The Ford Commercial Vehicle development team, based at the company's Dunton Technical Centre in the UK, is celebrating the Ford Transit's status as International Van of the Year 2007, by creating an unusual one-off special – the Transit XXL.

Transit XXL literally stretches the Transit Tourneo passenger vehicle to new lengths, and could well be the longest Ford Transit in the world!

The inspiration for this week's (first) blog is a rather unfortunate incident involving the Commercial Motor long-term Ford Transit, South London and a tin of spray paint. If you haven't guessed what this particular incident is yet then maybe the word 'youth' might help to clear up any confusion.

After happily parking up for the evening last Saturday (admittedly not in my usual space) I left my trusty stead in peace overnight, only to return in the morning to find that some little swine (though on further inspection this turned out to be swines) had spray painted the drivers side of the Transit in what is known in certain circles as 'street tags' - and pretty poor ones at that!

People with alternative names such as 'Tempa', 'Rover' and Kams' had designated this year's European Van of the Year a perfect spot to practice for their GCSE English or maybe it was frustration at not having earned an ASBO yet.

However it's at times like this that you turn to one group of people who can make sense of this gentle slide into Armageddon: the police. Or so I thought.

"You need vehicle documentation to report the crime sir," the policewoman said at the counter. "Erm, it's not actually my vehicle, can I just get a crime number for the insurance?" "Sorry sir, we need some documentation."

So off I went. Upon returning with newfound knowledge that Ford holds all insurance paperwork and copies of vehicle registration of its press vehicles at Brentwood police station in Essex, the same lady was still unable to help. So off I went again.

Come today a five minute phone call to same police station achieved what seemed the unachievable on two previous visits - a crime number. And without any ruddy paperwork or faffing around either. God help me if anything serious ever happens.

You may be forgiven for thinking that designing a van is one of the less complicated automotive challenges. Engine in front - check, big space in the rear - check, new cup holder - check.

But consider that a parcel delivery van can have up to 109 engine starts a day compared with 19 on a high use passenger car - meaning that a Transit covering 240K kilometres will have 222,200 starts in its lifetime.

Furthermore, gearbox usage is double that of cars, with more emphasis on the lower gears - up to 4.9m shifts on a 240,000 mile van.

These unique demands (read abuses) are just some of the issues that has to be tackled at the design and engineering stage of a new LCV, as a chat with Ford's commercial vehicle engineering manager John Reed revealed. And here's one we're all familiar with.

"As you can imagine, a delivery driver in a Transit will have lot of instances where they'll park the vehicle up the curb. You tend not to get that in a car, most people will shy away from a curb, whereas I can assure you CV drivers do not."

To cope with this demand the testing process will include a number of 'curbing events' on various rigs and vehicle tests.

To give an indication, the Transit test has 3,200 angled strikes of the curb and 900 passes of a straight curb compared with a total of 24 passes in a passenger car.

So just remember as you mount the curb for the 3,000th time... There are only 200 more opportunities left.

Launched in 2001, the Connect quickly established itself as one of the best small vans on the market, thanks to its robust build and driver friendly design.

However, time has seen rivals introduce newer products, with Citroen's Berlingo and Volkswagen's Caddy the main antagonists.

To keep things fresh Ford has given it a facelift, which inlcudes new grill, lights and bumpers - though it's not wholly successful, making the front appear a little glum.

The rear gets new lights, and there's also redesigned side mouldings.

Inside there's a new dashboard (lifted from the company's S Max passenger car), seats and colour scheme; and it works well, giving the Connect a modern, progressive look.

Also now fitted as standard are ESP, traction control and hill launch assist.

On the road the Ford feels, well, pretty much like the old version, and that's a good thing.

It retains that bullet-proof quality, making it easy to drive and live with. Steering and suspension provide excellent communication, while handling is failsafe whether laden or unladen.

And this inner strength also gives an insight into the ownership costs for the Connect. Build quality is among the best in class making this a van that'll stand the test of time, retaining its value when the time comes to selling.

