New Ford Tourneo gears up to shoot straight for the Hyundai Staria

If most of what I am about to tell you makes you feels like you are stuck in a bit of a Groundhog Day moment, you won’t be wrong. In April, Ford SA told us all about their new long wheelbase Tourneo Trend spec people mover that was about to debut at R999 200 and take the fight to the Hyundai Staria and VW Transporter Kombi.

This statement proved to be a bit premature and possibly even optimistic because fast forward some five months and Ford flew us down to Cape Town to get a first drive in the same new long wheelbase Ford Tourneo people mover. I can tell you is that it is really good at what it is required to do, but I can’t tell you when you will be able to buy one from a dealer or what you are going to pay for one.

Ford Tourneo pricing not done deal

Currency fluctuation issues have translated into the original price offered no longer being on the table. But pricing is imminent and there is stock waiting at the dealers.

With that out the way, let’s get to what having a Ford Tourneo on your driveway will be all about. The Tourneo features new styling and thanks to the vehicle’s all-new architecture you get a lower floor height and a new integrated sidestep along. Large sliding side doors make getting yourself and your passengers in and out of the vehicle that much easier and equally so if you want to haul some cargo.

Talking of which, the second and third row of seats are track mounted, and this means that you can mix the and match the seat configuration as you please from a six-seater conference room to a delivery van that will swallow three standard Euro pallets.

Tech fest on board

The Citizen Motoring checked out the Ford Tourneo’s cabin before cruising out to the Nampo Cape agricultural show. This became a particularly comfortable and leisurely trip from Gordon’s Bay out to Bredasdorp.

The cabin features a 13-inch central touchscreen, a 12-inch cluster and 8-inch configurable digital display. These features Ford SYNC4 with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility along with wireless charging as standard. Think top spec Ford Ranger and you will get exactly what I am talking about.

Moving the van is a 2.0-litre single turbo AdBlue diesel engine which offers 100kW of power and 360Nm of torque. AdBlue is not some clever technical model name. It is a fluid that is automatically injected into the Ford Tourneo’s exhaust system to help reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide.

The AdBlue is stored in a small tank that you need to top up every few months. Or more frequently depending on how you drive. It’s a painless thing to do and it costs a couple hundred bucks from your Ford dealership.

Easy on the juice

It can offer an improvement in fuel consumption while you are saving the planet from poison gases. Can I comment on the Ford Tourneo’s fuel consumption claim? No, but I can tell you that we averaged just under seven litres per 100km on the open road. And just above by the time we had got back through the traffic to catch our flights home.

ALSO READ: VIDEO: New Ford Tourneo makes intentions clear at Nampo

We think this is excellent for a big square box that is driven by an easy shifting eight-speed gearbox. The latter is now operated by a new column-mounted shifter. This change makes for more leg room up front. But you nonetheless tend to shift the Ford Tourneo into neutral instead of flicking on the indicators in the beginning.

The Ford Tourneo is packed with creature comforts and intelligent safety systems and makes a strong bid for your money. It is worth investigating if you need a family car. Or a business transporter with a high degree of versatility and practicality.