Ford Transit Connect van review

The Transit Connect has a four-speaker audio system as standard, with no option for a premium setup. 

The plug-in hybrid version of the Transit Connect might make some sense if you’re looking to go fully electric in the long term but fancy a halfway house in the meantime. Its running costs are potentially very low if you’re able to keep it charged cheaply at home and/or at a workplace, although that’s offset by a much higher purchase price.

You can’t really go wrong with the entry-level diesel manual, but for significant urban usage, it could make sense to pay the premium for the slightly more powerful automatic. In terms of trim levels, the entry-level Trend is reasonably well equipped, but upgrading to Limited does bring with it a useful increase in features, so it’s worth stretching to. 

The equivalent trim on FlexCab models is Active, although you’re not given as much choice on those versions of the van – at the time of writing, the diesel manual FlexCab was only offered in Trend, with the diesel automatic only available in Active. The PHEV can be had with either.

Speaking of the FlexCab, whether or not it’s the one to go for very much depends on the use case, but its versatility compared to a traditional crew van means it’s worth considering for a far broader range of customers. It’ll be particularly handy if your van takes on family duties at the weekends.

Ford Transit Connect alternatives

The most obvious alternative is, of course, the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo. There’s little to separate the two, as you’ve probably gathered by now, so your choice could just come down to whatever offers are on at the time and whether you have an existing relationship with a dealership of either brand. There are more of the Ford Pro dedicated van dealer outlets than there are Volkswagen Van Centres, though, which might help swing it in favour of the Ford.

The Citroen Berlingo, Vauxhall Combo, Fiat Doblo and Peugeot Partner from Stellantis are all much the same, and although based on an older design, these vans have much better cargo capacities, and each is available with an electric powertrain. The same goes for the Mercedes Citan and Renault Kangoo. 

Should you want to stick with the Blue Oval but have something which is more authentically Ford, there’s the smaller Ford Transit Courier to consider, which isn’t too far off the carrying capacity of the L1 Connect. 

Ford Transit Connect pictures

Van dimensions

Load area dimensions