Ford might be retiring its famous Fiesta badge, but theres’s no sign
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by Chris Chilton
2 hours ago
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by Chris Chilton
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Ford might be retiring its famous Fiesta badge, but theres’s no sign of the even older Transit name, which has been around for more than 50 years, from bowing out. The full-size Transit connect van was recently given an EV option and Ford is poised to introduce an all-new generation of its Transit Courier baby brother.
We’ve spotted that mini panel van testing before with its all-new body, and now our spy photographers have spied the Transit Courier’s passenger-carrying spinoff, the Tourneo Courier, giving us images of both the exterior and the new dual-screen interior for the first time.
These images show a dashboard containing separate digital instrument cluster and infotainment screens that make no attempt to trick you into believing you’re looking at one giant screen by hiding both behind a single pain of glass. It all looks very functional, and not particularly high-tech, though no doubt the infotainment will be running Ford’s latest SYNC operating software. Below the central screen we can see a handful of hard keys for front and rear demisters and parking assistance, there’s no sign of any climate controls. If you want to change the cabin temperature you’ll have to dive into the screen menus.
Both commercial- and passenger van configurations share the same boxy body structure for maximum practicality and seem to have the same square front end and a headlamp stack that references the big F-Series trucks, though this is one Ford that definitely won’t be offered in America. The van we spied earlier had only one side door but the Tourneo passenger version has a sliding doors on each side to access its second row of seats. Need more chairs? You’ll have to upgrade to the bigger Tourneo Courier, a badge-engineered Volkswagen Caddy.
Another key option will be an all-electric powertrain that will share its electric motor and battery pack with the upcoming Puma EV. That won’t be available until 2024 though, meaning buyers who want to get in early when the Couriers hit showrooms in Europe later this year will have to make do with 1.0-liter Ecoboost mild-hybrid petrol engines generating around 123 hp (125 PS). A manual transmission will be offered on base versions, but our interior spy shots show this van is fitted with the only alternative, a seven-speed Powershift dual-clutch gearbox.
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