by Peter Ciani
I’m probably the only person in the automotive industry who geeks out about having a cargo van dropped at their door. Sure, I get to sample a lot of vehicles and I do enjoy driving them all, whether they’re flashy, sporty or a bit more utilitarian, but this week’s ride – the newly enhanced 2020 Ford Transit T150 Cargo Van – found my soft spot.
A week ago, I had the incredibly capable Ford Super Duty F-250 Tremor to drive, and a few weeks before that I was carving up the backroads of New Hampshire in a Toyota Supra. I’d like to say that the 2020 Transit Cargo Van is sort of like the Supra. It’s a two-seater and it has a turbocharged 6-cylinder… Okay, maybe not.
Back when I was a kid with little-to-no money, my daily driver was a beat-up 1983 Ford Econoline cargo van. It was a bit ugly, but it had a 3-speed manual transmission and an absolutely bullet-proof 300 cubic inch straight six engine. So, while I wasn’t the coolest guy on the block, I did have a very handy, super reliable vehicle that actually wasn’t that bad on gas – all things considered.
In fact, I still have that Ford van to this day, almost 25-years later and although it has sat for a decade or two, it still will start and move under its own power. These days it serves as a movable storage bin more than a van, but I will admit after driving the Transit for the last few days I’m feeling a bit nostalgic and thinking about getting the ole Ford back to operational. Maybe just for dump runs and such.
Clearly, there really isn’t much in common between the Transit and my trusty 80s Econoline E-100 van that boasted two seatbelts as its notable safety equipment. Nevertheless, the Transit has stirred things up and, more than anything, made me think about my future.
While I don’t consider myself a ‘van life’ guy, I’d love to have a reliable cruiser to eventually tour the U.S.A. A van like the Transit fits that bill. I could consider a small RV, but I like the subtle, more incognito appearance of the Cargo Van and would want to customize it myself.
But before I get too far ahead of the business at hand, here’s what’s new with the Transit.
For 2020, the Ford Transit gets a host of standard and available safety feature upgrades along with several key mechanical and styling updates as well.
OUTSIDE:
All 2020 Transit models include updated grille designs. Passenger and Cargo models feature a new three-bar grille, while the cutaway and chassis cab models get a more open mesh style for maximum cooling. New premium high-intensity discharge headlights with signature LED surrounds are available as is a power side door on cargo models. Automatic Rain-Sensing wipers are now standard.
Our test vehicle came equipped with the Exterior Upgrade package, which gives it a less utilitarian appearance, adding a chrome grille surround and chrome-trimmed headlamps.
The Transit is available in Cargo Van, Crew, Passenger Van (XL, XLT), Cutaway and Chassis Cab versions, and as you might imagine it can be ordered in a wide-range, or should I say dizzying-range of configurations.
Besides offering three different roof heights (low, medium, and high) there are also three different body lengths (regular, long and extended). Fleet buyers can also choose various window and seating arrangements.
You really have to know what you are looking for when spec-ing out a Transit. For example, all models can be ordered with either roof option, but you can’t get a low or medium roof model with the extended wheelbase. Conversely, you can’t get the high roof model with the regular wheelbase, and so on. I don’t want to bore you with a ton of different variations – believe me, there are a lot of them.
You can also choose your Transit’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Passenger Van GVWR Payload packages range from 8,550 GVWR to 10,360 GVWR, but again these choices are dictated by roof height and chassis length. Naturally, Cutaway and Chassis Cab Models offer a higher 11,000 GVWR.
Cargo volume on the extended wheelbase Cargo Van tops out at 487.3 cubic feet. Maximum towing tops out at 6,400-lbs in the Passenger Van and 6,800-lbs in the Cargo van, but then the Transit is more of a hauler than a tow vehicle. If you have a large family and a large boat, you should probably head over to the Ford Expedition build page.
