FIRST DRIVE | New Ford Tourneo eight-seater is a roomy ride

The lifestyle minibus market is heating up with Ford launching the new Tourneo in South Africa.

Though Mercedes-Benz has sewn up the bracket that likes to whisk away friends or family in opulence to the Durban July, rivals, including the Volkswagen Transporter, Opel Zafira and Hyundai Staria, are more affordable.

The latter Korean brand’s particular mix of stylish looks, digital and electric wizardry and models that seat up to 11 people make it the lead antagonist in the race. However, Ford believes it has a good reply in the segment with the new Tourneo.

While its car has only eight seats, with no power sliding doors, the company said it has developed the passenger cousin of the Ford Transit Custom to offer occupants significantly enhanced levels of comfort and convenience, and that all-important commanding driving position.

The 5,450mm long and 2,032mm high minibus with an Aston Martin-esque grille is initially available in Trend LWB guise, and offers ample specification for its entry-level perch. Ford said it plans to add more derivatives in time, but expect plenty of luxuries in the base car.

These include a 13" central touchscreen built with Ford’s SYNC4 infotainment system, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and charging, a 12" instrument cluster and an 8" configurable digital display, multiple A and C USB ports across the cabin, automatic dual zone climate control, rear seat climate control and heated driver and front passenger seats.

Progressive touches over the model it replaces include a column-mounted transmission selector that frees up leg space in front, but all room across the three-rows and 3,500mm wheelbase is generously ample.

The octet of seats are lighter, comfy and cloth-covered. They recline, slide back and forth on tracks, or can be arranged in a lounge set up where rear passengers face each other. Or they can be completely removed to transform the Tourneo into a panel van, yielding 6.8m³ of loading volume with the ability to carry three standard euro pallets. The large tailgate is manually operated and unlocked via the main central locking function or the key fob.

A steering wheel with flat bottom and side rim is available as standard, and initial doubts about this peculiar tiller were allayed by its light responses and ergonomic design. Wherever you are seated in the Tourneo it’s a smooth and hushed ride.

It is powered by a 100kW and 360Nm 2.0l single-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine with AdBlue, the diesel exhaust fluid used to reduce harmful gases released into the atmosphere. The motor drives the front wheels exclusively and is managed by an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The optimised chassis architecture with independent rear suspension offers stability at any speed, and allows the large bus to carve up curves with a new level of poise and confidence, while the peach of an engine with selectable driving modes, including Normal, Eco and Tow/Haul, accelerates robustly and maintains cruising speeds with ease. Towing capacity is rated up to 2,500kg for a braked trailer.

Like many modern Fords the Tourneo Trend LWB comes with an assortment of driver assistance systems, including 180º reverse camera with front and rear sensors, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping aid, evasive steering assist, forward collision warning, reverse brake assist, driver alert and impairment monitor, adaptive lights, and ABS with EBD, stability control, emergency brake assist and six airbags.

Additional features include a 5G FordPass Connect modem that allows the owner remote lock, unlock, remote start, cooling or heating functionality of the cabin.

Ford SA said pricing for the new Tourneo is not finalised as it is reviewing currency fluctuations, and the R999,200 price it announced initially in April was a ballpark figure. Once the rand settles against the dollar the company will settle on a price and update consumers.

All new Ford Tourneos come as standard with a four-year/120,000km warranty and four-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance. Customers have the option of purchasing a service or maintenance plan of up to eight years or 165,000km. The warranty can be extended up to seven years or 200,000km.