RPO83

A new 2-tonne low-floor, front-wheel-drive model is joining the award-winning Ford Transit range.

Until now, the front-wheel-drive Transit has only been available as a low floor 1-tonne model, and the new 2-tonne, low floor, front-wheel-drive model will widen the appeal of Ford’s legendary commercial vehicle range.

The new generation Transit took the commercial vehicle business by storm when it was launched, as Ford became the only manufacturer to offer either rear-wheel (RWD) or front-wheel-drive (FWD) version from a common architecture. This provided customers with the widest possible range of vehicles to suit their needs, be it in a simplistic way increased towing capability and high payload (RWD) or lower loading height and easier maneuverability (FWD).

Now, professionals who want the benefits of front-wheel-drive but with a high payload combined with a lower floor for easy entry, can appreciate Transit’s credentials. With a 100 mm lower floor compared to the equivalent rear wheel drive model, offering easy entry plus an exceptional payload which goes up to 1674 and 1925 kg for the van and chassis-cab versions respectively, the new model will be a heavy hitter in the higher-end of the medium commercial market.

Likely customers for the new model will include multi-drop delivery van fleets who need the flexibility to carry a wide variety of goods which are not on pallets, so a low floor is essential for ease of loading. Skilled tradesmen who need a van with excellent payload and load space capabilities combined with the low floor to give greater flexibility and access will also appreciate the model.

The new 2-tonne Transit will also prove popular with the conversion industry, where chassis cab body builders, ambulance and caravan converters and mobile caterers will find the new configuration especially useful as a basis for their creations.

As you would expect from Ford, the 2-tonne low floor front wheel drive Transit will be available with a huge variety of powertrains and body types. Almost any combination of short, medium or long wheel-bases with van, kombi, kombi-van, chassis-cab and single-cab bodies, with low, medium or high roof, and powered by two diesel engines is available.

The available engines are either the 2.0-litre 100PS Duratorq TDdi (74kW) which is standard or the optional 125 PS, 2.0-litre common-rail TDCi (92kW) unit. The payload range is class leading, from 1403 kg to 1674 kg for the vans and from 1361 kg to 1925 kg for the chassis cabs.

“We always said that the Transit range would evolve to meet ever-increasing customer demands, and the new 2-tonne low floor, front-wheel-drive model is proof that we have listened,” said Paul Morel, Ford’s European Director for Commercial Vehicles. “Transit is so important to us that we’ll continue to improve it and add new derivatives to the range to keep it ahead of the competition.”

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