by Joe LaMuraglia
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 – At the 2008 Chicago Auto show Ford debuted a funky utility van called the Transit Connect – a vehicle on sale in over 58 countries since 2003. Targeted to the small business owner (think catering, florists etc) with cargo needs, it features a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter engine, 135 cubic feet of cargo space and a 1,600 pound payload capacity all starting at $21,475, including destination.
While most of the coverage of the Transit Connect focuses on its utility and appeal to the small business owner, this little box can be configured to carry up to 5 people with loads of room to spare behind the second row of seats. In addition to the small business owners that will rejoice at its size and price, I think there will be a lot of sports enthusiasts (cyclists, skiers, surfers etc.) that will find the commodious and bare-bone interior very attractive for their lifestyles.
I’ll be driving the Ford Transit Connect in New York City tomorrow and will be Tweeting away. If you are new to this exercise, note that the Tweets will appear in reverse chronological order. If you aren’t following us on Twitter, you can do so HERE.
Stay tuned!
Friday, May 29, 2009 – I spent the day driving around Manhattan in the 2010 Ford Transit Connect yesterday. For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you got a updates throughout the day. I had them fed into this page live via a RSS reader from Widgetbox but for some reason, it only showed the last 20 Tweets. I’ve also had experiences where the Tweets disappear from Twitter’s servers so I’ve gone old school and provided screen shots of all the tweets from yesterday (see below). Yes, you still need to read them from the bottom up.
Bottom Line: – After spending only a few hours with the Transit Connect, I think Ford has a hit on its hands. We met with three different small businesses in NYC and they all were visibly excited about the prospect of a smaller, more efficient means of delivering their products in the notoriously congested metropolis. The fact that Ford has packed the Transit Connect with available technologies that will help them provide better service to their customers was icing on the cake.
I still stand by my assertion that this baby cargo van is going to be a cult car for outdoor enthusiasts and customizers alike. With such a low cost of entry and literally a blank canvas in the back, there are so many things that can be done to create a mobile office/party van/escape pod/locker room/workshop/toy hauler. I’ll take mine with shag carpeting and a disco ball please.
2010 Ford Transit Connect goes on sale this summer. Photos at the end of the posting.

All images courtesy of Ford Motor Company