Ford Motor Company Global Auto Shows

Ford, please, 2.0 L diesel engine, you will kill Sprinter. I am small contractor, this is exectly what I am looking for. You can do it - Ford C-Max in Europe with diesel, great gas saver. Why not here in US?

keep it simple,not alot of packages or expensive options.A quality high milage work van at an affordable price is exactly what I have been waiting for. Options I would like:pw,pdl,auto od,am fm cd, No fancy chrome ,paint jobs or interior packages.

Most of the comments posted here are non work related. Especially the negative ones. As a technician, I can tell you, my company has been looking for something like this lately. They were considering a small truck, I hope I can talk them into this one. It's perfect for what we need. Any of you who care to post a comment, remember, this appears to be geared for work. Frankly, I suspect it will be a hit.

Ford and GM needs to get rid of all the ugly american cars and trucks they build here in the usa and replace them with those nice looking european cars and trucks they build. I leased a 2008 Ford E150 van for 3 months and got rid of it. Looking to buy the Sprinter Van, its twice the cost, but at least its bigger and looks pretty.

The powertrain is the deal breaker for me, old average pieces, offering marginal efficiency at best in an otherwise very appealing package for the times. I realize Ford feels the 4cyl. gas 2.0 w/4 spd auto was the best choice from the North American parts bin, but there will be ZERO fun factor along with the marginal fuel mileage. I think most drivers would find the setup in this van to be about as boring as it gets. Don't get me wrong, I know this is a utility vehicle, not a sports car but the posts in this and other forums indicate quite a few are interested in it's recreational possibilities as well. A manual gearbox with a proper overdrive top gear could increase mileage while making the most of whatever engine power is available. At the same time, the highway driving experience would benefit from the reduction in noise and vibration due to the lower engine rpm. Yeah, I know manual transmissions don't normally sell well in the US, but this is not a "normal" vehicle and these are not "normal" times as far as how we are feeling about fuel costs. Many have asked for a diesel engine to be offered, but in view of the recent trend in the cost of diesel compared to gasoline, might a direct injection gas 4 cyl. with a low pressure turbocharger be a more suitable engine choice? In any case, I trust some range of options in the powertrain department would greatly increase the appeal of this van to a much wider range of buyers. GL

I've seen these in Europe and they'll work well in the US as well. Engine wise I hope that Ford will use the 2.4liter diesel Puma which is already in the US in the London Taxi. 266ftlbs of Torque would be plenty. But that will take reengineering.....

I love the concept of this vehicle. Unfortunately the specs don't quite meet my needs. I am looking for a small van type vehicle that I could fit my motorcycle in. I along with thousands of other people ride off road (motocross) motorcyles. If the inside load height was a foot taller and two feet longer I could fit a motorcycle or two in this vehicle and it would be A HUGE HIT to a lot of recreational vehicle riders. Are you considering any of these height and length specs in any future version of the Transit Connect?

You said this will be an import correct ? Will this product ever be built in the U.S.? I ask this because I work at the Ohio assembly plant and rumors are abound that we will be getting this vehicle for production. What say you?

I find the Transit Connect interesting. My wife and I kayak and I can load the kayaks on the roof of our van, but my wife can not. We would be interested in a Connect if the front seat was also removable so we could fit a 10 foot kayak along side the driver on the floor inside the cabin. A removable front seat with a 60/40 removable rear seat that would allow two people in back or switch able from side to side would allow city craftsman to store long ladders of other long objects inside the locked cabin. A hybrid would help as a taxi or city delivery. A plug-in hybrid with the battery packs designed to allow options in number of battery packs installed might be a very good commuter and allow owners to balance cost of purchase against cost of ownership. Economical diesels and diesel/hybrid would be good options.

I love the vehicle, but the only way I would buy it is if it had the diesel engine. If I'm supposed to buy a 2.0 liter engine, than I'm better off buying a used Honda Odyssey for about $5000 and get the same mileage, and it'll run for about 350,000 miles. The only way that this vehicle will be a major hit, is if it's a diesel!!! Come on Ford do what makes sense !! This is a way for you to get a major cut of the market!!!!! The ball is in your hands!!!!

I've been looking at vehicles like this available in europe a lot lately and just can't understand why we couldn't have it sold here in the states SOONER THAN IS PLANNED. The only thing I have against it is the size of the engine. For CITY driving it's fine and probably what it is perfect for, but turnpike driving fully loaded, I wonder if 2.0 is enough to handle it and not get blown off the road? I guess that's the trade off to get this vehicle in any way shape or form. Was also kind of expecting MORE MILES PER GALLON on something this small too. But I'd still be anxious to see one IN PERSON and would be interested to know it's price and release date. I WILL WAIT UP TO A YEAR and then I will have to buy something else..... I spent today looking at a Dodge Grand Caravan 2008, but just feel it's too big.....and too many windows. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. A U.S. RELEASE of this type of micro CARGO van! HURRY UP AND GET IT OUT ALREADY! THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE DYING FOR A VEHICLE LIKE THIS! You are going in the right direction! GET IT ON THE MARKET SOON!!!! :) Debra Massey

I am really interested in this vehicle. Sorry, but 24 mpg (probably 21 average like the Ranger is too low). The diesel in Europe is a hit. For me here in the US...No diesel...no sale! I am a dedicated previous Ford Ranger owner who uses Scion xB as small van.

I Love it!!!!!!!!! I would love it even more if it becomes the new postal vehicles. I just wish Ford would push it to the Postal Service. I am truely in love with the slide out trays in the back, would help in reducing back pains from lifting and shifting heay trays. Awesome product, I would even purchase the Transit sport van. Thanks for bringing it over here, it is something that might put you over the top, something that would make the others mimick you in your success.

With the price of diesel now don't waste your time bringing one into the marketplace, unless you get GREAT mileage. Does it come with seats or just cargo?What a good looking vehicle, great for courier work.This will give the Dodge Sprinter some competitionToo bad our ford dealer sucks!!!!!

Just saw this at the auto show

When will this Ford Transit van be available to buy in the usa, northeast region? Thankyou. A Hull

There's one on the road in Ohio being tested by NCR. I had a chance to check it out on Sunday. May be a good option for our field service techs. EMSAR is a Biomedical Equipment ISO. The one I saw was a 5 speed diesel. Too bad you won't be offering it.

I'm thinking of purchasing a Ford Transit Connect for recreational purposes. I'm planning on using the roof-mounted ladder rack to hold my kayaks and putting mountain two bikes inside. Will a two ladder version of the roof rack be offered???

Please consider delivery of a Diesel "Series" Hybrid and/or plain turbo-diesel engine, as bin 5 diesel engine standards are attainable and on the drawing boards of you competion.....shall we say Honda and VW just to name 2, however if you don't inovate your small car/truck line further I guess you stock price deserves to stay at record all time levels!!!....as this is nothing that you have not done overseas, with the Perkins based diesel engine before!

Hello,

Thank you to everyone for sharing your feedback on the Transit Connect and I’d like to answer a few of the questions that I can. The Transit Connect will go on sale through your local Ford dealer in the first quarter of 2009; however due to the import nature of this program, the actual units will not be in the U.S. to take delivery until the summer of 2009. It will also be available in Canada around the same time. At this time, we do not have plans to offer a diesel engine for this vehicle. Regarding the question about whether any businesses or media have had a chance to drive this vehicle yet, they have not at this time.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and questions with us.

Shelly Smith
Marketing Manager
Ford Motor Company