New Ford Transit Courier review

As predictably as middle-aged spread, vans tend to get bigger with each new generation – but few models have expanded as drastically as the Ford Transit Courier.

You see, while the original Courier was based on the Ford Fiesta, this second-generation version takes the larger Ford Puma as a starting point. As a result, its length has increased from just over 4.1m to 4.3m – and, more importantly, it's now capable of transporting heavier payloads.

As you can see from the photos, it's also had a complete redesign for 2024. The new front end looks closer to, say, a Ford Explorer than the other small and medium vans that share the Ford Transit name (the Connect and Custom). It’s still unmistakably a van, though.

Despite its growth spurt, the Courier remains shorter than the Transit Connect and Citroën Berlingo Van, which measure around 4.4m in overall length. They're also available in long-wheelbase versions, which the Courier is not. 

So, how does the new Ford Transit Courier stack up as a competitor to the best small vans available? Read on to find out...

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Ford has a solid reputation for building vehicles that are really rather good to drive, and the new Transit Courier is certainly no exception to this.

When the driving dynamics of larger vehicles such as the mid-sized Ford Transit Custom are done well, it’s more noticeable than in a small van like the Courier, but the fine balance that has been achieved here is no less impressive.

The steering is noticeably heavy, but that’s not a bad thing. It gives the pint-sized Courier a feeling of substance that you don’t get in a Citroën Berlingo and is very different to the super-light steering you’d find in a VW Caddy Cargo. 

It handles brilliantly in both a city or out-of-town environment, and the most obvious comparison is with the Ford Puma small SUV it's based on. The two are very similar – and that's a positive.

The ride, although slightly firm, is a good fit for a commercial vehicle of this size, and with a modest payload its perfectly suited to a variety of road surfaces with good dampening. There’s a little bit of noticeable roll into corners and the front end fidgets a bit out of a tight bend but overall you get the well-judged and very Ford-like ride we’ve come to expect. 

The Transit Courier is available with a petrol or diesel engine, with a manual or automatic gearbox. The 1.0-litre Ecoboost petrols are available with 99 or 123bhp, will feel a bit gutless with a full payload, so if you plan to do a lot of heavy lifting, the 99bhp 1.5-litre diesel is likely to be a better choice.

The diesel’s lower revs and greater torque will make easier work of it than the high-revving fervour needed to keep the petrol engines in their higher peak torque bands. The diesel will have the added benefit of less noise intrusion into the interior – not that that’s an issue in what is generally a quiet and pleasant place.

There will also be an electric van version soon – the Ford E-Transit Courier – which we'll review separately.

Driving overview

Strengths Great handling; powerful diesel engine; quiet inside

Weaknesses Petrol engine not suited to a van

Ford has built the Transit Courier to almost the size of the Transit Connect, but it’s been made to a very clear price point that sits below its sibling, and that’s reflected in parts of the interior.

The piano-black surrounds to the dial and dash are reminiscent of the Transit Custom but there’s less finesse elsewhere in this little van. Some plastics are hard and inexpensive-looking, and although efforts have been made to make them interesting, it’s not quite up to the standards we’ve become accustomed to in Ford interiors. 

Ergonomically, though, it's excellent, with tried-and-tested steering-wheel controls, a firm but supportive seat with plenty of travel, and a rake and reach adjustable steering wheel. Visibility is great in all directions, with well-sized, electronically adjustable door mirrors. 

The infotainment is managed by the SYNC 4 system with an 8in infotainment touchscreen and wireless smartphone mirroring as standard. There’s also a digital trip display in the instrument cluster.

Storage is adequate but not overwhelming – it's fairly typical for a small van. There are numerous cubbies for small items, the most intriguing of which is just to the side of the infotainment screen.

It looks like a coin shelf, and indeed it would make useful storage for car park barrier tokens and the like. It is, in fact, designed with mobile phones in mind, and provides a point for a mount to be fixed to rather than using air vents. 

There’s an overhead storage tray, which is the best location for larger items, and a sizeable glovebox for such a small van. 

One negative for many people will be the lack of physical controls for the air-con, which must be adjusted using the touchscreen. It's annoying – but perhaps still preferable to the swipe-and-slide function used in the Ford Transit Connect and VW Caddy Cargo. 

The Courier is an entry-level van, so it’s not surprising that it’s interior is not quite up to the standards of the its larger Ford Transit models, yet it doesn’t feel too different to the Citroën Berlingo Van. Ford’s design and tech make up for its material shortcomings.

Interior overview

Strengths Great ergonomics; comfortable; novel mobile phone holder

Weaknesses Limited large item storage; some cut-price plastics

Everything practical about the Ford Transit Courier has improved over the smaller previous-generation van. 

It's marginally smaller in length, height and width than obvious competitors like the Citroën Berlingo van, Ford Transit Connect and Vauxhall Combo Cargo, which are in turn slightly smaller than the Mercedes Citan and Renault Kangoo.

Sitting at the bottom of the pack doesn’t mean it can’t punch upwards: the Transit Courier offers a 2.9m³ loadspace, which compares reasonably well with the 3.3m³ you’d get from the smallest Berlingo. Maximum load lengths are up to 1,802mm, which matches the Berlingo, while the addition of a load-through bulkhead increases capacity to 2,667mm. 

For the smallest van in its class, it manages to match the competition without feeling compromised and can still transport two Euro pallets thanks to its 1,220mm width between the wheelarches. 

It’s not let down on payload either. That’s because it's available in two gross vehicle weights, enabling Ford to offer a high payload option of up to 845kg. Standard vans have a payload range between 615kg and 676kg depending on engine and trim spec.

Practicality overview

Strengths Space for two pallets; useful high payload option; load-through bulkhead

Weaknesses Less volume than rivals

Safety equipment is abundant in the Ford Transit Courier, with driver, passenger and curtain airbags all standard, alongside automatic emergency braking (AEB), cruise control, intelligent speed assist, lane-keeping assist and hill hold.

Aside from more parking sensors on top of the stand reverse parking aid, there really isn’t much else to add to the Courier beyond what you get on the entry-level Leader model.

The next trim up – called Trend – adds fog lamps, and also nice-to-have items such as heated seats, air conditioning and a quick-clear windscreen.

The range-topping Active looks more sophisticated than the other vans with a honeycomb mesh grille and larger 17in alloys, but one tier below, the Limited models get the important and useful stuff like front parking sensors, digital rear camera and keyless entry. 

Limited is normally the sweet spot in the Ford range, but so generous are the options on the standard Leader van that it’s probably only really worth looking one trim level up to the Trend range.

Unless you have a particularly good reason to buy the petrol van, we’d stick with the diesel option. It has a slick six-speed manual gearbox, and has the power and torque to comfortably cover all bases. As an added bonus, it’s also significantly more fuel-efficient than the petrol, with WLTP figures ranging from 51.3mpg to 55.4mpg depending on which of the trim levels you choose. 

Even if you want to break the bank and go for the more costly diesel in range-topping Active trim, it will still be cheaper than the equivalent Citroën Berlingo Van

The Transit Courier comfortably matches the competition for safety features, and has been recognised as the safety van tested under the Euro NCAP testing regime.

Costs overview

Strengths Good mpg for diesel vans; high standard equipment; highest NCAP safety rating

Weaknesses Top-spec van doesn’t add much

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