Ford Transit Custom 2021 review: Sport 320L LWB DCiV GVM test

Our test vehicle, a 2019.75 MY Ford Transit Custom Sport 320L* DCiV, has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder EcoBlue turbo-diesel engine, a six-speed automatic transmission, and is front-wheel drive. (* ‘320’ stands for the van’s 3200kg gross vehicle mass, and the ‘L’ denotes long wheelbase.)

As standard this van has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $53,390, but its price as tested is $54,590 because it has a rear lift gate ($550) rather than standard 180-degree-opening barn doors, and prestige paint (agate black metallic, $650).

The test vehicle’s agate black metallic exterior is a $650 prestige paint option.

It has an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, AEB (with pedestrian detection), blind spot monitoring system, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, lane keeping assist with lane departure warning, FordPass Connect, and more.

The test vehicle’s agate black metallic exterior is a $650 prestige paint option, and this van also has those rather distinctive racing stripes and 17-inch alloy wheels with a steel spare.

The 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.

This van has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine – producing 136kW at 3500rpm and 405Nm at 1500-2000rpm – and a six-speed automatic transmission. 

It is front-wheel drive.

The load space is a listed 3.5 cubic metre area, with specific dimensions of 1944mm (length, up to bulkhead), 1775mm (width), 1392mm (width between wheel arches), and 1406mm (height, from load floor to roof). The load-in height is 536mm.

In terms of load capacities, this variant has a listed maximum payload of 969kg, a braked towing capacity of 1800kg and a GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 3200kg. Note: when you’re carrying a load and/or towing, always keep well within your vehicle’s load capacities to make sure you stay safe and legal.

As mentioned earlier, our test vehicle has a lift-gate rear door, rather than the standard twin 180-degree-opening rear barn doors, so instead of using a forklift, I opted instead to hand-load 808kg of goods* into this van to avoid any potential forklift-into-door collision that might otherwise occur and to see how it would handle a decent load onboard. (* 80 boxes, each weighing 10.1kg. My cameraman/photographer assisted me in this endeavour – thanks Sam!)

This variant has a listed maximum payload of 969kg, a braked towing capacity of 1800kg and a GVM of 3200kg.

With the load in, spread out evenly across the load space, the rear leaf springs compressed dropped 40mm and the front suspension compressed 10mm.

Our mixed drive loop included suburban streets, rough coastal bitumen roads, and a small stretch on the highway.

The good news is that all of the elements that make the Ford Transit such a nice work vehicle to drive when it’s unladen carry over to when it’s loaded with 808kg.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine and six-speed auto transmission are generally a nice combination and work really well, never hunting for the correct gear, even when tackling long gradual inclines.

Our test vehicle has a lift-gate rear door, rather than the standard twin 180-degree-opening rear barn doors.

Engine braking is at times somewhat compromised but that only ever happened on steeper downhill sections, and that’s not a huge surprise because this is a smaller capacity engine. 

This van is a very easy work vehicle to get used to and to spend long hours in – and that's crucial in order to fulfil its role as a mobile office. The cabin is comfortable and well equipped, and the load space is roomy and versatile enough to cope with a variety of loads. 

Don’t forget: there is a flip-up/down integrated roof rack with a 130kg capacity, but remember if you load that, whatever that burden weighs eats into your 969kg payload.

This van is a very easy work vehicle to get used to.

The Ford Transit Custom Sport has a five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2012.

It has six airbags (driver, front passenger, front side curtain and front side seat) as well as driver-assist tech including AEB (with pedestrian detection), blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, traction control, tyre pressure monitoring, side wind stabilisation, trailer sway control and more.

The Ford Transit Custom Sport has a five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2012.