POWERTRAIN:
Engine options for the Transit have been reduced to an optional 310-hp 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 with start-stop technology (as in our tester) and the standard E-85 compatible, naturally aspirated 3.5-liter PFDI V6. PFDI stands for port-fuel / direct-injection and features two injectors per cylinder for increased overall performance.
The 2020 order guide makes no mention of the 3.7-liter V6 and the 3.2-liter I5 diesel from 2019 so, it’s safe to assume that those engines have been retired. Curiously, Ford does mention that the 2.0L EcoBlue Bi-Turbo I4 Diesel is discontinued, but I’m not sure that engine actually ever made it into production anyway.
Ford doesn’t provide Fuel economy ratings for the Transit Cargo but our cargo-less cargo van averaged around 18-mpg in mixed driving.
Both V6 engines now come paired with Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission, plus the Transit now gives you the choice of rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. A first for any Ford cargo van.
Our test model included all-wheel-drive and although I would have loved to have tried it out in the snow, as luck would have it the weather hit high-sixty-degree temperatures for the entire week I drove the Transit. (Did I mention it also rained most of the week that I had the Toyota Supra?)
So how does this combination handle? Well, pretty good for a big cargo van. The new electric-assist power steering is light at low speeds and firm on the highway, exactly what you’d want in a vehicle of this size.
I wasn’t looking to hit the twisty back roads, but in my area there are quite a few so, it’s unavoidable. On the mountain roads, the Transit isn’t as lumbering as you’d expect. To be clear, I drove an unloaded low roof model, other versions may feel a bit heavier. I would have enjoyed pushing the envelope a little in the twisties, but unless your name is Sabine Schmitz you might want to leave the Ford Transit Nurburgring track records to the pros.
The acceleration with the turbocharged V6 / 10-speed combo is smooth and not laggy, but as I said, I had nothing big or heavy to move, so I didn’t test it while it was loaded up.
The V6 start-stop system works pretty well. I know a lot of people don’t like having start-stop in their passenger cars because of the way it operates, but if you are a fleet manager with hundreds or even thousands of vans you might appreciate the small bit of fuel savings it adds.
Another simple but clever feature is the fuel door. I’ve never noticed it before on the Transit, but you cannot open the fuel door unless the driver side door is open. This is especially good for fleet owners seeing as the Transit can hold up to 31-gallons of gas with the optional fuel tank and might be a tempting target for fuel thieves.
New 16-inch heavy-duty steel wheels and a heavy-duty front axle configuration round out the Transit’s exterior updates.
INSIDE:
The Transit features an updated interior for 2020. This includes a new dashboard with a revised center stack and a high-mounted touchscreen that doesn’t look like it was stolen out of a Fiesta, like in the outgoing model.
The new design also features a better layout for improved ergonomics, reconfigured heating and cooling vents, additional storage, and more cup holders (of course).
Speaking of storage, one notable feature of the new layout is the way the Transit makes use of the space on top of the dashboard itself. Besides acting as a storage bin it now has two power ports, making the space a great, out-of-the-way spot to charge your phone.
The seat fabric has also been improved for 2020. Our test vehicle included the optional heated leather seats, which work wonderfully. It gets so cold here, I very rarely have to turn the heated seats down in a vehicle. In the Transit I did.
The leather seats are comfortable, but in this application, I think I’d rather have the cloth seats, especially since they can be ordered with a heated option. Leather heated seats are fine but cloth heated seats are the best in my humble opinion.
Optional front swivel seats are now available,too. Ford says this was an option that RV customers have been asking for.
The Transit Cargo offers standard seating for two, but if need be, you can now upgrade to the Transit Crew model with 5-passenger seating. This configuration adds a 3-passenger rear bench seat in the cargo area.
The Transit Passenger Van starts with standard 10-passenger seating, while long-wheelbase versions include seating for 12 and the extended wheelbase version can be ordered with 14 or 15-passenger seating. Oddly, it’s cheaper to get the standard 15-passenger setup on the extended version, but for $340, Ford will take one seat away for you.
