Instead of going for a large estate again (Octavia) which isn’t really suitable for our needs anymore (2 kids under 27 months and two large dogs + bikes etc) we’re looking at van based MPV’s as a replacement.

We have discounted T5 Caravelle’s as they are so expensive, (Seriously £15k for 10year old with 150k miles?!) Vito’s for the same but not as bad and the Vivaro/Trafic as they are a bit sparse and ‘vanny’ (they are vans I know). We have a 07 Vivaro camper but would like some mod cons/creature comforts and decent safety equipment if this is going to be a daily family car.

This has left us at the Tourneo Custom. They’re nice to drive, comfortable, 5-star NCAP+isofix, can be bought with 8 seats (not a front bench) and have all the mod cons (Titanium spec). A 2015 model with 30k mileage can be had for circa £18k which seems reasonable.

Does anyone regularly drive one/has done the same and have any useful feedback?

We wenyt through the exact same process 3 months back. We ended up with a Tourneo Connect Titanium, about 13,500, 20k miles, 2 years warranty remaining.

I can fit 4 bikes and people inside, it is far more comfortable to drive and has amazing amounts of passenger space. We went for the 1.6d, I was expecting it to be sluggish but in fact it is not, the gearbox is 6 speed and sucks the power from the engine, 85 on the MWay is about 42 mpg. Around town and A roads, it drives superbly well.

On other areas, loads of storage, the radio is OK but not the greatest, good sound but no bluetooth is my biggest nag. there is a USB for audio though. The rear overhead storage bins are fantastic for storing spares, tubes, oil etc.

Just realised you are after the Custom which is the mahoosive one, sorry!- but, if you look at the Connect, for a family of 5 its fantastic 🙂

I drive Tourneo Customs at work and have a Trafic of my own.

The Tourneo is certainly a nice place to sit. Very comfy. All the toys. Like sitying in a big Mondeo. I’ve carried 7 passengers, their bikes and luggage and up to 20 bikes inside, on roof and on rear rack.

The Tourneo has “plush” suspension compared to the Trafic. It has a lot more body roll when cornering though and as a driver I prefer the firmer Trafic.

The Tourneo is also much thirstier and feels quite underpowered(IIRC it’s the 2.5 we have). My Trafic is a 2.0L and feels much quicker.

I’ve just got a Transit Custom as a work/bike van. Love it, feels very car-like to drive & the higher spec ones (possibly all Tourneos?) have loads of gadgets so very comfy. Much smaller than traditional Transit so no problems parking, etc (not much bigger than an estate really). AFAIK (and contrary to above) there’s only one engine (2.2L) with 3 different power levels (approx 100, 125 & 150 hp). I have the 125, it is fine (not slow). The 100 would feel a bit underpowered I think and the 150 would probably feel quite fast (haven’t driven either though). Have been getting around 30 mpg (mainly town driving/B-roads, probably be a lot better on motorway).

Ah – makes sense. It’s a 125 and a 150 we have. The 150 feels a lot stronger and has better fuel consumption (ie it’s possible to get up to 35mpg on a steady, unloaded trip, the 125 struggles to get above 27mpg). FWIW I regularly get 40+ in my Trafic.

Also forgot to mention – our Tourneos have car speed limits, not van.

Ah – makes sense. It’s a 125 and a 150 we have. The 150 feels a lot stronger and has better fuel consumption

to be fair it sounds like yours are fairly loaded up most of the time (unlike mine) in which case the 150 is probably the best bet!

They’re only loaded one way (usually) 🙂

Cheers for the quick responses guys, much appreciated, confirming my thoughts already.

Good to confirm that the Tourneos have car speed limits. Whats the tax like? £195/year I think?

We’re looking at a 155PS on Friday morning (Titanium with all the toys) but wouldn’t mind the 125PS either, as said above I think the 100PS would be underpowered though. Our Vivaro has 115 and that feels about the minimum I would want.

Anyone aware of any common issues with the new customs or the new 2.2 TDCI’s?

Not driven it in a Transit but the 2.2 150 is the one to go for in the Mondeo. Thats what I’d be looking at.

We have the 2.2 155 ps in our Motorhome. Plenty of power in it.

Worth a look at the big Jap import MPVs if you want something less “vanny” or minibus like eg. Toyota Alphard, Nissan Elgrand, etc. which is similar in size to a SWB Transporter or Transit Custom.

8 seats that can move back and forth, rearmost row flip up and to the side so better for bike/dog carrying, ISOFIX and all the safety stuff you’d expect. Lots of equipment on most too as they’re for wealthy Japanese families, not 4am airport runs.

