Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Minivans/MPVs, Commercial Trucks, Ford
No Dummies: CPR instructor, others win custom Ford Transit Connect vans
by Chris Shunk on Jan 10th 2009 at 8:58AM 
Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Ford Transit Connect
Ford is bringing its Transit Connect van to the US this summer with hopes of generating sales to businesses that need 143 cubic feet of cargo space and wouldn't mind car-like fuel economy. To drum up some interest in the Euro-sourced vans, the Blue Oval has just given away five of them to small business owners. One of the winners is a CPR instructor in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jerry Buffman had been lugging her dummies around in a 2001 Toyota Sienna, but needed more space. Buffman travels to locations with her bags full of CPR equipment and practice dummies, and the soon to be released Transit should make lugging all of her props a bit easier.
To showcase the Transit Connect's flexibility, Ford also gave away the mini cargo vans to a kayak company, a cleaner, a dog care business, and a pet and baby safety company. Ford is looking to introduce the production version of the Transit Connect at the Chicago Auto Show in February, with sales beginning this summer.
Gallery: Ford Transit Connect
[Source: MLIVE]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Gardiner Westbound 9:34AM (1/10/2009)
But will they be reliable, which is Ford's Achilles’ heel? One can't run a business with the company truck in the shop three days of five and repairs sucking the profits out.
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Stuka 10:51AM (1/10/2009)
Are you being serious? Ford has one of the best reliability ratings in the market right now... Not to mention they have several vehicles with best initial quality ratings, and the most 5 star crash test ratings.
Mike 12:45PM (1/10/2009)
Yeah,
That's why most commercial businesses use Ford trucks and vans, because they are so unreliable.
You obviously know not of which you speak.
adrian 2:31PM (1/10/2009)
@Gardiner Westbound
I don't know about US commercial Ford's but in the UK at least the smaller Connect's are everywhere. As for the larger original Transit, They have been around for so many years, And are still going strong.
I've seen old beat out rust bucket Transits (which always seem to be in white) loaded to the max with stuff and their owners are still hammering them out down the road. I don't think you drivers in the US will have any problems. Ford europe knows this market well.
Gardiner Westbound 3:50PM (1/10/2009)
We had a fleet of 4WD pickups and commercial vans. The pickups did duty as snowplows, which is murder on drivetrains. GMs were by far the most cost effective with minimal downtime. Dodges were a distant second, Fords hopeless, and Toyotas too expensive. We standardized on GMs.
I probably see a dozen 10-year-old GMs for every vintage Ford. I rarely see old Dodges. I don't know if they're all in truck heaven, or they didn’t sell many of them.
WeX 9:49AM (1/10/2009)
The Connect i had for one summer as a work-van (i'm a surveyor for a major construction company in Sweden) caused me no headaches. I really liked the strong and quite fast 1.9 TDi and the steering and gearbox (manual) is nice and tight, almost sporty. Easy to load and unload with wide opening doors on the back and one side. The only thing is that it is a small car, and thus it's not too comfy sitting for long hours on the highway, but if you are smaller i guess it's all right (pretty quiet too at 65mph).
I hope it gets all the sales it deserves in the states.
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rypt 9:50AM (1/10/2009)
Being "small" and selling in USA does not work really.
Jim 9:58AM (1/10/2009)
"Being "small" and selling in USA does not work really"
uh, it did this past summer, sir. And it will "work" again once the economy(ies) start to recover and fuel prices rise back up.
The Luigiian 3:27PM (1/10/2009)
"Being "small" and selling in USA does not work really."
Even though gas was less than a dollar a gallon for many years and Americans didn't have to, many still bought small cars and trucks, including the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Tacoma, Ford Focus, and Nissan Frontier.
Ford Ranger, at its peak, once sold as many as 500,000 per year, half as much as the F-150, but no slouch performance either considering it was designed in the 1980s. Interestingly, it's only now that the midsize trucks are as big as fullsize vehicles that they've lost most of their market.
The Focus is still competitive with the Corolla and Civic.
My analysis: Small vehicles sell in the U.S., and the Transit Connect will sell.
dkw 10:27AM (1/10/2009)
I'm a fan of Ford, think the decisions they have been making lately are the right ones, know that this vehicle is a good combination of fuel economy and cargo hauling, but I can't get over it's awkward looks.