Although seating choices are limited when using the online configurator, like everything else on the Transit, seating arrangements can be custom tailored for your application. This is something you have to discuss with your dealer.
Beyond interior seating, the safety and infotainment updates are where the 2020 Ford Transit really sees an improvement.
The optional 6.5-inch center display from last year has been replaced with an optional 8-inch touchscreen that’s mounted higher and more forward than the older setup, making it easier to operate. One thing I’ve never liked on the older Ford models was the set-back layout of the touchscreen. You always had to turn your hand in a weird way, or use your thumb to use it. Thankfully, as we’ve seen in the newer Ford models such as the redesigned Escape and Explorer, those days are gone.
The new 8-inch touchscreen includes Ford’s SYNC 3 operating system that online reviewers seemed to pan as being a bit “drab” or bland. Personally, I find it well laid out and easy to operate, and even as the rest of the Ford fleet starts upgrading to SYNC 4, I think this system works fine in this application. It doesn’t need to be overly flashy.
SYNC 3 Android Auto 
SYNC 3 Waze
The Transit also includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration Transit. As a bonus, this works with the new upper dash-mounted USB port, so you can plug in your phone and stash it out of the way in this handy storage area.
SAFETY:
While ‘Side Wind Assist’ and Hill Start assist were the most notable driver-assist features for 2019 Transit, the 2020 Transit gets a major upgrade in both standard and available safety features.
Ford Co-Pilot360 Safety features are now standard on the Transit. This includes Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, PostCollison Braking, Auto High-Beam Headlamps, and Lane-Keeping System and Forward Collision Warning.
Beyond the standard safety features, optional Ford Co-Pilot360 Technologies include Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Information with Cross-traffic Alert and Trailer Coverage, and a Front and Rear Split-View Camera.
The optional Reverse Sensing System comes standard on the Passenger Van XLT. For $295 it’s a no-brainer. At this price Ford ought to make it a standard feature across the board. Like the RSS, Blind Spot Information is also a great feature to have on a windowless configuration like ours, I’d recommend it.
Our tester also included the optional Enhanced Active Park Assist, an $895 option. If you’re not familiar, Active Park Assist can help steer your vehicle into a parking space, this works in both parallel and perpendicular parking spots. Normally a feature that you’d expect to find in higher-end cars, it’s well-suited for a big vehicle with limited visibility.
Other interior tech upgrades include a standard FordPass Connect modem with 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and connectivity. For fleet managers, FordPass connect also provides data to support telematics and data services for things like vehicle location, speed, idle time, fuel, vehicle diagnostics, and maintenance alerts.
New standard Smart Acceleration Truncation is another fuel-saving trick for fleet buyers, this system limits the engine torque when the van is empty, or carrying a light load.
Practically speaking, for business owners as well as large families there’s certainly a lot to like about 2020 Transit. The safety upgrades alone should make it appealing, especially if you’re uncomfortable driving such a large vehicle.
For me, I patiently await the day when I can retire to take on my own van adventure. Who knows maybe I’ll be able to do it gas-free since Ford recently announced that they plan on investing $100 million in their Kansas City assembly plant to start production of an E-Transit all-electric version. Look for more about the new eTransit at the Ford website or tune in to RPM’s EV Power Podcast. I’m sure we’ll be digging into the details soon.
Transit Key Facts:
Starting 2020 MSRP:
- Cargo: $34,510
- Crew Van: $36,720
- Passenger: $40,180
- Price as Tested: $49,575 (w/ dest. & delivery charges)
Engines:
- 3.5-liter PFDi V6 275-hp / 262 ft. lbs tq
- 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 310-hp / 400 ft. lbs tq
Transmission:
10-Speed Automatic w/ Std auxiliary cooler
Driveline:
RWD / AWD
MPG (Passenger only):
- T150 Passenger RWD: 15 City /19 Highway
- T150 Passenger AWD: 14 City / 19 Highway
