Our local Chick FIL A operator bought one of these for his store for delivery using his own funds. He loved it so much he drove it around most of the time instead of his F150
Great video. Literally the first video I've found on the Transit Connect where the reviewer actually popped the hood. Very nice that it has an underhood insulation pad.
I have a 2019 Transit Connect and I love it. It has plenty of zip for a 2-liter, 4 cylinder engine and handles like a small sports car. I got the passenger model which came with 6 seats in three rows. I removed the last row of two seats (they were easily unbolted) which then gives you a nice rear storage area. A 4-seat option was not available. I also got mine with a hatch back lift gate, love it. It's high enough for a 6ft plus person to stand under without hitting your head and gives you some weather protection. I wish I could have gotten a power lift for the rear hatch and a heated steering wheel, but those options were not available.
Great to hear some owner feedback on it! Good call on unbolting those rear seats as well, it's fun hearing what people do to make their rides more unique. There are a few decent aftermarket heated steering wheel covers but not as nice as a factory option! Curious.. have you run into any issues with yours?
@@CarsWithSteve My only issues were that at about 3k miles the engine started running rough on two different occasions. It would be ok after I parked the vehicle then restarted it. After the second occurrence I took it into the dealer. Of course, it wouldn't repeat the problem there, but they said they rebooted the computer system (or some such thing). It hasn't happened again, that was all most three years ago. Also, on occasion when I would put the vehicle in reverse I would see an error message on the dash info screen. The backup camera would still work but the "beep-beep too close alarm" would not. Again to the dealer and again some kind of computer manipulation solved the problem. No other problems since. And I forgot to mention in my earlier statement the great MPG this vehicle gets, 20-25 city, 25-30+ highway. This is slightly reduced if I have the roof racks on.
@@thomasclarke8220 Really odd issues there - and of course the problem couldn't be recreated. Story of a mechanics life. Better fuel economy than I was expecting as well! Good to know that it's been treating you well otherwise.
@@CarsWithSteve Conversion might be a bit more than what I do. But I did my own conversion of a Dodge Caravan cargo van which was about this same size van. So this is the closest thing to that really.
Hey Steve - this is the first video I''ve seen of yours. You have an amazing way of explaining things. It is a pleasure listening to you. Good work. You should be proud of yourself. Thank you!
Hey Manny, really appreciate this comment.. Glad that you found the channel and that you found some value in the video. You're welcome and thank you as well!
I am considering purchasing one for car camping/long distance driving but am concerned about repairs & part replacements since these will be discontinued after 2023. What are your thoughts on buying a soon to be discontinued vehicle? Thank you for your great reviews!
Buyers are typically covered for 5 - 10 years for part availability after a model is phased out so you shouldn't run into many issues in the short term side of ownership. With the model being discontinued, there would probably be a short term hit on resale value but if your plan is to drive it until it dies.. you could probably snag a good price from the dealer!
The 1st gen was assembled in Turkey. From Wikipedia: *_"Production now takes place at Valencia, Spain. As before, to avoid the 25% tariff on imported trucks, all cargo vans sold in the United States are built and shipped as passenger vans, which are then converted to cargo configuration before delivery."_* I think maybe the next gen will be built in Mexico, ending the "chicken tax" nonsense once and for all. 😊
Good catch - missed that when I was researching the 2022 models! A shift down to Mexico would make sense though - curious to see what comes with the 2023/2024 Connect
@@CarsWithSteve Yeah, as you suggested in the video, electrification of some form is probably in the works, as the next gen platform is probably going to be shared with Escape/Maverick.
great review thank you still not sure which to get XL or XLT personal i want power mirrors and a larger screen would be nice but cruise control 360 pilot all the other feature of the XLT i dont need is it possible to get nav built into the XL and even upgrade the screen in one ?
Thanks Mark! For the extra few thousand I'd go with the XLT. You'd need to have the larger Sync3 screen in order to get navigation.. but having said that it is possible to do a screen swap. It just may not have all the same functionality
Interesting the 2.5L model gets better mileage than the 2.0L . I would definitely go with the bigger engine. My 2.0L 2012 Connect is a gutless wonder. Only thing thing I’ve ever driven with less power was a 60’s Volkswagen Bus.
You're welcome! Haven't done an install myself but there are some automotive upfitters around me that do it frequently. I'll see what I can come up with for a future video
Do kind of mention the comfort a bit but I hadn't had the chance to do distance drives with it. Appreciate the feedback about the seat from a current owner!
@CarsWithSteve You are welcome. No one mentioned the discomfort of the seats. I purchased my vehicle new and reached out to the corporate office where I was referred to a website, which has been shut down, and many people were complaining about the seats. Upon further research, the driver's side seat has a metal plate. Wow.
