Ford gives Transit a lift
FORD Australia has expanded its Transit van range from four variants to six with the introduction of a facelifted model that gets the premium 125kW diesel engine across the range along with significant safety and convenience equipment upgrades.
The Transit gains autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, as well as a bigger 8.0-inch touchscreen with the latest Sync3 connectivity with voice activation, plus rearview camera and front and rear parking sensors on van variants.
The grille, bonnet, headlights and bumper have all been refreshed, while seats and controls have been given a pull-through.
Ford Australia president and CEO Kay Hart described the update as “a real step change”.
“These extensive upgrades inside and out – like Sync3 with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – are what customers tell us they’ve been looking for,” she said.
“With AEB now standard on every Transit – and our whole commercial vehicle line-up – Australian customers can benefit from this significant technology whether they’re in a Transit, Transit Custom or Ranger.”
The sluggish 92kW 2.0-litre diesel has been dumped in favour of the 125kW/405Nm 2.0-litre EcoBlue turbo-diesel across the Transit range that starts at $50,490 plus on-road costs – the same entry point as before.
The engine was previously only available in the sole front-wheel-drive van variant.
All five rear-wheel-drive variants come with a six-speed manual gearbox, with only the $52,990 front-wheel-drive 350L van equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission.
The standard equipment list reads like that of a luxury car: adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert (not available on cab-chassis), lane-keeping assist, traffic-sign recognition, automatic headlights with auto high beam, automatic windscreen wipers, heated windscreen, programmable key and 230-volt/400-watt socket.
Along with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, Ford is promising lower running costs via 30,000km/12-month service intervals and a four-year/120,000km set-price servicing schedule at $349 a pop.
Ford Transit pricing*
| 350L Van RW (m) | $50,490 |
| 350L Van FWD (a) | $52,990 |
| 350E Jumbo Van RWD (m) | $53,990 |
| 470E Jumbo Van RWD (m) | $56,990 |
| 470E Single Cab Chassis RWD (m) | $51,490 |
| 470E Double Cab Chassis RWD (m) | $54,990 |
*Excludes on-road costs
