Fleet Transport June 2020

Ford Fiesta Van 1.5 litre
TDCi Trend
TEST I | 57
decent access, though there is a significant
lip down to floor level.
It’s standard Fiesta fare ahead of the
bulkhead, which is no bad thing. Standard
equipment includes a 4.2” multi-function
colour display with DAB radio and four
speakers, Bluetooth and USB connectivity,
Hill Launch Assist, and Stop/Start system.
In fact the only thing that ‘cheapens’ the
Fiesta Van is a synthetic feeling steering
wheel - otherwise the cabin is pretty much
indistinguishable from a passenger Fiesta.
Strange as it may seem, there was a
time when the word ‘ubiquitous’
wasn’t out of place next to the
Ford Fiesta Van. Back in the late
eighties and early nineties, tax loopholes
meant that two seater versions of small
passenger cars were immensely popular
in Ireland, with the Fiesta leading the way
among a plethora of offerings from all the
major brands.
These days the market for car derived vans
is pretty minimal, to the extent that the
Fiesta Van has the B-Segment part of the
market all to itself. Opel offers a larger
C-Segment sized Astra Van, while Renault
will sell you a commercial version of the
Megane Sport Tourer. There are a selection of
manufacturers offering commercial versions
of mid- and large-sized crossover SUVs, but
otherwise the market for smaller commercial
vehicles is largely dominated by purposebuilt
vans these days.
One point of note about the Fiesta Van is
that unlike nearly all other car derived vans,
which arrive into Ireland as passenger cars
and are then converted to commercial spec,
it is a factory-built product with full EU N1
classification.
That manifests itself most obviously on
the outside where, instead of closed off and
blacked out rear windows, there are body
coloured metal panels similar to those on
purpose-designed panel vans.
Actually, making it obvious that it is a van
isn’t necessarily a selling point - one of
the appealing aspects of car derived vans
that have blacked out rear windows is that
they are virtually indistinguishable from
passenger car versions.
Inside there’s a half steel / half mesh bulkhead
separating the passenger compartment from
the load area. It’s contoured enough to allow
the front seats to recline sufficiently to meet
more users’ needs. Offering a cubic metre
of carrying capacity, the load area features
a low flat floor (though there is still space
for a space saver tyre underneath). It comes
with a neat rubberised floor mat that can be
easily removed to clean, and lashing points
in each corner to tie down objects. From
the back it’s just about possible to reach an
object at the bulkhead without having to
climb into the van - noteworthy as there is
no side access. The hatchback opening offers
On the move it’s all well bolted down, with
no additional noise coming from the adapted
rear of the vehicle. The 85PS 1.5 litre TDCi
sips diesel sparingly - we averaged 5.05
l/100km (55.9mpg), and it feels powerful
enough to cope with a full 530kg payload.
And being a Fiesta, it’s fun to drive, with agile
handling, responsive steering and quickshifting
6-speed manual gearbox.
Overall it’s a well put-together package but
it’s when you put the Fiesta Van up directly
against Ford’s own purpose-built compact
van, the Transit Courier, that it becomes
a little difficult to make a case for the carderived
model. Firstly, the Transit Courier
offers nearly double the load carrying
capacity - 1,908 litres compared to 1,000
litres, while its load area is much more
accessible thanks to a side door. On the
payload front the Transit Courier offers an
extra 70kg - 600kg versus 530kg. And while
the cabin of the Fiesta is the nicer space
overall of the two, the Transit Courier offers
much more in the way of storage facilities
and useful cubby holes for the busy working
driver.
Perhaps if the Fiesta Van was significantly
cheaper than the Transit Courier there’d
be a better case to be made for it. However
with an RRP of €17,560 for this 85PS diesel
Trend model, it costs nearly €800 more
than the equivalent Trend specced Transit
Courier with 75PS 1.5 TDCI which can be
had for €16,775.
Verdict
It’s competing in a market of its own, but for
those who don’t want a traditional looking
panel van and where load capacity isn’t an
overriding concern, the Fiesta Van offers
something a bit different - even if there are
cheaper and more practical alternatives.
Text & Photos: Cathal Doyle - cathal@fleet.ie
www.fleet.ie