Lately I have been noticing some very European inspired small trucks on the road. Every time I see one, I have to do a double take when I spy a familiar blue oval. It seems Ford is selling a ton of their new Transit Connect truck/vans. They are cool British looking things always doing fun stuff and always with great boldly colored graphics on it sides. I see them as cargo van/trucks for small businesses, and five passenger truck/vans hauling pretty people, and they always look like a blast to drive. Maybe it’s the height of 6’8” which makes them stand out, or the Ford Fusion style nose, but this little truck/van is everywhere.
I should stop calling it a truck/van, since it’s actually imported into the US as a small passenger car. Ford does this to avoid paying a tax on light duty trucks, but then sells them only on the truck pages of its website. Naughty, but who cares. They get a mulligan for not taking money from the government.
Why America wasn’t getting these things years ago is beyond me, especially since they are so popular in Europe. You can get a nicely equipped version for less than a full sized van, and with its gas sipping 2.0 liter Duratec engine, you won’t be destroying the planet. Plus your business can even design its own graphics at one of Ford’s websites which oddly has a broken link on the main site. I created one but it turned out pretty ugly so no pictures here. If you have a free weekend, it’s a great place to waste time.
Ford even has an accessory shop, where you can outfit it with a camping tent, or something called a wiper shaker. If that’s not enough, there are other websites where you can buy partitions, tool chests, drawers, and even some silly things like push bars, porch awnings and safes. This is one cool little truck/van. Forget the Stimulus package, this alone should increase small business in America.
Pictures courtesy of Edmunds.com and the Chicago Tribune
Article courtesy of Chris Raymond