Year Make and Model: 2011 Ford Transit Connect
Basic detail of the
vehicle: The 2011 Ford Transit Connect is only available in the United States as a 2.0L 4 cylinder gasoline engine. I believe it is available as 1.8L diesel in Europe. It is a 4 speed automatic overdrive.
Take note of the Ford Symbol. You lift it out of the way for a keyhole to open the hood. There is no method for opening it otherwise.
The Transit Connect is for a company or private owner who does not need a full sized van but still needs something to carry cargo or people.
Mileage: This vehicle has 26K miles on it
Why did you get this
vehicle?: The company this van belongs to have a fleet of Ford Econoline Vans. They have the Transit Connect for light duty applications.
The van is used for parts mostly and at most will only carry 2 people. There is good leg room here.
As you can see for its size and engine you can fit plenty of parts or other cargo in here. The Transit Connect does a good job for its overall size and engine.
This button above is on the rear doors which let them swing out past 90 degrees. This is a great feature for a parts transportation vehicle as it allows you to get a better angel for troublesome parts.
I like this part of the vehicle. There is a little overhead area to hold things. It warns not to put heavy or hard objects up there. But it is a good place to put miscellaneous items.
Modifications (if
any): There are no modifications to this vehicle
Anything you want to
do to the vehicle?: There is nothing the owners want to do to this vehicle.
How do you like
driving it?:
The mirrors are nice even on a smaller van like this. The top right corner helps reveal the blind spot which I personally think is helpful to have in general for driving.
When it comes to driving it the driver complains about the engine. The 4 cylinder engine is fine for getting the van around but having been a passenger in it you can definitely feel the engine is taxed. However at the end of the day it gets the job done and it is not meant to be a race car.
Any other thoughts on
the vehicle?:
The gas cover is locked and while a more of a luxury vehicle would have it locked with a button to open it there are some advantages to this method. Firstly the obvious lock means that would be gas thieves can plainly see it is locked and that will keep prying hands away. Secondly this forces you to kill the engine as you need the key to open the cover and that means a safer fueling experience as the vehicle is off.
So this is the key. I am showing it because it is not your normal looking key. It is an electronic key like those you see in a higher end vehicle.
Aside from those 2 points you have to keep in mind the type of vehicle this is. It is not a high end luxury tourer and it is not a heavy load hauling vehicle. This is a small van that can get around more nimbly then its bigger Econoline brother and is suited to light duty where a bigger vehicle may not be the most economical option. That being said I would prefer to see a bigger engine in here. I think a 6 cylinder could solve some problems in the grunt that is a common complaint. I would like to see the diesel option come to the states as I think that would also help as it is not top end speed that is being looked for.
And that is it! Hope you enjoyed a look at a company vehicle in this week's Normal Car Thursdays! Again feel free to Share your Ride!
See you on the road.
