New Car: 2013 Ford Tourneo Custom

Today, Ford pulled the wraps off not the new Transit, but the Tourneo Custom. First previewed weeks ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the Tourneo Custom is Ford’s European light-duty commercial passenger van.

Like the concept, the new Ford Tourneo Custom features an almost car-like appearance, thanks to Ford’s Kinetic design language. Think of the Tourneo Custom as the missing link between the diminutive Transit Connect and the big-boy Transit.

Inside, the car-like theme continues. The driver-oriented instrument panel looks straight out of the Fiesta, even copying the Fiesta’s phone keypad layout. The Tourneo Custom also offers Sync, a rear-view camera, Lane Keeping Alert, an engine stop/start system, and Driver Alert.

Though it may have taken on a car-like appearance and amenities, the Tourneo Custom is still at heart a practical van. Key to that practicality is two wheelbase lengths, and two seating configurations. The short-wheelbase Tourneo Custom is 195.6 in. long, while the long wheelbase model is 210.2 in long, with the extra space dedicated toward extra luggage space behind the third row. The Tourneo Custom is also available in both eight- and nine-passenger configurations.

Powering the front-drive Ford Tourneo Custom will be a trio of 2.2-liter turbodiesel engines. The base 2.2-liter turbodiesel I-4 produces 98 hp while the other engines produce 123 hp and 153 hp. No matter the power output, the engines are mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Ford expects the Tourneo Custom to return roughly 34 mpg combined in European tests.

Ford has no plans to bring the Tourneo Custom to the United States, and instead will be building the larger Transit (which might be called the T-Series) in its Kansas City, Mo. Assembly Plant alongside the F-150. With the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 under the hood, the larger rear-drive Transit will be sold globally and replace both the E-Series Wagon and E-Series Vans in the U.S.

Thanks to: Motor Trend