The Transit Connect: Ford’s Euro answer to an American small-business problem

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Small business owners have a lot on their minds right now. The economic situation and the newest rehash of the national Medicare bill are whipped cream and cherry toppings for any new entrepreneur’s stress sundae. Ford thinks it’s got a little help coming, though, in the form of its new Transit Connect.

As part of Ford’s new ‘Check out all this cool stuff we’ve been selling to Europeans for years’ campaign, the Transit Connect has been available in foreign markets since 2002.

Before we get to the van itself, we need to address the bear in the room: Small businesses, like just about everyone else the world right now, are feeling the wrath of the almighty economy. People are cutting costs left and right, and now might not seem the time to buy new vehicles. When it comes to timing, though, the Transit Connect has an ace up its sleeve.

Because the Transit Connect is equipped with the four-cylinder engine of the Focus, it achieves a very impressive 22 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway. This means not only can businesses benefit from the lower running costs of the Transit Connect, but also that companies that use older, gas-guzzling vehicles can apply for the government’s ‘cash for clunkers’ discounts.

The discounts depend on what you’re currently driving and some other qualifiers, but the maximum discount of $4,500 would make a solid dent in the Transit Connect’s $21,475 base price tag. Kelley Blue Book has a pretty good ‘cash for clunkers’ calculator so you can check your car’s qualifications.

The small engine in the Transit Connect means it drives like ... well ... a van. Acceleration is slow, but after driving around on city streets for a while we found that, when unloaded, the Transit Connect had enough power for us to still become frustrated with slow-moving tourists and hypermilers. Loaded up with cargo, however ... well, a marble-countertop installer or lead-weight salesman might find the little four-banger short on power.

Ford is marketing the Transit Connect as a customizable solution to small-business owners’ transportation problems. The inside of the van can be equipped with what Ford is calling ‘Up Fits’: An array of shelves, lockers and storage devices that, when optioned correctly, promise to be as space-efficient as a college freshman’s dorm room. The retrofitted space savers range in price, and Ford promises that more variations on the theme will be released.

For about $1,000 to $3,000 (depending on which features you want), the Transit Connect also comes with an optional on-board computer. The computer requires that you pay for wireless broadband to get online, but it can be linked via Bluetooth to a keyboard, mouse or printer, enabling owners to print documents such as invoices and receipts without leaving the vehicle. The Transit Connect also features a USB port, an SD memory card slot, an in-dash touch-screen display and a stylus for the fat-fingered and iPhone-hopeless among us.

One of the options for the computer system also enables users to monitor a multitude of statistics remotely from a website. Engine diagnostics, carbon dioxide emissions and even how fast a driver accelerates away from a stop can all be recorded to maximize efficiency.

Another computer option can read Radio Frequency Identification tags and keep an inventory of tools and equipment to help prevent drivers from leaving a job site without their expensive equipment.

On the road the Transit Connect is light on its feet and maneuverable (for a van). One drawback is that its small mirrors limit rearward visibility; the problem is magnified when the van’s optional equipment or cargo in the back blocks the view from the center rearview mirror.

You can’t compare the Transit Connect with other vehicles like it, because there aren’t any. It has its own category right above the vans we see at soccer practice and right below the familiar, large box vans we see everywhere -- old news for Europe, a new concept on American shores.

The Ford Transit Connect is a unique-looking, Web-connected, high-mpg cargo hauler for small businesses that can still afford to make an investment.

Specs for the 2010 Ford Transit:
Engine: 2.0-liter four-cylinder
Horsepower: 136
Fuel: Gasoline
Fuel economy: 22 mpg city, 25 mpg highway
Seating capacity: 2, 4 or 5
Maximum payload: 1,600 pounds
Cargo capacity: 135.3 cubic feet

-- J. Mark Sternberg

Top photo: Ford Transit Connect. Credit: Ford.
Middle photo:’Up Fit.’ Credit: J. Mark Sternberg