Ford Transit Connect

Ford Transit Connect at a glance

The Transit Connect has always had a transverse front engine, front-wheel drive as standard and sliding side doors. It competes with the Volkswagen Caddy, Renault Kangoo and the Stellantis vans sold as Citroën Berlingo, Peugeot Partner and Opel Combo. Short and long wheelbases have been offered in every generation, and the Tourneo Connect and Grand Tourneo Connect carry five or seven people.

Figures from the ADAC catalogue; the Grand wheelbase from Wikipedia.

Generations

First generation (2002-2013)

The first Transit Connect was a purpose-built small van that borrowed parts from the first Ford Focus. Production started in 2002 at Ford Otosan in Gölcük, Kocaeli, Turkey, with European sales from 2003; from September 2009 Ford Romania in Craiova also built it. There were two wheelbases, 2,664 mm and 2,912 mm, with lengths of about 4,275 mm and 4,525 mm, and load volumes of 2.8 m3 with the low roof and 3.7 m3 with the high roof.

European buyers chose between a 1.8-litre petrol engine with 85 kW (115 PS) and a 1.8-litre diesel, first as the TDDi with 55 kW (75 PS) and the TDCi with 66 kW (90 PS). After the 2006 facelift the German range was diesel only: the 1.8 TDCi with 55 kW (75 PS), 66 kW (90 PS) or 81 kW (110 PS).

In 2009 the van went to North America with a 2.0-litre Duratec petrol engine of 101 kW (136 hp) and a four-speed automatic, and it was named North American Truck of the Year 2010. From December 2010 Azure Dynamics built a Transit Connect Electric with a range of about 90 km; it cost US$57,400 (2010, approx. EUR 43,000).

Second generation (2012-2022)

Ford revealed the second Transit Connect in Amsterdam on 6 September 2012 and built it at its Valencia Body and Assembly plant in Almussafes, Spain, with European sales from October 2012. This generation introduced the long-wheelbase Grand Tourneo Connect, and an optional rear liftgate joined the twin rear doors. German vans started with the 1.6 TDCi in 70 kW (95 PS) and 85 kW (116 PS) forms; from 2015 a 1.5 TDCi with 74 kW (100 PS) or 88 kW (120 PS) took over.

The 2018 facelift brought the 1.0 EcoBoost three-cylinder petrol engine with 74 kW (100 PS) and the 1.5 EcoBlue diesel with 55 kW (75 PS), 74 kW (100 PS) or 88 kW (120 PS). ADAC list prices for the facelifted van ranged from EUR 19,968 to EUR 40,008. The short-wheelbase van ended in 2020 and the rest of the range in 2022.

In North America the second generation used 2.5-litre and 1.6 EcoBoost petrol engines, later a 2.0-litre with an eight-speed automatic. Ford imported the vans as passenger vehicles with rear seats and windows, then removed them, to avoid the 25% US tariff on light trucks; in 2019 a US court ruled the vans were cargo vehicles. Ford stopped US sales after the 2023 model year, with 495,932 sold there from 2009 to 2023.

Third generation (since 2021)

The third generation is a rebadged Volkswagen Caddy, part of the Ford and Volkswagen commercial vehicle alliance, assembled by Volkswagen in Poland. The Tourneo Connect passenger version came first in October 2021; the Transit Connect van followed in 2024. It has a 2,755 mm wheelbase, or 2,975 mm for the Grand (Maxi) version, which is 4,859 mm long. ADAC also lists Flexcab versions of both lengths.

Engines and performance

The 75 kW diesel reaches 100 km/h in 13.5 seconds and 175 km/h. The plug-in hybrid combines an 85 kW (116 PS) petrol engine with an electric motor in the gearbox housing and a 19.7 kWh net battery. There is no fully electric Transit Connect in this generation.

Load space and practicality

The standard van has 3,100 litres of cargo space according to ADAC, and the plug-in hybrid keeps most of the diesel's payload with 706 kg against 743 kg. Both can tow 1,500 kg braked. The older generations offered load volumes from 2.8 to 3.7 m3, so the current model sits in the middle of that range in space, while adding all-wheel drive and a plug-in hybrid to the German line-up.

Fuel economy and running costs

ADAC lists the 75 kW 2.0 EcoBlue at 5.4 l/100 km (WLTP) and 143 g/km. The plug-in hybrid is rated at 0.5 l/100 km and 18.8 kWh/100 km in the weighted WLTP cycle, 6.3 l/100 km with an empty battery, and 118 km of electric range. For business users the real cost depends on how often the battery is charged; our cost of ownership calculator helps compare both. Ford Germany gives a two-year vehicle warranty and 12 years against rust perforation (ADAC).

Trims and prices

In Germany the van comes in Trend and Limited trims, the Flexcab in Trend and Active. ADAC list prices (2026, without a note on whether VAT is included):

Safety

Euro NCAP gave the second-generation Tourneo Connect five stars in November 2013, with 94% for adult and 85% for child occupant protection; it was the first compact people mover to reach the maximum rating. The third-generation Tourneo Connect also has five stars from the 2021 test cycle, published in March 2022, with 84% for adult and 82% for child occupants. Euro NCAP based that result on the Volkswagen Caddy and ran extra tests where needed. See more crash results in our safety section.

Reliability and known issues

In the US, the 1.6 EcoBoost petrol engine of 2013-2015 was the subject of a recall that Wikipedia mentions in its Transit Connect article, together with a large financial charge for Ford. We found no European reliability data in the sources used here, so we do not list other faults.

Rivals

The Caddy is the Transit Connect's twin, so the choice comes down to price, dealer network and design details. The Opel Combo and its Citroën and Peugeot siblings offer an electric version, which the Ford does not. Use our comparison tool for exact figures.