USA Today writer James R. Healey wrote a review on the all new Ford Transit Connect van.  Here is his opening remarks:

Here’s one of the best ideas since sliced bread: a compact cargo van that, properly optioned, could just about serve as the family bus.

If the 2010 Ford Transit Connect doesn’t evoke in spirit, if not appearance, the 1960s Volkswagen Bus, you’re too young, you were too stoned to remember or you have no imagination.

Ford says the official reason for modifying the Euro-market TC for the U.S. is to plug a hole in the market. It’s for business people who don’t want the cost or size of a big van but need something more utilitarian and robust than a minivan or hatchback.
 

To read his entire review, click here: Ford Transit Connect Review

Transit Connect Reviews

Here are some links to other reviews on the Ford Transit Connect van:

• New York Times Review
• Consumer Automotive Guide Review
• Auto Blog Review

Ford Dealer Feedback

Dave Wilson, CEO of the Preston Automotive Group in Hurlock Maryland says “Sales of the Ford Transit Connect are strong in Maryland.  We stocked up on these vans because they are at the right price point for business owners.  AS the economy shows signs of picking up, business owners will be looking for affordable and economical business vehicles.”

By The Editors

Published in the Popular Mechanics December 2009 issue

For generations, the default vehicle for plumbers, contractors and delivery drivers has been the full-size van. The pressures of the economy, ever-increasing urban congestion and the fluctuating price of gasoline could move them to smaller rigs like the Transit Connect. The size is just right, with a low, flat floor that can be loaded through any of the three cargo doors.

Powered by a thrifty four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels, the van returns 22 mpg city and 25 on the highway, is low enough to slide into many garages and can handle a 1600-pound payload. There’s also Ford’s Tool Link, a system that builds RFID sensors into the van so that at the press of a button the driver can see an inventory of all the tools aboard.

The Transit Connect could also be a fun utility truck for the outdoor enthusiast—135 cubic feet can hold an awful lot of camping gear.

Here’s one of the best ideas since sliced bread: a compact cargo van that, properly optioned, could just about serve as the family bus.

Ford Transit. Photo by Jack Gruber USA TODAY

If the 2010 Ford Transit Connect doesn’t evoke in spirit, if not appearance, the 1960s Volkswagen Bus, you’re too young, you were too stoned to remember or you have no imagination.

Ford says the official reason for modifying the Euro-market TC for the U.S. is to plug a hole in the market. It’s for business people who don’t want the cost or size of a big van but need something more utilitarian and robust than a minivan or hatchback.

But — wink, wink, nod, nod — there just might be a few surfers, artists, college students, vagabonds and unrehabilitated hippies to broaden TC’s appeal.

Read the whole Ford Transit Connect story…