Introduction
The 3.5-tonne dropside and tipper market has never been so large so the choice has traditionally been relatively limited, but suddenly there are new contenders coming at us from all directions. A few years ago the only fully equipped dropside in this category was the Nissan Cabstar, but since LDV successfully began to produce “bespoke” bodywork on the production line other manufacturers have had to pay attention.
Those (like Ford) who were content to sell chassis-cabs through bodybuilders are now realising that they can sell both the chassis and the body through a regular dealer, keeping the dealer happy and making the purchase that much easier for the customer.
This approach also benefits in terms of quality control and the sheer buying power of the manufacturer. Is it really a win-win situation?
Product Profile
Ford’s new-model Transit, launched last year amid great excitement and generally favourable reviews, had to become available in a chassis-cab variant before long: much of the Transit’s ubiquitous presence is built on its sales to the likes of BT, which has bought thousands of Transit-based mobile workshops over the years.
Both the Transit van and the chassis-cab are available in rear-wheel-drive form and with lighter-weight front-wheel-drive. The FWD Transit 300 is a short-wheelbase (3.14m) chassis-cab plated at 2.88 tonnes GVW, powered by the 2.0-litre diesel rated at 74 or 98hp. The RWD Transit 350 chassis-cab is plated at 3.5 tonnes, with medium (3.50m) and long (3.95m) wheelbases and twin rear wheels.
It will attract buyers who are convinced that it offers better traction – although modern FWD pickups such as the Vauxhall Movano and the Sevel (Peugeot/Citroën/Fiat) models seem to manage quite well.
The RWD Transit chassis-cab is available with a single or double cab. The six-seat double cab costs £1,250 more than the equivalent single cab, and effectively reduces loadspace length by 900mm. Importantly, the payload remains well over the 1,000kg threshold for recovering VAT.
The engine is basically the same in all RWD Transits: a 2.4-litre, 16-valve “Duratorq” turbo-diesel, rated at 74hp, 89hp or 118hp. Ford, of course, uses the slightly more favourable PS measurement for giving engine power, giving figures of 75PS, 90PS and 120PS. The 90PS model costs £250 more than the base model, while the 120PS version adds another £500.
But while Ford is bound to sell a lot of chassis-cabs, it can still increase its income by offering bodywork too. The company put a toe in the water a few years ago with the Flareside pickup, but with this model Ford hasn’t stinted, providing the dropside tested here (which costs £500 more than the equivalent chassis-cab); a three-way tipper body (costing £500 more than the dropside); a box van; and a curtain-sided body (both of which cost £1,000 more than the equivalent chassis-cab).
We looked at the tipper body on the previous generation of Transit chassis, and were impressed – these variants will undoubtedly make life tough on smaller aftermarket bodybuilders.
This class of vehicle has a lot going for it, starting with the size and payload capacity to carry loads which would defeat any of the 4x4-based pickups on sale, such as Ford’s own Ranger. Then there is the flexibility of a chassis which can be re-bodied, and the credibility a tradesman gets from such a serious vehicle.
The Transit comes pretty well equipped as standard, but the raft of extras fitted to this example have bumped the price up by £1,750 to more than £20,000 – pretty strong stuff for a dropside. The only options we’d regard as indispensable are anti-lock brakes and the excellent Quickclear windscreen.
Productivity
Dropsides and pickups rarely give impressive fuel results – ropey aerodynamics see to that – but the Transit did pretty well, returning 25.4mpg laden around our Kent test route, at a good average speed. The weather was lousy during the run, and the 30.9mpg unladen figure might be a better indication of what is possible.
The Transit’s payload is good, though it suffers a little due to the twin rear drive wheels and rear-wheel drive’ the front-wheel-drive Vauxhall Movano can beat it by around 100kg. We loaded around 1,400kg evenly across and along the loadbed and was surprised to find that with the driver on board the front axle was close to its plated limit, though the rear axle had almost half a tonne to spare. If you plan to load this Transit to the limit, bias the load to the rear.
The size of the loadbed is impressive, in fact it could be daunting to the inexperienced driver. It will swallow 8x4 boards with enough area to spare for a cement mixer, a couple of sawhorses and a big lurcher.
The dropside body lives up to the high standard of construction we’ve seen in the Ford’s recent factory supplied bodywork. The removable aluminium sides are supplied by Scattolini and feature one of the simplest latching mechanisms available – a nice alternative to the finger-hacking catches and springs that are all too common in this class.
The design also works without separate corner pillars, as seen on the Movano dropside we tested recently, which might get in the way (CM 18-24 Jan).l The phenolic-finished plywood loadbed seems tough and well supported – it stood up to our gritty test weights without a scratch – and is mated to a tidy steel-framed headboard.
The tailgate is fitted with a drop-down step made of pressed steel and though it handled around 130kg of driver and test load without complaint, the way if flexed did not inspire confidence.
We were surprised that the body lacked lashing points, until we realised that they were tucked away in the side raves.
A nice detail was the extra side light at each rear corner (the standard bumper bar is much narrower than the bodywork) and the front indicators, mounted on stalks rather than the standard van’s little blisters.
The Transit also has proper side guards which are a rarity in this class.
