Ford Transit Connect

Since spring 2002, Ford offers under the name Ford Transit Connect ( a van) and Ford Tourneo Connect ( minibus / combi ) a city van ( MPV ) to. The first Transit Connect is based on the C170 platform, the Ford Focus '98 also used.

The produced from the end of 2013 based on the second generation Ford C -MAX. The Transit Connect was voted Van of the Year 2003 and 2014.

Transit Connect '02 ( 2002-2013 )

Ford Tourneo Connect (2002-2006)

The first generation of the Transit / Tourneo Connect was designed by Peter Horbury and first presented in the autumn of 2001. The model replaced the Ford Courier Van based on the Ford Fiesta and the Ford Escort Express vans, both of which were set in the same year.

The model is available in two versions, a short wheelbase with a flat roof and long wheelbase with high roof available. In the long version, it offers such as also the Fiat Doblò Cargo Maxi, or Renault Kangoo Rapid accommodate two Euro pallets.

Since early 2002 he is built at Ford Otosan in Turkey and since mid-2009 in the Ford Craiova plant in Romania.

The Tourneo Connect was at launch of the only one in his class who offered an in ground retractable, 60:40 split and completely removable rear seats. This allows different seating and load variations. The two sliding side doors are optional, can continue to be made between the tailgate and rear doors.

The Transit Connect was voted Van of the Year 2004.

Facelift

In October 2006, the Transit Connect has been slightly revised for the first time.

At the Chicago Auto Show again modified Transit Connect was introduced in spring 2009. Since then, the model is also offered in North America and received the award in 2010 in North America North American Truck of the Year at the North American International Auto Show ( NAIAS ).

In North America, the Connect is offered only as a long-wheelbase version of the van with the 2.0L four-cylinder petrol engine with 4- speed automatic in addition to the usual in Europe 1.8L common-rail injection diesel engine and 5- speed manual transmission. Since 2011, the Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon with five seats, exhibitable rear windows, reversing camera, alloy wheels, fog lamps and painted in body color grille is offered in North America.

The Transit Connect Wagon is the first Ford minivan on the market there since the cessation of the Ford Freestar in early 2007. To circumvent the 25 % customs duty on imported light trucks, imported Ford Tourneo Connect as " passenger vehicles ". The shipped from Turkey vehicles are converted at the port of Baltimore by WWL Vehicle Services Americas Inc., the rear side windows replaced by metal plates and the rear seats removed. The conversion is significantly cheaper than the few thousand dollars of otherwise incurred import tax. Also in North America, only the long-wheelbase version with high roof that does not fit in most multi-story parking garages American.

Also called short version: Tourneo Connect

Ford Transit Connect (2009-2013)

Transit Connect Electric ( North America )

At the Geneva Motor Show 2009 Ford presented a prototype of the Ford Transit Connect with electric drive.

In collaboration with Azure Dynamics Corporation and Johnson Controls, the prototype was ready for series production and the production of the Transit Connect Electric began in December 2010. Electric version of the Tourneo Connect costs from U.S. $ 57.400 and is thus more than twice as high as the petrol engine variant.

Transit / Tourneo Connect Electric ( Europe)

The bodies are delivered to the British firm Smith Electric Vehicles, which uses it to create two electric cars:

Firstly, the Smith Ampere, a Tourneo Connect up to 800 kg payload, a 21 kW lithium iron phosphate battery and a 50 kW electric motor Permanent. This is ideally a range of 160 miles and a top speed of 110 km / h

The Smith Edison, a 3.5 tonne Transit Connect with a payload of 1338 kg and up to 80 km / h and a maximum range of 240km.

Transit Connect X-Press

The Ford Transit Connect X-press was a prototype of the Transit Connect to the engine of the Ford Focus RS with five-speed manual transmission, which was not built in series.

Transit Connect '13 (since 2013)

Ford Tourneo Connect ( since 2013)

Beginning of 2014 the next generation of Connect was introduced on the market. This model uses the platform of the Ford C-Max and the design takes elements of the new Ford Kuga.

Both the new 1.0-liter Ecoboost petrol engine and the 1.6 - liter Duratorq diesel engine which are already known from the Ford Focus, also be used as a dashboard that is derived from the Ford car models is. Inside, a passenger double bench seat including fold-down center seat for flexibility. In the long version of Connect are up to three meters load length ready.

The Tourneo Connect also provides future seven seats which are fully retractable for a flat load floor in the rear chamber. Again, there are two wheelbases, but only a medium-high roof version, instead of flat and high roof. The rear axle consists of a screw- sprung torsion beam construction.

In addition to previous production and production in North America is planned.