VW’s small van goes blue oval as the global collaboration begins to take shape.

Ford’s corporate development agreement with VW has delivered a new American badged MPV, that is actually quite German.

The American company’s latest Tourneo Connect is very much aVW Caddy 2021 clone. That means this Ford uses the VW MQB platform, with all its advanced engineering benefits.

Ford’s design team has tried to give the VW-platform Tourneo Connect some separate identity with its grille design and unique wheel options.

The core engineering details are an interesting blend of Ford powertrains and VW platform.

Engine options are either the 1.5-litre EcoBoost turbopetrol, good for 85 kW and 220 Nm, or two 2-litre turbodiesels, boosting 82 kW/280 Nm or 90 kW/320 Nm.

Pairing these engines to their drive wheels, are a six-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Don’t think for a moment that the latter is a VW DSG, as Ford specifically references the seven-speed dual-clutch being its own PowerShift transmission.

With the move to VW’s MQB platform, the new Tourneo Connect is the first of its lineage to offer all-wheel-drive. Interestingly, the all-wheel-drive option is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox and the more potent 2-litre turbodiesel engine.

It is unclear whether this all-wheel-drive system is VW 4Motion or a Ford development.

Infotainment has been an area of traditional Ford strength. Its various iterations of Sync have been excellent device pairing systems. Strangely, Sync (or any of its versions) isn’t mentioned once in all the technical information relating to Ford’s new Tourneo Connect.

Ford has confirmed that two infotainment screen options will be available: an 8.25-inch on entry-level versions and the 10-inch on mid-to premium-grade Tourneo Connects. The unanswered question is whether this new Ford MPV uses VW’s latest-generation infotainment system or a hybrid version of Sync.

There is mention of the FordPass Connect feature and FordPass Pro smartphone apps, but nothing about which coding it uses to master the infotainment.

There are no current plans for Ford South Africa to introduce the new Tourneo Connect in South Africa at this stage. However, should plans change, we will keep you updated!

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