THE VERDICT

The latest version of Ford's Connect continues to garner our respect thanks to its all-round class. It might be putting on the years; however the update does enough to maintain its position as arguably the best small van on the market.

Engine: 1.8-litre Duratorq TDCi

Power: 74, 89, 109hp

Torque: 175, 220, 250Nm

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Payload: 607-902kg

Price: TBA

Taking a practical approach to fuel economy is Ford's Transit ECOnetic, which combines a number of features to shave off mpg.

They include improved rolling resistance tyres, a shift indicator light to inform the driver of optimal gear changing, modified engine calibration and low friction oil, a standard 70mph speed limiter and low-drag wheel covers.

There's also shorter gearing in first gear for improved pull away performance and a longer top gear which is claimed to improve highway fuel economy by 10%.

Currently only available in 280SWB 2.2-litre 115 TDCi guise, Ford claims the ECOnetic can achieve 39.2mpg on a combined cycle, while average CO2 output is 189 g/km.

Due to its specific design the ECOnetic isn't expected to sell in great numbers, however don't be surprised to see this approach replicated by the likes of Mercedes and Volkswagen, who've already exhibited similar modifications on show vans.

And unsurprisingly it drives just like any other Transit, which means it steers, handles and goes without any discernable negatives.

The engine is well mated to the new six-speeder and gives a nice spread of torque from low-down, avoiding the need to use the revs.

Inside, the cabin retains its high degree of practicality, though the overall dimensions are a little tight for taller drivers.

THE VERDICT

If the ECOnetic's modifications seem a little underwhelming in terms of technology, they also make practical sense at this point in time.

By focusing on the vehicle's existing areas of energy expunging and combining the results you get a van that requires little extra investment and no alteration in ownership/servicing.

Combine this with an informed driving style and you should significant gains in fuel economy.

Engine: 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi

Power: 114hp

Torque: 300Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual

Payload: 1,097kg

Price: TBA

Ford Fiesta Van. We've had the ice age, stone age, rock ages and now the digital age and CM is embracing this brave new world by taking our industry-benchmarking roadtests online and on camera.
"This will be easy" I though to myself but as you can see in the next video. However, things aren't as easy as they seem. Placement, posture and confidence are all vital ingredients but a good memory is your greatest ally, only this time my memory failed me with disastrous (for me) and hilarious (for you) consequences.

At the end of the very long day you'll be pleased to know that we actually managed to fashion a proper workable video out of all that. Keep checking back to roadtransport.com to see the proper Ford Fiesta Van video.

Double-cab commercials are still considered niche vehicles, not only because they have reduced payload but because the market for shuttling a small workforce to work sites is frankly not big either.

Despite this, Ford has accounted for every eventuality and has stuck with the double-cab version for operators with that exact business requirement. Enter the Transit double-cab, or as Ford calls it, double cab-in-van.

Roadtransport.com has been given the keys to the test track and the Ford Transit 280 2.2-litre 140. Want to know what it's like? Watch the video below on RTTV... now also available in HD.

The timing for Ford's launch of the latest version of its Ranger pick-up is a strange one especially when one considers the market for these types of vehicles is down nearly 50% for 2009.

Despite the numbers, Ford has taken the view that attack is the best form of defence and it is hoping the updated Ranger will bring about a return to the happy times.

Four trim levels are on offer starting with the base XL, followed by the XLT, Thunder and finally the range-topping Wildtrak. Softer styling, engine refinement and commanding driving position ticks all the right boxes and the Ranger is one of the few commercial vehicles that manages to be comfortable, luxurious and practical all at the same time.

We're not sure about the Wildtrak's on-road performance, which is mainly down to the larger 18-inch wheels and tyres that fail to soak-up bumps in the road.

Off-road the Ranger is as you'd expect it to be, but with the anti-stall device installed (principally designed to stop the dual-mass flywheel from overheating) it makes off-road driving a little too simple and unengaging.

If you're in the market for a tough, reliable and comfortable pick-up then the revised Ranger is definitely worth a look. The revisions help to increase appeal as does the high level of specification on each respective variant. Read the rest of the first drive in Commercial Motor 27 August.