My New 2014 Transit Connect!

[mike68au]

Yup, Fuel the government has dictated diesels are to dirty for america and charge (tax) a huge premium on diesel options in the states...funny thing is you guys across the pond have stricter environmental regulations then US and diesels are the same or sometimes cheaper then gasoline engines in europe.  [blink]

For my work I have been driving a 1.9 litre Diesel Volkswagen Caddy Van for the past 7 years, on average i would get 700km per tank (55 Litres) which is 7.7 litres per 100Km or 30.31 MPG.

I couldn't imagine not driving a diesel vehicle ever again, i love the performance and economy of modern diesels.  

I few years back i lost my Volkswagen Jetta to Hail Damage ( freak Storm here win Perth ) it was Diesel as well, when i had to replace it i ended up buying a Ford Mondeo ( Like a US Fusion ) with a Petrol engine, I hated it and after a year i took the hit, traded it in and  bought a Volkswagen Passat with the 2 Litre Diesel.... never been happier.  Diesel for life.

Also I'm in the process of Changing the Shelving in my Van for my Systainers.... i'll throw up some images when done, so as to share some other Euro Van styling for you all.

 

[wow]

Yup, Fuel the government has dictated diesels are to dirty for america and charge (tax) a huge premium on diesel options in the states...funny thing is you guys across the pond have stricter environmental regulations then US and diesels are the same or sometimes cheaper then gasoline engines in europe.  [blink]

I couldn't imagine not driving a diesel vehicle ever again, i love the performance and economy of modern diesels. Diesel for life.

I too am a diesel lover. We have 2 diesel 4x4 trucks, 2 diesel tractors, and a diesel generator. Even my daughter drives a diesel pickup!

 

[Brice Burrell]

I have the regular 2.5L, 4 cylinder engine and I'm not getting very good mileage at all, 16.5 mpg with mixed city/highway. [mad]  I hope it gets better after the engine is broken in. 

I'd guess 3pedal's 38 mpg was a typo.  The standard engine is rated at 21/29mpg and the Ecoboost is 22/30mpg.

Whoa!!  [eek] thats horrible man. how are you driving it? hard? dont get me wrong fords programming of the transmission is absolutely stupid and i think the gearing is totally off. it shouldnt be at 2300 RPM going 65mph..someone missed the ball their in the engineering department.  [blink] winter blend fuel is not helping at all either. I have 800 miles on the clock. I have also found that putting it in manumatic mode helps tremendously with the MPG, especially in city driving. For the most part its obedient but there are times it makes me wonder why ford even bother putting a manual mode in there if it doesnt give you 100% control  [mad] I soo wish we could of got this in a manual diesel here stateside.

The mileage has improved slightly, a combined 17.3 mpg.  I don't drive hard but I don't drive like an old man either.  The winter blend isn't helping although I don't know how big of a factor that plays.  One thing that is a big factor is the terrain here in Pittsburgh, it's all hills here.  Also, my highway driving is in and around the city, constant merging, traffic and lots of hills.  If I was able to set the cruise control to 65 and drive, I'd expect a marked improvement.  I'm not ready to make my final judgement on the mileage just yet.

I agree the gearing could be better and I also don't really like (and don't use) the sport/manumatic.  I find the manumatic to make the driving experience less appealing and unless I somehow figured out I was doing something drastically wrong while using it I can't see it improving my mileage much.  Interesting that you and I are having very different experiences on the mileage.  You mush have the best Connect that rolled off the assembly line to be getting better mileage than the EPA estimate, you wanna trade vans. [tongue]         

 

[jmbfestool]

Even though I can't believe you guys across the Pond are using petrol vans over diesel!  I can say one benefit petrol has over diesel is when you do a lot of short distances! 

Twice now my engine management has come on since I owned my van because of anti pollution blockage! 

90% of my work is local about 20mins max travel time and usually any more and I try to avoid the job unless I need to work.

My missus car is diesel  and her anti pollution light came on when she was doing couple months of short distance traveling for her work.  Luckily she's back to traveling long enough distances to keep the anti pollution clean.

Little annoying because your engine looses power and I gotta find a day when I don't need my van to take it into the garage.

Jmb

 

 

[sancho57]

Gas is way cheaper then diesel in the states and its more readily available.

plus the maintenance for a diesel engine in the states is through the roof

 

[3PedalMINI]

Got some progress done this weekend...The bulkhead is completed and installed, there is a piece that removes so i can fit long lumber or 65" TV's in there! lighting was also finished. Still need to carpet the shelf's on the right side and install some hooks and things of that nature around the van for things like my level etc.

The interior cabinet where you see the cable box is meant for more systainers, i havent decided what sizes to get or what to put inside of them. The empty space above the MIDI systainer is for another ICE cable box.

