The great thing about the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect is that, unlike many of its major rivals, it’s based on a car – the Focus – as opposed to a van. This means that underneath its skin, it’s less crude, whilst at the same time it offers plenty of space, sliding rear doors and a good choice of engines. Let’s take a closer look at what it offers.
Engines
Two petrol units are on offer, but the sensible choice is to pair your Ford Grand Tourneo Connect up with one of the two diesels. The diesels are each 1.6-litre power plants and develop either 94bhp or 113bhp respectively. Performance is not what you’d call particularly exciting, with each engine taking up to around 15 seconds to cross the 62mph line, but at the same time, few will prioritise speed when considering a Ford Tourneo Connect. Instead, each unit performs well at the kind of breezing through town speeds it will come across all the time.
If you do want to consider the petrols, there is a tenacious, gutsy 1.0-litre turbocharged unit on offer which develops 99bhp and which feels comfortable on the road. The problem this mini-me with a punch has is that it will invariably suffer if you load your Ford Tourneo Connect with five or seven passengers. Alternatively, there is a 1.6-litre petrol plant on offer which at 148bhp is the most powerful of all the engines. It comes wedded to an automatic gearbox only, and despite being the most powerful and the quickest, it’s also the most expensive. By quite a margin. Recommended are the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect 1.6 TDCI Titanium and the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect 1.6 TDI Zetec units.
Interior
The interior of this particular MPV is not going to suffer as much as its van-based rivals because it shares its design with some of Ford’s more pleasant modern cars. That isn’t to suggest that the interior is without its hard plastics – if you look hard enough you’ll spot them – but equipment is good. The driver’s seat is adjustable, whilst the seats are supportive and comfortable. Noise speed is a bit overpowering on occasions owing to a lack of soundproofing. It’s disappointing when you consider that its stablemates are soundproofed.
Practicality
A highpoint of the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect’s design is that it’s very boxlike – which ensures there are no unorthodox, slick and stylish nuances in the design that hamper interior space. Instead, the car is roomy, with all five passengers treated to a good amount of leg and headroom. Even in the rear, adults will be quite comfortable, whilst seven seats are optional. Seven passengers can fit into the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect, but they might feel a bit pinched for space. And because of the seven seats, the boot suffers as a result, with 1,264-litres on offer if you fold the rear seats. Visibility is good owing to some massive windows, whilst buyers can get their hands on a rear parking camera as an option to enhance practicality.
Facts and Figures
The Ford Grand Tourneo Connect price range starts out from around £14,445 and rises to about £20,445. Buyers can get their hands on a used Ford Tourneo Connect for a little bit less. There are three trim levels available: Style, Zetec and Titanium, whilst standard equipment across the range includes 16” steel wheels, daytime running lights, a dual-sliding rear door, a trip computer, dual cup holders, front and rear airbags and remote control locking. The Zetec ups the ante by offering body colour front bumpers, front fog lights and power rear windows, while the plush Titanium treats buyers to rear privacy glass, static conferring and panorama glass.
Final Thoughts
Buyers who are interested in the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect will probably be weighing it up alongside the Ford C-Max. Both have their pros and cons, but although the C-Max has the desirability factor and the comfort, the new Ford Grand Tourneo Connect has swathes of interior space that its stablemate can’t compete with. Thanks to a high roofline and the van’s boxy shape, this car is able to treat its passengers to a generous amount of room that gives them plenty of leg and head space. Access to the rear is great, whilst the option of seven seats is a good bonus.
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