Reacting to customer demand, Ford is about to launch a new 5.0-tonne Transit derivative, offering customers a van or chassis cab rated to 5,000 kg GVM and available at Ford dealers from late November.
Ford’s toughest Transit ever features significant mechanical updates to offer customers best-ever payload and vehicle capability, and strengthens Ford’s offering in the high-GVM sector of the European van market and is poised to extend the company’s market leadership in commercial vehicle sales.
The additional 300 kg it delivers over the previous most-capable Transit variant will particularly appeal to customers desiring a heavier-rated donor vehicle for conversions including tippers, ambulances, police vans, motor homes and minicoaches with 19 seats or more.
“We know payload is a key factor for businesses’ productivity, which is why Ford’s new flagship Transit is the most capable, heaviest-rated van we’ve ever built,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe. “We listened to our converter partners and their customers who need this extra capability for their businesses, whether it’s a tipper, an ambulance or larger minicoach. The 5.0-tonne Transit’s durable design and flexibility make it an ideal choice whatever their speciality.”
The 5.0-tonne Transit is also available as Ford’s popular L4 high roof “Jumbo” van, with up to 2,383 kg net payload, 15.1 m3 load volume and enough floor space to carry five Euro pallets of cargo. New reinforced bodysides support durability when carrying heavier cargo; the existing flat load floor, tiedown points, integrated rear bumper step and 4,217 mm load length are carried over to facilitate loading and carrying standard-length items such as pipe or board.
Uprated mechanicals for heavy-duty work
All 5.0-tonne Transit variants are rear-wheel drive for optimum traction when fully laden, and fitted with Ford’s HDT powertrain for optimum durability, performance and fuel efficiency. Ford’s 170 PS 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine produces up to 390 Nm of torque to help moving heavy loads, and is coupled to a smooth-shifting six-speed manual gearbox or Ford’s class-leading 10-speed automatic transmission