Until now, for a better understanding, it was sometimes said: the Ford Tourneo/Transit Connect is the equivalent of the VW Caddy. Now there’s a whole new generation and you have to say: now it’s VW Caddy.

New tourneo connect (More Commercial Vehicle Transit Connect follows) is the first result of a collaboration between Ford and VW. Other models will follow: Ford ranger/vw Amarok, the Ford Transit Custom / VW T6.1 successor or a MEB-Electroford.

But before the purists start screaming horror: “Caddy” saves Ford quite a bit of development cost. In addition, cooperation in the commercial vehicle sector is not uncommon. Once Upon a VW Crafter/Mercedes Runnerstoday renault kangoo/Mercedes Citation/Nissan Townstar or multiple branches of fiat duchy.

But back to the next generation of the Ford Tourneo Connect. The completely newly developed multifunctional vehicle with up to seven seats and two body lengths will be launched in May 2022. Sale prices will be announced in good time.

A turbo gasoline engine and a turbo diesel engine are available in two output levels for the new model. The four-cylinder engines produce 84 kW (114 PS) (1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine) or 75 kW (102 PS) and 90 kW (122 PS) (2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel).

A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic is also available for the gasoline engine and the more powerful of the two diesel engines, as an option for the standard 6-speed manual transmission. The 122 hp diesel is also available with all-wheel drive (in combination with a 6-speed manual transmission).

Customers who wish to ride rough roads with an all-wheel Touring can install an underride guard for engine pre-functions in their vehicle. On the following picture you can directly compare Ford and VW.

The new Ford Tourneo Connect comes in two wheelbases or body lengths: the “Tourneo” with the short wheelbase L1 and the “Grand Tourneo” with the long wheelbase L2. Both variants offer a high level of convenience and functionality, along with space for up to seven people. If the second and third row seats are not in use, they can be folded forward or removed altogether.

The L2 variant has a load volume of up to 3.1 cubic metres, while the luggage compartment length ranges from 629 to 1,452 to 2,265 millimeters, depending on the seating. The smaller L1 version still has a cargo volume of 2.6 cubic meters. This goes hand in hand with loading lengths of 317, 1,100 and 1,913 millimeters.

The backrest of the front passenger seat can also be folded down flat. This extends the usable interior length to three meters – enough to easily and safely carry a kayak, heavy furniture boxes or ladders. Large, standard sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle provide accessibility even in tight parking spaces.

Ford Tourneo Connect Titanium L2 (2022)

Tourneo Connect customers can choose from four equipment lines: Trend, Sport, Titanium and Active. The characteristic design aspect is characteristic of each of the four instrument versions. Specially designed wheels and individual details continue to differentiate the optional equipment lines and are intended to appeal to different customer groups.

This specifically applies to the Tourneo Connect “active”. Here, the 17-inch alloy wheels shine in a two-tone, metallic-dark finish, and the radiator grille features the Ford Active family’s distinctive honeycomb insert. The plastic underrun protection has been given a silver paint finish, and there are additional dark body accents for the wheel arches, bumpers and side skirts.

The “Sport” equipment version featured a striped decoration on the bonnet, bottom front bumper and tailgate. There are also side trim strips and dark 17-inch alloy wheels. The Tourneo Connect “Titanium” can be recognized by its satin chrome finish, dark privacy glass and 16-inch light alloy wheels.

Ford Tourneo Connect Sport L1 (2022)

The “trend” appliance line, on the other hand, appeals with a high-gloss black radiator grille surround and a special rim design. The ten fresh body colors also include the newly created “Boundless Blue”, which serves as the communication color for the Tourneo Connect Active’s presentation.

The series version of the Tourneo Connect already has a touchscreen with a screen diagonal of 8.25 inches on board – a 10-inch version is available optionally for all four instrument lines. The monitor has separate controls for the navigation system, audio controls and air conditioning.

When fully equipped, there are a total of 19 state-of-the-art support functions. These already included as standard: a collision warning system with pre-collision-assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane assist including lane assist, hill start assist, parking sensors forward and backward, a drowsiness alert , a cruise control system is included. Adjustable speed limiter.

Adaptive cruise control system, a blind spot assistant with emergency braking function including cross traffic alert and a traffic signal recognition system are also available as options.

Ford has bundled other support systems for the new Tourneo Connect. The Parking Package, for example, includes Active Parking Assistant with parking and exit functions, which detects parking spaces in and across the direction of travel and can drive the car in and out of the space automatically.

All the driver has to do is depress the accelerator and brake pedals and engage the corresponding gear. For versions with automatic transmission, the parking assistant also takes partially automatic vehicle guidance.

There’s an interesting new feature in the Trailer Assist Package: Trailer Maneuver Assist makes it easy to reverse with the trailer. It also prevents the dangerous “jackknife” impact or minimizes the consequences if an excessively sharp angle between the towing vehicle and the trailer can cause damage.

The desired target position of the trailer is marked on the reversing camera monitor using adjustment buttons on the exterior mirrors, which in this case act like a joystick – the system takes over the steering. Along with its sensors, it records the dimensions of the trailer and also shows the path the trailer has taken using the directions on the central monitor.

With 7-speed automatic transmission for Tourneo Connect versions, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control System with Traffic Sign Recognition System, Traffic Jam Assistant with Stop and Go function and Lane Pilot for motorway special travel convenience. In slow-moving or slow-moving traffic, the system controls not only the accelerator and brake pedal but also the steering and provides partially automatic Level 2 driving. The driver can intervene at any time.

Electric parking brake with auto hold function is also new and standard for all versions of this series. This makes it easier to start on hills and optimizes the use of space in the interior, as there is no handbrake between the front seats.

The Tourneo Connect Sport X Works already gets glare-free high beam with intelligent LED headlights. They recognize a variety of traffic scenarios such as motorway driving, city operations, rural driving and intersections and automatically adjust light cones as well as light intensity. LED rear lights are also part of the “Sport” standard equipment.

Optional additional features like heated windscreen, windscreen wipers with rain sensor (standard from Titanium) and heated exterior mirrors (standard from Trend) are also available on the Tourneo Connect as optional extras.