The arrival of the all-new Ford Transit Custom into the New Zealand market also heralded the arrival of the all-new Tourneo nine-seat minibus, which for the moment is offered solely with a two-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel powertrain and eight-speed automatic transmission.
There are plug-in hybrid and battery-electric versions available in Europe, and those may be considered for the Australian and New Zealand markets. Still, the distributor remains non-committal at this time.
Recognising New Zealand’s small and fragmented market for van-based people movers, Ford New Zealand is solely marketing a long-wheelbase low-roof version of the Tourneo in Trend specification.
The Tourneo Trend retails from $73,490, and its closest rivals are the 10-seat Toyota Hiace ZX Minibus, retailing from $62,990 or the eight-seat Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer, retailing from $88,000.
The Tourneo Trend offers comfortable cloth upholstery and easily cleaned surfaces throughout the vehicle. It’s a practical workhorse rather than a luxury people mover.
Up front, the Tourneo shares the same dashboard as the Transit Custom with the same 13-inch touchscreen powered by Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system. The driver’s seat is easily adjustable and offers a heating function, but the person who sits in the middle seat of the front row will find there’s not a lot of leg room on offer.
However, the second and third rows offer plenty of legroom and flexibility. The seats come on sliding rails, and all are removable. Four of the six are individual seats, so the cabin can be configured to suit. The second row can be turned around so passengers can face the rear rather than the front. Or the four individual chairs can be removed completely, leaving a two-bench seat and huge luggage space.
The automatic Tourneo comes with a column-mounted drive selector to the right of the steering wheel, which means the wipers and indicators are operated by a single stalk on the left-hand side, and this can take a little bit of time to become familiar with.
Amenities include a wireless phone charging tray, cupholders on each dashboard side, tri-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, USB-A and USB-C ports, and a 12-volt socket.
The door pockets are enormous – with plenty of space for bottles – and a cupholder under the infotainment screen, a rubberised slot for the key fob or coins, and dual gloveboxes.
Despite its light commercial vehicle dimensions being more than five metres long and two metres wide, the Tourneo Trend is surprisingly refined, easy to drive, and very quiet. One passenger in the third row asked if a hybrid powertrain powered it, such as the lack of engine noise in the rear passenger compartment.
The large windscreen, side mirrors, and onboard cameras offer the driver a great view of the world when manoeuvring and parking, as does the commanding seating position.
On the motorway, the long-wheelbase Tourneo feels solidly planted to the road, and there is very little wind and road noise at open road speed, proven by a number of the occupants in the second and third rows dropping off to sleep in the climate-controlled comfort of the rear cabin.
The eight-speed automatic efficiently harnesses the two-litre turbodiesel’s modest output of 100 kilowatts of power and 360 Newton-metres of torque through the front wheels. With a whole load of people and luggage on board, the performance can be described as adequately brisk.
Once you’ve acclimated to the size of the Tourneo, it’s a friendly vehicle to drive with good handling and responsive steering, and it offers a supple and comfortable ride quality over most New Zealand road surfaces.
Overall, it’s an excellent package, and we believe the pricing and the specification of the Tourneo Trend will make it attractive to tourism operators, shuttle operators, fleets and daily rental companies.
Spec Box:
Ford Tourneo Trend
Price: $73,490
Engine: 2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Driving wheels: Front
Power: 100kW @ 3250 rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1500 rpm
Fuel economy: 8.4l/100km
CO2 Emissions: 219gm/km
Length: 5450mm
Width: 2275mm
Height: 1968mm
Fuel tank: 55L
Wheel size: 16-inch alloy
Towing capacity: 2500kg
*This review appeared in the September edition of TransportTalk.
