Racing stripes on a family minibus may seem as out of place as a spoiler on a shopping trolley, but I kinda like them. They give the Ford Tourneo Custom Sport an edgy look, one that speaks of interesting weekend hobbies and faraway adventures rather than the more prosaic role of schlepping kids to soccer practice.
The eight-seater Ford can perform both tasks, and more, thanks to its large and adaptable cabin and we will be putting its versatility to the test over the next several months in a long-term evaluation.
The Sport and the more luxurious Titanium X were recently introduced as the newest models in the Tourneo Custom range, which now has three variants to compete against rivals such as the Hyundai Staria, Kia Carnival, Toyota Quantum and Volkswagen Transporter.
In addition to racing stripes, the Sport wears a distinctive honeycomb grille, body-colour front bumper, roof spoiler and side decals.
Inside, the theme continues with blue accent stripes on the partial cloth and artificial leather seats.
Families seeking maximum space will gravitate to the 5.45m-long Ford Tourneo Custom Trend LWB, which is the baseline model in the range and is priced at R1,117,500.
But at 5m in length the Sport — priced at R1,232,000 — still offers a very generously-sized and adaptable cabin that has room for eight in stretch-out comfort plus a big boot and full-sized spare wheel. All seats can be individually adjusted for legroom and backrest angle, the middle row can be set to face backwards, and the two rear rows of seats can be removed to create a panelvan.
Entry to the rear seats is via electric sliding doors on each side that are activated via the key remote or door handles.
In its first few weeks, the Tourneo has mostly served as an urban commuter with plenty of stop-start traffic, a role the big bus has tackled not only with commendable fuel economy but without feeling like the proverbial bull in a china shop.
For its size the Tourneo Custom is relatively easy to manoeuvre in tight confines. Parking spaces always seem small but things are made easier by its relatively small turning circle and great visibility provided by large windows and an elevated driving position. Large blind-spot mirrors provide good side vision when changing lanes too.
The tester rolls on optional low-profile 19-inch tyres which provide a comfortable enough ride, though there is some jitter over rough surfaces that may be less pronounced on the standard 17-inch wheels.
For R1.2m, including a four-year/120,000km warranty and six-year/90,000km service plan, the Sport is relatively well-equipped and includes:
- a fully featured infotainment system;
- a digital instrument panel;
- electric driver’s seat;
- heated front seats;
- automatic headlights with high-beam assist;
- three-zone climate control;
- wireless phone charger; and
- a rear parking camera.
There are USB ports and storage nooks thoughout the cabin, boding well for long family trips.
Safety fare includes stability control, six airbags and a lane-keeping assist function that is less intrusive than in many rivals.
All models in the Tourneo Custom range are powered by a 2.0l turbodiesel engine, but the Sport and Titanium X receive a boost to 125kW and 390Nm (the Trend produces 100kW and 360Nm).
Paired with front-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic, it’s a pleasantly refined and not-too-vocal unit that provides solid commuting performance with minimal turbo lag, easy cruising ability and decent economy.
In mostly urban driving the tester has averaged 10l/100km, a reasonable figure for a vehicle of this size though still above the claimed 7.4l/100km.
Consumption is expected to improve on longer trips planned over the coming months, including visits to Afrikaburn in the Karoo and the Sani2C mountain bike race in KwaZulu-Natal.
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