Ford has bolstered its Transit range with two new rugged variants sporting uprated drivetrains, giving them both a Ranger Raptor-like claims for all-season grip with unimpeded practicality. The Transit Trail and Active models are available on both the full-sized and smaller Custom vans, with the more hardcore Trail models getting front-mounted Quaife limited slip differential as standard or optional all-wheel drive for maximum traction. Something we suspect ought to go down fairly well with any British tradespeople who've tried to tackle an icy hill on a December morning.
To help with that, the Trail’s Electronic Stability Control system has been uniquely tuned to make the most of the new hardware, borrowing electronic technology from Ford Performance’s RS and ST models. But the focus here is, obviously, on providing tradespeople with consistent performance on a variety of surfaces, so the priority here is going to be on security rather than anything resembling a Drift Mode. Hence the maximum front-rear torque split of 50:50 on all-wheel drive Trails.
The Transit Trail models also retain the regular chassis settings of their less-rugged counterparts, although larger 17-inch wheels do add a certain amount of toughness to the appearance. As does the addition of extra body cladding and SUV-like design features, including a beefier front grille wearing the Ford letters, and an interior of higher-spec, with leather seats making for a wipe-clean cabin. Also standard is air con, electric door mirrors and auto lighting, as well as a heated windscreen, to make for the most compelling all-season Transit.
Like Ford’s other Active models, the changes on the Transit are centred mostly around toughening of the body and cabin, and styling. As such, you get the 17-inch wheels and thicker bodywork, along with part-leather seating inside, but a limited-slip diff is an option you have to pay £550 for. The decision to go Trail or Active will therefore likely be based largely on whether you really need the extra traction; neither variant affects the normal carrying capacities of the Transit variant their applied to – including the eight-seater passenger van and long or short wheelbase versions.
All Transit Trail and Transit Custom Trail models can be chosen with panel van or double-cab-in-van bodystyles, with a 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine producing 130hp, 170hp or 185hp. Custom vans also come with 48-volt mild hybrid hardware, recovering energy during deceleration and using it to help trim CO2 and fuel usage under power. The Transit Custom is already Britain’s present best-selling van for 2020; the full-sized Transit is only two positions behind despite falling into the slightly smaller-volume, large van sector. So expect to see plenty of Active and Trail versions in the not too distant future.
Sales for both versions are open now, with prices starting at £30,000 for the Transit Custom Active and rising to £35,685 for the Transit Trail. First deliveries will arrive in late summer, providing a few months to get familiar before the cold weather returns.
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