Now the Transit has got trendy; CHRIS RUSSON checks out the all-new Sportvan

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Oct 26, 2007

Byline: CHRIS RUSSON

HAVE you heard the one about Ford making a with go-faster Transit stripes?

It's no joke. White Van Man is about to meet Boy Racer with the arrival of the Transit Sportvan.

Packing a 140bhp turbo diesel engine and plenty of stylish tweaks, the Sportvan is part of a double-whammy from Ford.

The other part of the equation is the most powerful Transit ever to hit the streets in the shape of a 3.2-litre, 200bhp diesel.

Both are out to win sales for Britain's favourite van which is enjoying a record year.

The Sportvan is available only on the Transit short wheelbase, low-roof models and is priced from pounds 18,750 - excluding VAT.

It is equipped with the sort of goodies more normally associated with a hot hatch, such as 18in alloy wheels, a body-coloured grille, front spoilers, side skirts and even twin exhausts.

White body stripes are an option as are satnav, Bluetooth phone connectivity and leather upholstery.

Even so the Sportvan comes with the likes of cruise control, automatic headlamps and wipers, air conditioning and a six-disc CD player as standard.

Forty years ago, when the Transit first arrived, who would have thought van driving could be as good as this?

Frills there may be, but the Sportvan is still a practical load lugger and is being aimed at those who make a mark and fleets which want to cut a dash.

On the other hand the 3.2-litre Transit is a real heavy-duty affair and features the first five cylinder diesel engine ever to appear in a Ford commercial. It has amazing power and that is available from as low as 1,700 revs.

Smooth, brisk and purposeful are its attributes, and Ford has high hopes of it appealing to those involved in long distance work or transporting heavy goods thanks to its maximum payload of 4.5 tons.

With such acceleration it will also be ideal for the emergency services.

The 3.2-litre Transit will be on sale early in the New Year priced from pounds 22,950, and to accommod-ate the extra size and weight of the new engine the suspension has been modified and the nose made longer by four inches with almost no noticeable difference in the ride and handling.

Other changes across the Transit line-up include the avail-ability of electronic stability and hill-start assistance as standard on all but the petrol engined and all-wheel-drive derivatives.

CAPTION(S):

PLENTY OF POWER - the Transit Sportvan packs a 140bhp diesel engine