Ford has been named Europe’s Most Reliable Van Manufacturer Overall for the second consecutive year by Great Britain’s Fleet News.
Overall, Ford finished fourth in the vehicle reliability survey. The Ford Transit was voted Most Reliable Model for the second straight year and the Ford Transit Connect, which hits U.S. shores in the 2009 model year, was awarded Most Reliable Model second place in its class.
There were more 150,000 commercial vehicles ranked by Fleet News, 881,000 vehicles overall.
“It is fantastic to see British businesses giving recognition to the vans that get the job done,” said Steve Kimber, commercial vehicles director, Ford of Britain. “Transit and its sibling, Connect, deliver a great ownership experience due to their low running costs, durability and reliability.”
The Transit includes the option of six diesel engines, three 2.2L and three 2.4L. Front-wheel drive and entry-level rear-wheel drive models come with a 5-spd. manual gearbox; the other models include a 6-spd. transmission with higher torque for diesel engines. The engine runs on a water-cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system.
The Transit comes in one metric ton or two metric ton options with three wheelbases and four load lengths ranging from 101.5 in. to 157.4 in. Other safety features are electronically controlled braking and dynamic systems, including standard ABS and EBD, and a low roof, medium wheelbase variant.
Among the design elements on the Transit are an elevated dash-mounted gear shifter for a car-like driving position that improves ergonomics, a “walk-through” cabin, two-tone instrument panel trim and higher-grade cloth trim with optional leather, Ford said. Bluetooth capability, satellite navigation and uprated air conditioning are also available options.
