Business Maverick

Moving beds – on the move with the new Ford Tourneo and Transit

The Transit Custom has best-in-class load capacity. (Photo: Ford SA)

30 Sep 2024

They are not called ‘multi-purpose vans’ for nothing, especially when you’ve got a whole lot of stuff to move.

In all the years I’ve been a resident of Planet Earth, I’ve never had my own new bed. As a child I inherited a hand-me-down, used by my older siblings. When I was a broke-ass student at UCT, I lugged a fold-up skinny foam mattress around and slept wherever my measly rent allowance allowed.

I’ve kipped on floors, couches and bedbug-infested lumpy mattresses when I found myself homeless during my great drug-induced decline. When I got clean and sober, I inherited a second-hand bed that carried the wear-and-tear of its previous owner. With new lovers and husband came beds that carried the marks of their previous partners.

This year I decided it was time to switch things up to kit out my cabin in the Breede Valley and buy a really special new bed. I spent weeks trawling the internet looking for “the one”. I went to various bed shops, and, like Goldilocks, I tried out every mattress and bed available. Too soft. Too hard. Too spongy. Too bleh.

Finally, I stumbled on a Malawian and Zimbabwean duo on Facebook Marketplace who were creating exquisite custom-made beds. I was mesmerised by the pics. I paid a visit to their workshop in Killarney Gardens, spent hours sketching designs and duly ordered my queen-size, extra-length bed in blackwood.

After a couple of weeks, it was ready in all its wooden splendour. Now I had to find a way to get it to my remote home in the Mostertshoek mountains.

The all-new bed. (Photo: Melinda Ferguson)

The all-new Tourneo

That same week I happened to be invited to the launch of the all-new Ford Tourneo, an 8-seater MPV (multi-purpose van) otherwise known as a “people mover”. With beds firmly on my brain, I arrived at the event in Gordon’s Bay.

The Tourneo (and its larger Transit panel-van sibling) form part of Ford’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) line-up, along with the Ranger and Raptor bakkies. The Tourneo resides in the same LCV class as MPVs like the VW Kombi, the Hyundai Staria and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, while the Transit Custom draws guns with the popular Toyota Quantum, the Hyundai Staria panel van and the VW Transporter.

The Tourneo first appeared on the South African market in 2013 and has done well over the last decade, although Volkswagen SA, with its Kombi, Caravelle and crew buses, are dominant with a 37% share of the segment.

Currently, Ford’s Tourneo and Transit (11%) trails behind the Hyundai Staria (27%) and the Mercedes V-Class and Vito (19%). With their new MPVs, Ford hopes to take back some market share.

Ford's panel van Transit Custom. (Photo: Ford SA)

On launch day we got to test drive the Tourneo “entry level” Trend long wheelbase, with its 2.0-litre single turbodiesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine delivers 100kW of power and 360Nm of torque. (In 2025 new higher specced models will be added to the range.)

Inside and out

With its clean lines, the new Tourneo has increased in width, in the front and rear, and now has a more planted appearance than the previous generation.

It’s an attractive looking “bus” and stands up well against its competitors when it comes to aesthetics. These types of MPVs are popular in the hotel industry as a shuttle for guests, small businesses, schools and for people with large families.

Inside, there’s a good blend of luxury, comfort and practicality. Since this is the entry-level Trend, you get cloth seats instead of leather. Tech-wise there’s all of Ford’s trusty goodies on offer by way of its 13-inch Ford Sync 4 touchscreen. No surprise that it’s Android Auto and Apple CarPlay-compatible – an added bonus is the onboard 5G modem to stay connected. There are plenty of USB ports for front and rear passengers, as well as a wireless phone charger. A big plus is the generous amount of storage compartments for all eight travellers.

The Tourneo's ergonomic cabin with its 13-inch Ford Sync 4 touchscreen. (Photo: Ford SA)

The drive

Our launch route included paying a visit to the annual Nampo agricultural expo in Bredasdorp. (That was an experience in itself, surrounded by tractors and bulldozers, and a lot of koeksisters and white men in khaki shorts.)

En route, as we put the Tourneo through its paces, I was impressed by the ease of drive and power available via its turbodiesel engine for a vehicle of its size.

It was a blustery day and so a fair amount of wind noise escaped from the large side mirrors but the overall drive was smooth and the new suspension managed to soak up uneven surfaces with ease. There are a number of drive modes on offer, including Eco and Tow/Haul, and towing capacity is up to 2,500kg for braked trailers.

Along the route, to ready ourselves for Nampo, we hooked up some lekker Kurt Darren via Bluetooth and blasted Kaptein (Span die seile) through the 10 onboard speakers. The sound in the Tourneo is banging. Lest we lost focus by getting carried away with bopping to Darren, we activated cruise control.

The 8-seater Tourneo with its flexible track system. (Photo: Ford SA)

Safety

It was reassuring to know that the safety systems in the Tourneo are top-notch, including lane-keep assist, forward collision warning and six airbags. There’s also a rear-view camera setup, enhanced by front and rear park-distance sensors.

The driver impairment monitoring system was clearly not impressed with my co-driver and I screeching Kurt D from the top of our lungs as it kept on telling us to focus. I suspected the system was not a fan of Kaptein and so switched to Smells like Teen Spirit by the other Kurt and, strangely, the system stopped moaning.

Fuel and space

When it came to economy, we managed just under 9-litre/100kms as opposed to Ford’s claim of 7.4-litre/100 km. While the Tourneo Custom is generous in terms of its 8-seat capacity via three rows of seating – with the second and third rows mounted on a flexible track system to adapt to passengers and cargo requirements – my heart sank on realising that there was no way that I was going to be able to use it to move my new extra-length queen, custom-made bed.

The Transit Custom has best-in-class load capacity. (Photo: Ford SA)

Over dinner, I edged in alongside Ford’s director of comms, Minesh.

“Dude, I’ve got this gorgeous new wooden bed that I have to get to my cabin. It clearly won’t fit into the Tourneo, but do you think it might fit into the new Transit?”

Ever the consummate fixer, Minesh said: “No problem.”

Within two days a Ford Transit Custom panel van was delivered to me in CT. Excitedly, I drove to the “bed workshop” and for the next hour we attempted to squeeze the almost 2m bed into the van. No matter how much we huffed and puffed, and no matter what angle we tried, my extra-length queen was literally 2cm too long. So, we wrapped it in bubble wrap and hired a flatbed truck.

Thankfully, I managed to pack a mattress, a washing machine, a stove, three chairs, a coffee table, and various other bits and bobs into the Transit’s generous van compartment, with its best-in-class load-volume capacity of 6.8m2. And when it came to the end of the long day, my first night on my new bed was “just right”. DM

Pricing:

Ford Transit Custom – R692,200

Ford Tourneo Custom Trend LWB – R1,070,000.

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