Car review: Ford Transit SportVan

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 81%

The Ford Transit has been marketed as the solution for any van driver's needs. There are literally hundreds of versions, with a choice of three wheelbases, and three roof heights. And that's not considering a seven-strong range of engines and special conversions available.

Billed as the van for the image-conscious 'owner-driver', the Ford Transit SportVan takes all that's good about the legendary cargo-mover and adds a healthy dose of head-turning ability.

Click here for more pictures of the Ford Transit SportVan

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor | Rivals

1. Looks

The Ford Transit is among the most handsome vans currently on the market; so the SportVan builds on this with a host of minor – but bold – modifications. The most striking addition is a pair of thick white stripes on the bonnet, but on closer inspection there's a pair of exclusive bumpers; the front of which features a pair of foglamps and a large, racy cut-out in the middle. There's a chrome, non-functioning exhaust trim (the gasses exit from the bottom, rather than from the tips) and a set of Ford Focus ST-like 18-inch alloy wheels. Other highlights include extended wheelarches and side skirts. It's only available in Performance Blue, which is Ford's trademark colour for many of its sport-orientated cars.

10/10

2. Looks inside

The Ford Transit's interior wouldn't look out of place in a mid-nineties car, such is the quality of the materials used and the fit and finish. The main instrument cluster will be familiar to anyone driving a recently-built Ford, and the rev counter has useful markings to indicate maximum pulling power. Like many new vans, the Transit has a dashboard-mounted gearstick, which frees up space by the driver's leg. The Transit SportVan adds a leather driver's seat and two-seat passenger bench, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearknob and a trip computer.

8/10

3. Practicality

There's little the Ford Transit can't haul. The Ford Transit SportVan is only available in short wheelbase/low roof guise, but can still carry more than 900kg of cargo in its 5.62 cubic meter rear load space. The cabin has been designed with tradesmen in mind, with no fewer than 12 storage spaces, including compartments in front of the driver and outermost passenger, a good sized glovebox and a vertically-opening cubbyhole next to the gearstick.

With its short front overhang, the Transit is surprisingly manoeuvrable, but it does have some large blindspots, despite the huge mirrors with convex units underneath.

10/10

4. Ride and Handling

The Ford Transit SportVan handles very well, considering it’s a big commercial vehicle, with suspension tuned to cope with carrying almost a tonne of cargo, rather than delivering good driving dynamics. The steering is light and there's less bodyroll than expected. The ride is less impressive, but by no means uncomfortable. Medium to long journeys could be made without the need for frequent stops.

7/10

5. Performance

Performance features on few van driver's wish lists, but the gutsy 2.2-litre diesel engine offers more than enough poke to keep up with other traffic. It develops 128bhp, but its 228lb/ft of pulling power is the real headline figure. It makes overtaking a relatively simple affair, as long as the rev counter's needle is kept on the marked power band. Ford doesn't publish performance figures for its commercial vehicles, but we'd expect a 14-15 second 0-62mph time with a 100mph+ top speed.

7/10

6. Running Costs

The Ford Transit SportVan costs around £2,000 more than the equivalent version of a standard Transit, but gets around £3,000 worth of extras. And the fact that only 500 SportVans are being built should help used values. Ford hasn't revealed fuel consumption, but we consistently covered more than 30mpg during our roadtest.

7/10

7. Reliability

The Ford Transit feels solid and appears to be constructed from tough materials – the number of them on the road would support this. However, we suffered a minor breakdown after a pipe detached itself from the turbo, and a minor frustration when the air-con on/off switch failed to deactivate.

7/10

8. Safety

The Ford Transit SportVan comes with driver and outermost passenger airbags as standard, although the passenger 'bag is optional on most others. Commercial vehicles aren't crash tested by EuroNCAP.

7/10

9. Equipment

Around £3,000 worth of extra equipment for £2,000 seems like good value. The SportVan counts air-con, a radio/six-disc CD player, electric windows, electric mirrors, cruise control, a load area protection kit (including full-length rubber matting and wood protection on the sides), remote central locking with deadlocks and all the sporty exterior trim and wheels as standard.

8/10

10. X-Factor

It’s a giant among vans. Some commercial vehicles might boast a few sporty bits, but none executes it with as much exuberance in a well-constructed package.

10/10

Click here for more pictures of the Ford Transit SportVan

Rivals

You might also want to consider:

Ford Fiesta SportVan