Rolling out on Continental tires, Ford's Transit Connect set to connect with business owners
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Continental’s ContiProContact all-season tires will be gracing the 2010 Ford Transit Connect as Ford introduces to the American market what the automaker describes as “a spacious new fuel-efficient alternative to larger commercial vehicles that’s ideal for navigating U.S. cities.”
“Transit Connect will be a useful small-business tool,” says Rob Stevens, Ford’s chief engineer on the project. “It drives like a car, works like a van and is engineered to be as tough as a truck.”
Drawing comparisons to the HHR and PT Cruiser along with various pickup trucks, Ford’s entry into the purpose-built, smaller-commercial delivery category obtains 22 miles per gallon in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway.
Kayton Pavilonis, a businessman from Tallmadge, Ohio, was particularly intrigued with the vehicle’s mileage, hauling efficiency and the body’s stated ability to resist the dents and dings inherent to delivery duties.
Its organized cargo-carrying qualities could make it especially handy for those in the automotive parts and repair industry, plus it can be readily configured for taxiing the owner’s pets and family in somewhat sporty style.
Produced in Kocaeli, Turkey, more than 600,000 Transit Connects have been sold since 2003 to customers in 58 countries on four continents. In order to “fulfill the unmet needs of small-business owners and entrepreneurs” in the U.S., Ford adapted the vehicle to the American market by “validating its durability” and tailoring the cargo space “for the unique, yet diverse, needs of small-business proprietors,” according to Stevens.
“No other vehicle on the road in the U.S. today delivers the combination of fuel economy and useful space,” he says, adding that it was “developed to bring small-business owners a new vehicle choice, offering significantly improved fuel economy, generous and accessible cargo space with the agility and maneuverability to deliver the goods in tight quarters.”
The size P205/65 R15 95T ContiProContact all-season tires, manufactured in France and affixed to 15-inch steel wheels produced by Turkey’s İstanbul-based Tekersan Automotive, provide “pulling power for the long haul,” notes Keith R. Carduner, product development manager for Ford’s North American commercial vehicles division.
The wheel covers are from Mecaplast, which is headquartered in Monaco.
The ContiProContacts were designed to fit a wide range of luxury performance sedans, coming as original equipment on a variety of high-end marques, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar, according to Continental’s Dana Zamalloa.
Among the tire’s attributes are “unparalleled wet-braking capacity and year-round traction.”
PROactive Edge Technology utilizes a curved sipe design to guarantee a good grip while reducing tire noise. Controlled Sipe Interaction – a series of sipes with a uniquely defined radius – create an interlocking effect for greater stability and improved dry handling.
Under the tread, twin steel belts are reinforced by spiral-wrapped nylon cord for added stabilization and diminished tread block deformation to promote better steering precision and even tirewear. The company’s PROgressive Groove Ramp Technology delivers concise cornering characteristics and efficient water evacuation, Zamalloa reports.
The Transit Connect was developed at the outset to be durable, according to Stevens, with a boron steel front crossmember, a high-strength steel reinforced body shell, twin- side cross members and side-impact protection. Several areas of the body structure are double-skinned for additional strength, increasing resistance to the minor scrapes inherent to urban delivery situations.
Carrying 135 cubic feet of cargo volume, Stevens says no other vehicle in the American market can deliver this combination of capacity and fuel economy. Split rear cargo doors open at a standard 180 degrees, or an optionally available 255 degrees. When open, these doors provide access to 52.1 inches of load height.
When being unloaded, its lift-over height is less than two feet.
Once inside, the cargo area opens up to 59.1 inches of floor to ceiling load height; load width is 47.8 inches between the wheel arches. Load length is 72.6 inches – or more than six feet of cargo floor space. Dual sliding rear side doors provide wide access.
Stevens says the vehicle has more than double the cargo-carrying space of the Chevrolet HHR Panel, making it suitable for a broader range of commercial applications. It provides a cargo payload of 1,600 pounds. “This capacity means that the Transit Connect can carry a larger payload than the full size Dodge Ram 1500 standard-cab short-box pickup truck.”
Bulkheads, racks, bins and other upfits can be mixed, matched and configured to suit specific applications and needs, he adds. It is available as a cargo van with no windows in the sliding side doors combined with rear cargo door privacy glass; a panel van version is offered with no side or rear cargo area windows.
The vehicle also can be configured with side and rear door privacy glass for maximum driver visibility. A wagon version has a folding second-row bench seat, in either two- or three-passenger configurations. “The wagon is ideally suited to the specialized needs of a small-business owner that uses Transit Connect for carrying cargo for business and passengers or family during off-hours,” says Stevens.
A Ford Work Solutions system allows customers to operate a business from a jobsite or inside the vehicle while on the move. An in-dash computer provides Internet access, productivity software and optional printing capabilities.
Applications include downloading customer or product information, remotely accessing an office work station computer, sending and receiving text messages, navigating job or delivery locations with the Garmin navigation function and connecting with customers via hands-free phone functionality.
With a bright touch screen, the in-dash computer runs the Windows CE 6.0 operating system. Word processing, spreadsheet, calculator and calendar applications are included. Coupled with applicable subscriptions, the system can provide Garmin Online services such as traffic tie-up reports, weather forecasts and fuel prices.
The in-dash computer enables the availability of Tool Link by DeWalt. Using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that adhere to the tools or objects being carried, Tool Link allows the cargo to be scanned for the appropriate tools and inventory items prior to leaving for the jobsite or while en route. “Tool Link helps to keep all RFID-tagged objects on board, so at the end of the day, these items are secure and available for work on the next job,” Stevens says.
A Crew Chief system provides a fleet manager with constant access to vehicle location information, the ability to track vehicle performance, automatic notification of vehicle maintenance needs and the ability to let drivers drive without having to fill out written logs.
It monitors speed, idle time, fuel usage and more than 30 diagnostic measures. Functions and reporting can be tailored to meet the specific needs of fleets large or small. It also has “geo-fencing” capability, allowing a fleet manager to set geographic or time-of-use boundaries.
The Transit Connect is adaptable to multiple drivers, featuring a six-way manually adjustable reclining driver’s seat with an armrest plus a four-way adjustable reclining passenger’s seat. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes to fit drivers of diverse sizes.
Power-assisted rack and pinion steering allows a 39-foot curb-to-curb turning circle to assure maneuverability “when delivering the goods for entrepreneurs in tight quarters. Its size and nimble driving dynamics provide agility for urban routes,” Stevens points out.
The vehicle is constructed on a dedicated front-wheel drive commercial vehicle platform. To prepare it for the unique needs of small businesses in the U.S., the powertrain was upgraded to include a Duratec 2.0-liter dual-overhead cam (DOHC) four-cylinder engine with four valves per cylinder and an aluminum block and head. Sequential multiport electronic fuel injection provides precise fuel metering while delivering an estimated 136 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 128 foot-pounds of torque at 4,750 rpm.
The engine is mated to a four-speed automatic transaxle with overdrive providing a final-drive ratio of 4.20 to 1.
Several design details, including the grille and interior touches, have been updated to lend the vehicle a new look for its American debut at the Chicago Auto Show. “This workhorse is like nothing available today in the American market,” says Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of global product development. “We’re offering small-business owners a real choice to meet their needs – instead of asking them to pull seats out of minivans or compromise on one or more of their needs.”
Pricing starts $21,475; it is to hit dealer showrooms this summer.
