Ford Tourneo Custom (2024) Launch Drive
The Blue Oval is seeking to increase its foothold in the people-mover market with the new Tourneo Custom. This week, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa finalised the launch price of the 2.0SiT Trend LWB and here are our impressions of the newcomer.
English farmer and former most famous motoring TV presenter in the world Jeremy Clarkson once wrote that a motoring journalist’s only essential task is to try convincing anyone why they shouldn’t buy a Golf.
So, does that maxim ring equally true for Volkswagen models in the people-carrier segment?
Certainly in South Africa, combined sales of the Volkswagen Caravelle, Kombi and crew buses swallow 37% of the segment’s 2 748 units sold up to the end of July, followed by the Hyundai Staria 10% behind. Next up are the Mercedes V-Class and Vito line-ups (19%) and the subject of this review – Ford, with the Transit Custom it launched in June and the Tourneo Custom LWB 8-seater – somewhat behind at 11%.
So, after some cursory back-of-the-carton calculations, Clarkson’s wisdom wasn’t as out whack as his detractors would like the world to believe. Ford; however, wants to believe that the newcomer is a worthy adversary to, specifically, the benchmark-setting, space-age Hyundai Staria Executive 9- and 11-seater.
Is it truly a foil to the Staria et al?
As the person-conveying version of the package-moving Transit Custom, the 5450 mm-long Tourneo Custom (available in 2.0SiT Trend LWB guise, for now) shares the same improvements in its DNA.
The combination of the new platform’s 100 kg diet, the wheel-in-each-corner placement, rear trailing-arm suspension, wind-cheating redesigned front end and reduced overall height (to 1 961 mm) has resulted in a more efficient, comfortable and enjoyable driving proposition for courier guys (and guy-lettes, of course) in the Transit Custom. And now – soccer moms and -dads in the Tourneo Custom, too.
Similarly shared is the 100 kW/360 Nm 2.0-litre AdBlue-supplemented turbodiesel engine (with Normal, Eco, Slippery and Tow drive modes), but instead of Mr Delivery’s 3-pedal version, Mrs Beckham’s bus has an 8-speed automatic transmission, with the drive selector configured as a column-mounted stalk.
Manual shift overrides are executed by an endcap turn-dial shaped and operated in the same way as one would activate the rear wiper; with forward twists triggering upshifts and rearwards ones for downshifts.
From safety to luxury, one would be hard-pressed to want for more features in the Tourneo Custom…
The cabin is dominated by a 13-inch Ford SYNC4-operated touchscreen that controls nearly all vehicle functions; which is flanked by an 8-inch-sized configurable digital instrument panel ahead of the driver. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available wirelessly, for spouting Spotify and other apps’ outputs through 10 speakers; and there’s a wireless charging pad at the bottom of the centre console.
A pair of 12V power outlets are positioned fore and aft; as is a smattering of USB A and C charging points throughout the cabin; most usefully in the B-pillar alongside the 1st row of rear passengers.
Roadholding is taken care of by ABS (with emergency brake-force distribution and brake assist), stability control, as well as hill-launch assist. There are 6 airbags and the driver aids extend to cruise control, a tyre-pressure monitor, front and rear parking sensors, a 180-degree rear camera, lane-keeping nanny, an (overzealous) driver fatigue monitor, traffic (and speed!) sign recognition and collision mitigation.
Now, trainspotters may derive sadistic pleasure from drawing conclusions after like-for-like comparisons over the different tread counts utilised in the seat trim of rival products, but ignoring the acres of hard plastic and rudimentary couture embellishment, the Tourneo’s primary purpose is packing people and their luggage, as well as towing stuff. And that’s where it truly shines.
Configured as standard with 3 rows of slideable, 180-degree rotatable (and entirely and easily removable seats), the Ford’s workhorse roots can see it transform from a versatile, formidable people-mover into a load-lugger. With all seats removed, it’ll match the Transit’s ability to gobble a trio of Euro-sized pallets.
Only with the 3rd row of seats slid into the rearmost position, does loading space finally turn into an endangered species. And that’s why the Tourneo Custom comes pre-wired to fit a towbar.
Except that towing should only really be seen as a last resort and sadly – but realistically – as a threat to otherwise tranquil traversing of the countryside in the Tourneo Custom. The single-turbo engine provides quiet and adequate performance, though there’s an occasional reluctance to kick down on uphills.
What’s more, the oblong-shaped tiller actuates direction changes lightly and sharply, and true to form, the pilot’s position is commanding as it is pleasantly panoramic; slightly offset by the looming low ceiling.
Even with an empty payload, it’s never going to trouble the Sporty Spice that is the Hyundai Staria with 130 kW/430 Nm; let alone the Volkswagen Transporter and Caravelle’s 146 kW/450 Nm zombie-stopper.
Yet perhaps the Tourneo Custom’s greatest contestation lies in its blue-collar DNA. Visually, its slab-sided appearance and workaday front end struggle to dispel the bus’ panel-van underpinnings. Neither is it as sumptuous-feeling inside or intriguingly styled as the Staria and there’s an irrefutable power deficit.
How much does the Ford Tourneo Custom cost in SA?
| Tourneo Custom 2.0SiT Trend LWB | R1 070 000 |
Whereas Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa has listed its new-model prices exclusive of service plans for the past few years, the Tourneo Custom 2.0SiT Trend LWB’s price (September 2024) includes a 6-year/90 000 km service plan. However, buyers can pay a lower price if they choose to forego the latter.
Furthermore, the price includes a 4-year/120 000 km warranty, 4-year/unlimited km roadside assistance and a 5-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. The recommended service interval is 15 000 km or annually, whichever occurs first.
See also: Ford Tourneo (2024) Price & Specs
Summary
FMCSA announced the Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0SiT Trend LWB’s price about 2 weeks after the launch event. The 8-seater is built in Turkey and the Silverton-based brand hoped for a favourable outcome from the rallying Rand/Euro exchange rate – perhaps it believed it could match the price of the Staria 2.2D Executive 9-seater, which is regarded as the (currently only) Tourneo Custom variant’s main rival.
However, with a 6-year/90 000 km service plan included (as the Hyundai has), the Ford costs a notable R160k more than its rival, even if it offers more features (such as keyless start and heated front seats).
Therefore, the newcomer starts with a disadvantage, even if it is more than capable of holding its own.
And do you know what? There’s nobility in humility: when you can’t quite reach the stars, you only have to shoot to shoot out the lights. Just look at Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson: he once drove Lambos (while mouthing off) for a living, but today, he is content to drive a tractor… and whisper.
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