Road Tests: Ford Transit Connect T220 SWB LX

It's hard not to sound enthusiastic about the Connect. It really is that good. Everything about it says input and design, from the chassis and cabin to the engine and body shape. You can see that Ford has started with a blank piece of paper when designing the Connect, and for that it hsould be commended. Those focus clinics and feedback sessions with a cross-section of builders from Croydon have really paid off. We have no hesitation in recommending this van and can confidently say it will do the job it is designed for. Plus, it is very easy to drive, will run for years and servicing costs should be minimal. It may have taken a while for Ford to catch ont othe benefits of a purpose-built vehicle, but now that it's here it seems it was well worth the wait. There was a time, for instance around the early Escort van, when a manufacturer's thought process ran along the lines of: "How are we going to stretch this car and get the appropriate suspension attached?" Times have definitely changed, and designing a new car is as much an art as designing a new car. And at the moment, Ford is a master of that art.