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.