There was a factory option that allowed for rear glass but you're pretty much out of luck to try to factory order one of these now because it's been discontinued
You're welcome! The Transit Connect was discontinued after the 2023 model in North America.. You might still find the odd one on a dealer lot or pick one up used somewhere between 20k and 35k depending on the build
not an EV so it'll still have engine/exhaust noise. If you don't have anything in it you'll find it echoes a bit in the cargo area but that goes away if you've installed aftermarket shelves or upfitted to a camper
The idea of the Transit being built in Mexico is a great idea. Ford has a huge plant in Hermosillo not far from the USA. Chevy trucks are built in Mexico City with 2 assembly lines. One for Mex, plastic parts. And one for the USA, metal parts. Watch what you buy if Ford follows the Chevy plan!
Thanks Steve, it doesn't look good for these micro vans in general. With Ford discontinuing their micro van next year and Nissan already stopping their micro vans is stopping me from buying one. I like cars with with large scale production in order to go to a salvage yard for BODY PARTS! I don't want to buy a car that's One and Done! Thanks for your information, Dan
@@danielwilliams2735 Agree with you on the micro vans in general.. Sales of the TC are down over 50% from 2015 and 20% yoy. Parts in 5 - 10 years may be a bit challenging to come across. Ah well... cheers!
@@natureloversadventures7335 would be interested in seeing the order guide that says that 🤔 The 2023 Transit Connect order guide has rear AC for the passenger van but not as an option for the cargo van
Depends on where you live. It would be worth going to Fords website and searching for dealer inventory near you. Dealers will also have unlisted incoming units so check with them to see what’s unsold that’s incoming
This is a great video. However I'm told by my local Ford Dealer that it will take 3 to 6 months to get one as there are none available in the southeastern United States. I'd have to special order one. There's not even a used one to look at.
Thanks Austin! It's at least 3-6 months.. assuming that your dealer can lock up allocation for it. The Transit Connect is apparently in its last build year (2023)
I understand order banks shut down quickly last year. Can't buy one right now if you wanted to. XLT is non-existent. 2024 maybe if not discontinued....
@@CarsWithSteve ah I see! Yeah here they mostly sell diesels and the 1.0 ecoboost. My 1.6 here is also kinda rare. Otherwise I really would like to have an 2.0 or 2.5.
@@CarsWithSteve Yes but my government recently is trying to get people into electric cars. Diesel vans are banned in cities. I got mine just recently. Maybe in the future I would like to have a hybrid or electric Connect/Custom.
@@wieser1992 EV is where most manufacturers are going. Ford introduced the eTransit for the 2022 full size so it's just a matter of time before this gets electrified as well
Hi STeve, I got a Ford Transit Connect XL for 2019 year. After only 37,000 miles, the transmission is slipping. Ford dealer in S Florida is delaying the DIAGNOSIS, which they can do the same day for a full week and now they say they need another week. Stop recommending this van, its a lemon car.
Hey Shawn, unfortunate that you're having issues with your Transit. It's odd that the dealer is giving you trouble as well.. Have you tried taking it to another dealer for servicing? For me to flat out stop recommending something there would have to be more than a handful of case issues. Apple, Tesla, RIM and pretty much every manufacturing company may have issues with a small percentage of their products.. It's the larger scale of how many of the same product are affected and is there a fix available
If you already have multiple vehicles for the company look at setting up a fleet code with Ford. In Canada you need at least 4 (so you're purchasing your 5th) vehicle in order to be eligible!
Depends on where you're from. Drop into your local Ford dealer to see if they have any incoming units or can set up a dealer trade for one that has features you're after. You can also go to the Ford.ca /.com websites and perform an inventory search to see what dealers have in stock!
I keep hearing great things about the Tourneo - will have to try to get out to Europe later this year and shoot some cars you guys have on that side of the world
@@CarsWithSteve Citroën Berlingo,Volkswagen Caddy and Transit Connect are the most popular smalls vans....90% of the time a diesel and mostly a manual.
@@Alloonney makes sense, I've heard diesel is pretty much standard in these in most of Europe. Unfortunate that the Transit Connect is getting discontinued after 2023
You have to look at the full size Transit instead! It comes with a low, medium or high roof. The low roof in the regular Transit is still much taller than this!
I have the higher topped 2012 Transit Connect. It has a 6 foot cargo bed. The post 2013 Connects are lower topped, but a foot longer in the bed. The newer ones have a bigger engine too, which is a definite improvement. My 2 liter engine 2012 is a gutless wonder.
@John Doe For just a bed the Connect makes sense - and you technically could do the smaller self composting toilet option. If I were doing a camper van it would be high roof extended, built in shower, solar.. glamping style
@@CarsWithSteve Be mindful I'm not blaming you for the price. But when one considers that this is basically got two cheap seats that are manually operated, a minimalist driving area, a low grade suspension, small engine and basically an empty shell in the back, there is no way these things are worth $35,000.00. What exactly are people paying for? I know it is in a different class/category, etc. but something like a loaded AWD Mazda CX-30 with a full interior, etc is the same price. There is basically nothing in this little van and it is $35k? It's absurd. But that is what they charge, I suppose. And the bigger ones are like 65K with nothing in them, too. It's absurd.
Figured you weren't blaming me.. I was just genuinely surprised as I always found the Connect to be fairly priced for the features and function. The CX-30 would definitely get you more features but there aren't many manufacturers that offer these micro cargo vans at this price point anymore
