In the year that we have just left, Ford thoroughly ventilated, or rather renovated, its range of LGV models and added quite a few new ones. So there is a certain amount of confusion at Ford now, because there are so many models that even buyers sometimes don't know which model it is without visual support. See how the Ford tourneo connect fared in our test.
But something is definitely true, tour connect, who recently drove decisively and confidently into segment of large vehicles, it offers a very pleasing external image, which in many respects is related to the latest civilian models with a blue oval on the nose, which should definitely be praised. If we look at the one-room competition within the brand, which is also wide and fierce, we see that the tourneo connect has come close to both C-maxoma and similarly has a tour two sizeable versions: basic and grande.
Ford's spacious representative is so unexpectedly popular and dynamically designed, and in the case of the tester, it was decorated with a concrete amount of chrome, additionally tinted windows from the B-pillar further, alloy wheels, etc. So completely at the level of passenger vehicles. They kept it on the side a pair of sliding doors, because it is more practical, and the boxy shape and high height make it easier to enter both rows of seats. At the rear, a modern pointed upright pair of lights invite attention, which do not disturb the garden frame, and the opening is large, which makes the tailgate awkward to handle.
The passenger cabin, like the appearance of the front part or the nose, shows a typical Ford mission, which means a distinctively designed steering wheel that sits nicely in the hands, a little too monotonously designed gauges and a center console with too many switches, especially in the area of the audio device. The new focus has already gone through a slimming cycle, as far as that is concerned, which means that it switched significantly less, the tourneo connect will obviously have to wait for a renovation in this regard. Thus, people who have recently owned or driven a modern Ford model will know everything well, but from the point of view of ergonomics (which is good), everything is just not in the best order. Screen under the windshield, on which most of the information of all systems is printed is relatively small, and the circle for opening the central vents is grotesquely large.
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But the seats offer a concrete measure of lateral support and a pleasing upholstery graphic, and entry and exit are one-seater high. The driver also has at his disposal center armrest, which is quite narrow. The plastic is quite hard, but it works well, considering the segment, it is even among the better ones. Certain switches at the bottom of the center console are inconveniently covered by a lever that is commendably stock six-speed gearbox, and in terms of storage space and drawers, it is only surpassed by a Kangoo.
Characteristic LED lighting in the form of lights placed illogically towards the edges, it made sense in the tester, which is shown for them when deciding on a large panoramic window, which makes the cabin even more airy and friendlier and is among the largest in the segment. They were also among the equipment windshield defroster threads, almost necessary parking aids, and the tester also had heated front seats, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, bluetooth and all possible connections. From the point of view of equipment, we didn't really miss anything... well, maybe only navigation and LED daytime running lights.
There is a lot of space in the second row of seats, the rear bench is surprisingly classic and can be divided into thirds, and the padding (foam) only indicates that it is three seats and not just a bench seat. The trunk positively stands out in terms of spaciousness, also in many spatial aspects, basically space for a good cube, and by collapsing the seats in the second row, this increases to the final ones 2,410 liters, which will almost certainly put a smile on the face of every family and adventurous father when he goes on a well-deserved vacation.
The tester was driven by a tested person, or we could say a little bit aged 1.6 TDCI diesel engine, which on paper offers enough power and torque (85 kW, 270 Nm), but what if it is accompanied by such a noticeable turbo hole that on cold mornings we didn't even come down the hill from the garage without the engine screeching and shutting down. Maybe the low morning temperatures and switched on electric consumers (air conditioning, heated seats) contributed to this, but TC should not have been able to afford it. However, when the engine warms up and gets going, it turns out to be more than powerful enough, and considering that there is an even weaker 70 kW version, we would choose this one and only this one. The consumption of the tester hovered a little above the limit of seven liters, which is not a record low, and perhaps this is another argument for deciding on a gasoline engine, especially if you do not spend too much time on the road.
When we include the price in the equation, we get another major drawback of the (test) car, as this club is anything but low with typical Ford discounts (in the amount of 2,500 euros). Just under 27 thousand for as much as the test vehicle cost, it also drives an already very concrete mid-sized MPV into your garage, even with even more equipment and equipment and with seven seats. However, the tourneo connect offers an almost car-like design and exemplary driving dynamics for the segment, as well as an abundance of content and equipment, which until recently was not attributed to this type of model, and this also counts for something.
More information about the model: www.ford.si/novi_tourneoconnect
Test model price: 25,730 euros (basic)/ 26,720 euros (test)