So far i am ecstatic with how it turned out. My carpeting skills are not the best at all but at the end of the day it is only there to help dampen the noise and keep things from rattling and so far it is doing a REALLY good job at it, It is super quiet in there!!! im going to clean it up and get some good pictures. But here are some i took early this evening! so far i have spent a total of $588 on everything you see. Lights, Rails, Wood,Carpet Glue, Carpet etc. I have a TON of hours into this though. You cannot tell in the pictures but there is hours of scribing, planning etc.



I have an extra space for a SYS-3!!!


Here you can see the door panel that lifts out when i need the length


Picture of the lighting and top brackets that are securing the cabinets to the top of the van



Lights


This is at night, it is SUPER BRIGHT in there!!





I did a rail of light at the top of the exterior cabinet so i could see them better at night or in parking garages

 

[Sparktrician]

I really like your use of carpeting and that lighting is just spectacular.  Well done!!! 

 

[Pugster10]

Love the interior lights you have used.  Which lights are they and where did you get them from? Also exactly where did you wire them in?

Thanks.

 

[3PedalMINI]

UPDATE!!!!!

Hey Guys! Long time no post, been seriously busy!

Our business model has changed where we are hauling more and more large equipment and the transit (unfortunately) is starting to become small...We are now pre-building all of our equipment racks and they are much to tall to fit in the transit connect

Its up for sale now, MSRP on it was $26,600 asking $18,800 (KBB is $19,800) for it with the racking I built! Purchased February 2014 and has 24,300 miles mostly Highway! tires in great shape and all maintenance done by Ford! Still under factory warranty!

2014 Ford Transit Connect LWB XLT with factory painted body panels, 4 Keyless Entry keys, Sync System W/Backup Camera-cruise control-foglights. It Spotless inside and out! Back cargo area has some scuffs and marks but nothing serious major!

I truly wish I could make two vehicles work and keep this because it has been truely an amazing van but I dont need two vehicles! Figured I would post it here first to see if there was interest considering its a "festool van" otherwise I'm going to have to remove all my hard work

Thanks!! PM for more info! Im willing to drive it a reasonable distance to anyone that is interested!

 

[Hurricane Whisperer]

Nice, is that some kind of outdoor carpet?  I was hoping to see the lighting done, you better get cracking before the snow hits. [tongue]

Ha! Too Late  [mad] already have flurries. With this weeks work it doesnt look like im finishing this weekend  [unsure]

The carpet is the stuff they wrap subwoofers and car accessories in. Its automotive "felt" so it can get wet and withstand the temperature swings. Lighting wont be finished until all the cabinets are in.

You doing anything to stop the Systainers from falling out ?
You say you are going to plywood over the rear windows.  Don't you get the option of no rear windows ?  Also surprised to see no steel bulkhead.  That would be the first thing i install.
Nice looking van though.

The shelving will have lips on them to prevent them from falling out. There is an option for no rear windows but not a single dealer ordered them with that option and i didnt want to wait 4-6 months to order one (i couldnt) the way it is working out im not going to need the plywood on the windows. im just going to order the window screens and black them out.

the steel bulkhead took to much area out of the cargo area. Im building one out of 3/4" plywood with a slidding door so i can still haul 8-10ft lumber between the seats and so i can haul a 65" TV.  all of my cargo is usually low and small so if the worst happened and in an accident it would crack towards the bottom.

I know you can't lay 4x8 plywood sheets flat on the floor due to the length being to short.

But your comment about carrying long lumber between the sheets gave me an idea.

Is it possible to carry 4x8 plywood on edge by letting it stick between the seats?

I believe the transit connect long wb is only 10 or 11 inches shy of an 8 ft sheet behind the seats.

 

[jmbfestool]

UPDATE!!!!!

Hey Guys! Long time no post, been seriously busy!

Our business model has changed where we are hauling more and more large equipment and the transit (unfortunately) is starting to become small...We are now pre-building all of our equipment racks and they are much to tall to fit in the transit connect

Its up for sale now, MSRP on it was $26,600 asking $18,800 (KBB is $19,800) for it with the racking I built! Purchased February 2014 and has 24,300 miles mostly Highway! tires in great shape and all maintenance done by Ford! Still under factory warranty!

2014 Ford Transit Connect LWB XLT with factory painted body panels, 4 Keyless Entry keys, Sync System W/Backup Camera-cruise control-foglights. It Spotless inside and out! Back cargo area has some scuffs and marks but nothing serious major!

I truly wish I could make two vehicles work and keep this because it has been truely an amazing van but I dont need two vehicles! Figured I would post it here first to see if there was interest considering its a "festool van" otherwise I'm going to have to remove all my hard work

Thanks!! PM for more info! Im willing to drive it a reasonable distance to anyone that is interested!

Why would you have to remove it all?

When I was selling my van no one was bothered about my van racking. I said I would remove it but was told it wouldn't add more value.  So they said unless you want the racking for your self you can leave it in.  I just left it in.