Ford has unveiled a new two-tonne transit at the Hannover Commercial Vehicle show in Germany, which offers business users greater efficiency than before, as well as a standard-fit touchscreen.
Alongside an upgraded 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine – now available in 183bhp guise – the Transit also features a mild hybrid system. It is the first van in its segment to have this tech, and is designed for those using their vans around towns and cities. The engine is also available with 104bhp, 128bhp or 168bhp.
While a six-speed manual gearbox is the standard transmission for now, a 10-speed automatic transmission will be available from the start of 2020.
But it’s space that most people will be interested in, and thankfully the Transit has plenty of it. Ford has reduced the weight of the van’s components to increase the payload. New sliding doors are said to offer illumination at night than before, too.
Inside, an eight-inch touchscreen is fitted as standard, as well as FordPass Connect, which offers a range of connectivity features. The clever Ford ‘MyKey’ will also be a big advantage for fleet users, as the technology allows fleet managers to limit a driver’s speed and radio volume, and permanently switch on the vast number of new safety assists available.
These new safety assists include blind spot monitoring for both the van, and also for a trailer if towing, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection and traffic sign recognition.
Parking should also be easier than before, thanks to the addition of optional cameras, park assist and also an intelligent tool that helps manoeuvre the van out of parallel parking spaces.
UK prices and specs are yet to be announced, with order books opening in the middle of 2019.
The new two-tonne Transit was unveiled alongside a new Transit Connect and a production version of the Transit plug-in hybrid.
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