SA's minibus market heats up with new Ford Tourneo

Year to date July 2024, the segment is currently dominated by the Staria with 27% market share, while the Volkswagen Kombi and Transporter Crew Bus share 20 and 13% respectively. The Tourneo comes in fourth with 11%.

The new model of the Blue Oval’s bus, which is essentially the people-mover version of its Transit Custom panel van, is built on a new platform.

For the time being, however, it is only offered in one derivative with a long-wheelbase configuration, which is the Trend option.

The pricing of the new Tourneo also has not been announced yet, making it slightly tricky to know how it competes with its competitors. Ford South Africa cited positive fluctuations in the rand as the reason for not announcing the pricing of the Tourneo yet.

In the meantime, it's good to know what is new with the latest iteration of the Blue Oval's lifestyle minibus. The new Ford Tourneo is now 100kg lighter than the outgoing model with a lower floor height. Its overall height has also been reduced to under 2m high.

Ford South Africa stressed the importance of how the new Tourneo boasts a car-like driving position. They mentioned the same thing when its Transit Custom van was launched. The new Tourneo does indeed have a seating position akin to that of an SUV, which makes the driving experience more comfortable.

With the second- and third-row seats removed, a 6.8m3 loading volume is available. Isofix points are available on all three seats in the second row as well as the two outboard seats in the third row.

A 13-inch central touchscreen built around Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system comes with the new Ford Tourneo, with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility as standard. Wireless charging is available as standard.

The central screen is complemented by a new 12-inch instrument cluster that includes an 8-inch inch configurable digital display.

More cabin-focused features include automatic dual-zone electronic climate control, rear seat climate control, heated driver and front passenger seats, one front dual USB (USB A and C), one front 12V socket, one rear 12V socket, and three rear USB ports.

A noticeable difference with the new Ford Tourneo is the absence of a gear shifter between driver and passenger. The switchgear for shifting has moved to a column-mounted shifter for vehicles with an automatic transmission, which creates more space in the cabin.

The latest Tourneo in its Trend option is driven by a 2l single turbo EcoBlue diesel engine that uses AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid. A 20l AdBlue tank is standard. The engine delivers 100kW of power at 3,500 r/min, matched to 360Nm of torque between 1,750 and 2,500 r/min.

It is available with an eight-speed automatic transmission that provides power to the front wheels.

The suspension of the Tourneo has also been revised, which was noticeable on a road test as it provided comfort at faster speeds.

The 2l engine and eight-speed gearbox also performed adequately on open roads, providing just enough power to overtake. It would however be interesting to know how it handles with eight occupants seated.

When it comes to safety, the Tourneo is packed with a total of six airbags are provided, comprising dual front, side and rear curtain airbags.

Other safety features include intelligent adaptive cruise control, lane keeping aid, evasive steering assist, forward collision warning, reverse brake assist, driver alert with driver impairment monitor, adaptive front lighting system, ABS brakes with dynamic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, emergency brake assist, trailer tow electrics, and a 180-degree camera system with front and rear parking sensors.