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 individuals for whom the Transit Customized is amongst a fleet of autos they recurrently drive. If this shall be your main 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 kind of properly 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 reasonably rotten rural roads in New South Wales, and the Transit Customized took them in its stride. It has a surprisingly loping experience 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 lengthen far sufficient, however adjusting the headlight purpose with the toggle to the right-hand aspect 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 obtained to the purpose the place I simply wished the Transit Customized didn’t have the function, as I used to be consistently having to flick the headlight stalk anyway and this was simply giving me one other detent to flick by means of.
The low-beam headlights are LEDs, that are pretty and vivid. The high-beams might elegantly fade on, however they’re disappointingly halogen items. Ford refers to those headlights as “hybrid” headlights, which makes them sound extra intelligent than they’re…
You replenish the Transit Customized through a flap on the passenger’s aspect, although you’ll must open the passenger-side door to be able to open this flap. Fortuitously, the filler itself doesn’t have a cap.
The blind-spot monitoring labored properly, as did the lane-keep help although there’s no lane centring. There’s adaptive cruise management, which might typically permit the van to exceed the velocity restrict by 2km/h – not best, however that shouldn’t be sufficient to get you in hassle with the legislation.
There’s an annoying overspeed alert, however you’ll be able to flip it off or simply drown it out with music. The driving force fatigue monitoring function doesn’t scan your eyes like in some automobiles, although in case you swerve over a lane marking or drive for a very long time with no break, it should flash up a useful reminder.
The protected exit warning function is a welcome inclusion, sounding a chime if the van detects you’re about to open your door into oncoming site visitors.
The Transit Customized is underneath 2m tall, so it ought to slot in most carparks. Very helpful.
To see how the Ford Transit Customized stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability instrument
What do you get?
The Development is the entry-level Transit Customized.
2025 Ford Transit Customized tools highlights:
- 7.0-inch instrument cluster display screen
- 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 telephone 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
- Aspect and rear door safety
- Moulded load flooring liner
- LED load bay lighting
- Metallic 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 possibility, although our tester got here in normal Frozen White. You can too 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; contains metal rear doorways with no home windows, a steel 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 protected?
Whereas like most vans the Transit Customized hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP, it does have a 96 per cent score in evaluation of its driver help programs.
Commonplace security tools contains:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Intersection help
- Reverse AEB
- Adaptive cruise management
- Blind-spot help
- Evasive steering help
- Lane maintain help
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Protected exit warning
- 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 value 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 worth servicing | 4 years, $499 every – retail, small enterprise solely |
| Whole capped worth service value | $1996 |
For different consumers, the primary 4 providers 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 is usually a actual torture take a look at of a car. If one thing is bugging you while you set off, it’s sure to infuriate you by the top of the journey.
I’ve been in automobiles with uncomfortable seats, or with annoying lane-keeping aids, that may 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 buddy and member of the family transfer).
With its snug inside, spacious load bay, punchy powertrain and slick infotainment, the Transit Customized must be in your shortlist in case you’re shopping for a van.
Inquisitive about shopping for a Ford Transit Customized? Get in contact with one among CarExpert’s trusted sellers right here
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