Commercial vehicles are not seen as safe cars. But this is about to change, as Ford invests more into safety when it comes to his commercial vehicles. The first example is the Ford Transit Custom – Britain’s best-selling vehicle year-to-date – who has received a top-rated Gold award in an evaluation of its advanced driver assistance systems by independent vehicle safety authority Euro NCAP.
The new award makes Ford the only van manufacturer with Gold-rated vans in both the 1‑tonne and 2-tonne segments after the larger Ford Transit received Gold status last year. Ford is now also the only manufacturer with more than one Gold-rated van in its line-up, with the Transit receiving the highest score of any vehicle tested.
Transit Custom’s Gold rating results from an elevated safety specification, including standardisation of Seat Belt Reminder technology earlier this year.
Other enhancements coming to the Transit Custom from early 2022 include a new Digital Rear View Mirror, 2 which offers twice the field of view of a conventional rear-view mirror to help drivers of panel van, double-cab-in-van and shuttle bus models where rearward visibility is often obscured. Panel van customers can also now benefit from LED‑lit airline roof tracks for easier cargo restraint, and a practical double load floor option with underfloor drawers to fit short- and long-wheelbase vehicles. A stylish new Grey Matter paint finish joins the colour palette.
Ford is also introducing a new 150PS variant of its proven 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine for Transit Custom kombi, Tourneo Custom and Transit Nugget models. The new engine is available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox and can also be specified with Ford’s 48-volt mild hybrid system to reduce urban fuel consumption by up to 5.9 per cent.
Together, the Transit Custom van and Tourneo Custom people mover sister model are the best‑selling Ford vehicle in Europe this year, with 117,014 registrations in the first nine months of 2021.