I guess it will take time, but to me the Econoline is still a "real" van.
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Andrew L 11:27AM (1/10/2009)
yes the Econoline is a real full size van
this is just a small work van... kinda like the aerostar in some ways but about a million times better
Matt W. 10:45AM (1/10/2009)
The economy will never be healthy enough to sustain a TEN FOLD increase in the price of transportation energy over 10 years. (1998, $15/BBL -> 2008, $150/BBL)
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jcar302 10:49AM (1/10/2009)
While i like everything about it.
If the only engine available is a 4 banger, that's not going to cut it for me.
Toss some tools, generator and some heavy ladders on the roof, and i'm sure the 4cyl's life span will be short.
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sunrooftop 2:56PM (1/10/2009)
This vehicle has sold almost 200K units since being introduced in Europe in 2003. Ford sells it in Africa and Asia as well. In every market, it is hugely popular, well-known for it's reliability and utility.
Anyone who thinks small trucks won't sell in the U.S. doesn't know squat about the urban truck market. This little truck shines on tight city streets and alleys. It's being launched in New York, Chicago and L.A.
Engine durability in a properly loaded vehicle has NOTHING to do with size. The engine is in the TC is sized and engineered for the truck's load rating: 1,605 lbs. payload. The vehicle is not rated for towing. If you overload it, don't change the oil and drive like an idiot, no engine is big enough for u.
Those of us who are tasked with marketing the TC have found most people respond positively to its funky looks. Especially when they find out how good it is for their small business.
jcar302 3:22PM (1/10/2009)
Sunroof.
I have no doubt it's a good vehicle.
And in all honesty, i'd love to have one.
You get tired of tooling around in an E350.
Why no 6cyl at least?
I'm an electrician.
Sometime i need multiple ladders (that are heavy), i always have the generator with me.
Multiple spools of wire at 100lbs each.
Ok, you say it's reliable loaded up mile after mile. I can accept that.
But, can it get out of it's own way with that much weight in it?
TINYZ 11:13AM (1/10/2009)
I OWEN A F150 NOW 05 4.6L WAT A GREAT TRUCK...BUT THE GAS MILAGE SUCK;S..THIS TRAS-VAN LOOK'S BIG ON THE INSIDE..AND SPORTY ON THE OUT SIDE. I LOVE THE RACEING STRIPE;S....THIS VAN WOOD MAKE A GREAT WEEKENDER TOWING MY HONDA 4WHEELER 2 THE MUD HOLE..FORD KNOW'S TRUCK;S .
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sunrootop 5:19PM (1/10/2009)
@jcar302 -
Can't say why no V6, except for these guesses:
1. TC originally developed for Europe and other high-fuel-cost markets. Nowhere is it sold with a 6-cyl. Other markets get a sweet turbo-diesel that Ford can't sell here because the cost of meeting U.S. diesel emission standards. That cost could not be recovered with corresponding sales, and diesel is over $1/gal more costly than gas, making diesel sales less likely to the small businesses at which TC is targeted.
2. Cost of engineering TC to take a 6-cyl. that would only be offered in U.S. too high to make it a valid business proposition.
3. TC is designed primarily for urban markets, where manuverability and mileage trump acceleration.
As to whether or not it will "get out of its own way" when fully loaded, only u can be the judge. Tell the dealer you want to drive one with 1200 lbs. in the back. (You have to deduct the driver and passenger weight from the payload - as u do with every truck - so I'm guessing u and the sales guy will add up to somewhere around 400 lbs. Forgive me if I've made u too heavy). Hope yr next truck is one that's fits your business to a "T" (and that it's a Ford!).
fixitfixitstop 10:14PM (1/10/2009)
Downgraded your comment just because it gave me a headache.
OOMPH! 11:20AM (1/10/2009)
love this little van..oh VW please send us the Caddy
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sunrooftop 5:28PM (1/10/2009)
@jcar302 -
One other thing I forgot to mention - TC is designed primarily as a light delivery, parcel & service vehicle, as opposed for use in traditional trades. The businesses mentioned in the story, and others like caterers, florists, etc., are more on TC's turf.
That said, pls give it a drive all loaded up before u write it off as a possible business truck.