TOUR BUS (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 52

With the Tourneo Courier, sold between 2018 and 2020, Ford reverted to van-based underpinnings for its smallest MPV. And in doing so, made its most affordable People Carrier far more spacious inside. It may not be the family car you dreamed of. But it might well be the one you actually need.

Modelsword count: 7

[petrol] 1.0 EcoBoost / [diesel] 1.5 TDCi

Historyword count: 296

Sometimes, something simpler is more sensible. Take the turn of the century trend to create small People Carriers with bespoke car-like design. All you actually need as a starting point for such a vehicle is a small van. And if you agree and happen to be looking for a very compact MPV made in the 2018-2020 period, you might be interested in this one, the Ford Tourneo Courier. Back in 2014, Ford launched its smallest-ever van, the Transit Courier. It was a design able to provide a perfect base for the creation of a supermini-sized People Carrier, but that option wasn't initially taken up because the Blue Oval brand already had one of those in its range, the Fiesta-based B-MAX. That car, launched in 2012 and notable for a clever design that completely dispensed with a central B-pillar, was ultimately a casualty of the market's fashion-led switch away from MPVs to SUVs and was quietly deleted in 2018. Rather than replace it with something else styled from scratch, thoughts at Ford's design department turned back to the Transit Courier and its suitability as a base for a little People Carrier. Which is why we got this car, the Tourneo Courier, launched in mid-2018 as part of a rejuvenated range of van-based Ford Tourneo People Movers. Despite the LCV underpinnings, there's no lack of sophistication here. Especially under the bonnet where family buyers chose between Ford's 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel or a 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine enhanced with cylinder deactivation. There's also the brand's cutting-edge 'SYNC3' infotainment technology. But of course most important is the fact that this little MPV is far more spacious inside than you'd think a vehicle of this size would have any right to be. This car sold until 2020 - and wasn't replaced.

What You Getword count: 380

This Tourneo Courier delivers honest van-derived design with refreshingly frank simplicity. The main visual change the brand made during this car's short production run was to update its front grille. Otherwise, the main thing of note here is just how much cabin space Ford was able to fit into a car with a supermini-sized roadway footprint You get a real feel for that behind the wheel. This may have been Ford's smallest MPV in its period but you wouldn't think that from a seat inside. The perception of airiness is helped by the vast amount of headroom - and by superb all-round vision with an expansive windscreen that stretches high above your field of vision. Everything falls to hand easily and the centre stack was updated later in this model's production run with the option of the brand's latest 'SYNC 3' infotainment technology. As you'd expect from a People Carrier, there's plenty of cabin storage, including a wide overhead shelf and a front passenger seat pull-out drawer You'd be tempted to say that there's just as much room as you'd get in the far pricier Tourneo Connect model. That airy roof height certainly makes it feel like that. Each sliding door include pop-out windows and thoughtfully incorporates a cup holder and a little shallow tray. And, as standard, you get fold-back trays built into the front seat backs, each capable of holding up to 3kgs of weight. What about the boot? You've to negotiate a huge tailgate in order to get to it (which can be awkward in situations where you're backed up against a wall). But once everything's open, it's hard to grumble about the amount of space on offer. If you're using the parcel shelf, you can reposition it at two different heights so as it separate various parts of your load - say the family dog from the shopping. Take it out though, and the boot is very spacious indeed. There's 708-litres of capacity. And if you need more, the 60-40-split rear bench pushes forward in two stages, first tumbling onto the seat base. Then, if you pull on the additional lower straps, you can lift up the seat base and fold it forward against the front seat backs, freeing up as much as 1,656-litres of capacity.

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