Ford Transit Custom

In terms of appearance and equipment list, all four variants of the Ford Transit Custom match equally, with the interior of the van having an all-black theme with a decent number of comfort and convenience features. Most of the interior bits, such as the analogue instrument console with TFT MID, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, multi-functional three-spoke steering wheel and switches have been shared with other compact passenger vehicles from Ford.

The centre console of the Ford Transit Custom has a free-standing theme for the infotainment system in the upper centre console, which is flanked by vertical AC vents with rounded edges while having old-school buttons for the audio and climate control system below the screen. The lower centre console, attached to the dashboard, has a wide design, with a transmission lever placed on the left-hand side and bottle holders and storage space on the right-hand side.

The Transit Custom is based on the globally available facelifted version of the fourth-generation Ford Transit, which appeared more modern with mild tweaks to its exterior. Most of the visual appeal of the Ford Transit Custom is concentrated towards the front, where the Transit Custom has become sharper in its appeal.

The front profile of the Ford Transit Custom has the traditional hexagonal grille, which has slightly rounded edges and now features an all-black theme with horizontal slats running across its width. Along with a compact and slanted bonnet, the Ford Transit Custom also comes with a revised design for the headlamps, which now look more angular towards the inner edges and have a new curved design towards the outer edges.

The headlamp housings now come with projectors and a new design for the daytime running LEDs, which are wrapped around the inner edges of the headlamp housings. The front bumper of the new Ford Transit Custom also looks revised with new housings for the fog lamps, which have a more angular design than before and come with the same blacked-out theme as the front grille. There is an additional trapezoidal air dam in the middle of the front bumper at the bottom.

Along with the front bumper, the A-pillar-mounted long rearview mirrors and door handles are also body-coloured. While the short wheelbase versions come with 15-inch steel wheels with wheel caps, the long wheelbase versions have 16-inch grey alloy wheels. The rear profile continues to come with a closed window panel design, along with vertically-aligned tail lamps with revised LED inserts placed on the outer edges.

The Ford Transit Custom has independent MacPherson struts, variable rate coil springs, stabilizer bar and gas-pressurized shock absorbers at the front and single leaf springs, gas-pressurized shock absorbers for its suspension combination. While the suspension feels stiff in terms of ride quality, it gives the Transit Custom sure-footedness and load-carrying capacity even in the full load condition. The Transit Custom also comes with torque vectoring control to keep the body roll controlled at lower speeds, but the same while cornering at higher speeds is pretty obvious.

All four variants of the Ford Transit Custom are powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which is available in two states of tune across the range. While the engine produces 100 PS in the short-wheelbase versions, the same engine churns out a higher power output of 125 PS in the larger-sized long-wheelbase versions. All the variants come with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard.

The basic essential safety features offered across the range of Ford Transit Custom include dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, traction control, trailer sway control and emergency brake warning.

With a capacious compartment for carrying loads, sturdy and proven engine and chassis and a reputed image of a reliable van, the Ford Transit Custom is a great value-for-money proposition.