Advantage or disadvantage (depending on your preferences) is that they’re auto and petrol only. The Japanese sensibly turned away from diesels in the late 90s/early 00s.

I’ve just bought the 155ps (in camper form). Only had it a week and have been pleasantly surprised by how it drives (coming from a VW Scirocco), can’t comment too much on comfort as the seats I have are not factory spec.

I’m bored with having a clutch pedal already, but it’s a pretty nice place to sit in on motorway trips. Drove from Bristol to Fife after picking it up, felt pretty fresh at the end.

Alphards/Elgrand etc are a fair bit smaller than the Transit, look more Bongo sized to me. Lots of them also appear to be pretty old from what I’ve seen.

I’m bored with having a clutch pedal already, but it’s a pretty nice place to sit in on motorway trips. Drove from Bristol to Fife after picking it up felt pretty fresh at the end.

Manual doesn’t bother me particularly, apparently auto will be available on new Customs though late this year/early next year

simon_g – Member
Worth a look at the big Jap import MPVs if you want something less “vanny” or minibus like eg. Toyota Alphard, Nissan Elgrand, etc. which is similar in size to a SWB Transporter or Transit Custom.

Are you sure, these are much smaller? Not at all interested in these cars, we did look at a Hyundai i800 but size wise they are just big cars without the versatility of a van, plus I don’t want a grey import. Thanks for the alternative suggestion though.

We bought a Tourneo Custom (Titanium 155hp) earlier this year. It’s the 8 seater version with 2 front seats. Think we were quite lucky to get a 14 reg (9,000 miles) with full leather interior and tow bar already fitted for £18.5K from a dealer.
We opted it for similar reasons to you – 2 kids, big family camping holidays, bikes etc. We had a Kia Carens estate before but found it wasn’t quite big enough and I got fed up taking the bike rack on and off the car.
Opted for the SWB version to make it a bit more car park friendly. Height wise, they fit under most barriers and the SWB fits into a normal length space. Sometimes tight getting the angle right to easily move in and out of spaces. I’ve just adjusted my driving slightly and tend to be more choosy about car park spaces. Parallel parking is no issue.

It drives really well – very car like. The additions with the Titanium version are great. Parking sensors come in handy (we have the rear camera too which I thought was gimmicky at first, is actually really useful). Heated front screen is nice at this time of year as are the heated front seats.
Once you get the hang of the seat removal system, it’s pretty easy to mix up the interior layout. I’ve had them all out on a few occasions to move furniture etc. By removing just one rear seat, I can put a 29er in upright without removing wheels. Generally we leave the rearmost seats folded upright anyway.
Kids are happy as they have loads of space in the back. We took it across Europe (Austria, Italy, France) this summer and it was absolutely faultless. With the rearmost seats removed, we had all the camping gear in the back and then put 4 bikes on the tow bar rack. Dual sliding doors made getting stuff in and out easy and meant that the kids could always get out on the non-road side.
Only bad bits really are that the seats are heavy to remove. I can do it on my own but the double seats weigh a lot! 1st and 2nd gear ratio are close (as with most vans) which can make it a bit jumpy around town.
Being a van, it can be a bit rattly at times too as there’s not the same level of sound deadening as cars – the side doors especially.
Fuel economy is pretty good. I think we got nearly 800 miles to a tank on the long motorway runs in the summer. Power wise, i’ve never had an issue on motorway runs. It just pulls and pulls. Around town, it can be a bit slow up to 30. Registration document classes it as a car so normal speeds apply.
I bought some heavy duty rubber mats off Ebay which came cut to size for the whole van for around £45. Makes it a bit more functional.
I think I pay about £18 a month for tax. You’ll find horror stories online with most cars if you bother looking. Ours went in recently due to a rodent chewing some sensor wiring but I can’t blame Ford for that! I think the battery is located under the driver’s seat (I might be wrong though) – that’s the only thing that really bothers me, especially at this time of year with all of the electrics etc as it could mean a dealer visit for something as simple as changing a battery.
Overall, i’m really pleased with it and would definitely have another one. Could never see us going back to a car really.

I think the battery is located under the driver’s seat (I might be wrong though) – that’s the only thing that really bothers me, especially at this time of year with all of the electrics etc as it could mean a dealer visit for something as simple as changing a battery.

If it’s the same as the Transit Custom it’s straightforward to slide the seat forward & remove the cover to get to the battery, OK not as easy as just popping the bonnet but definitely something Ford expect you to be able to do yourself (it’s all in the manual). Jumper points under the bonnet also.

dknwhy – Member

Thanks for your comprehensive post, much appreciated. Good to hear honest feedback from someone in a very similar situation to us.

The 14 plate 155 titanium (plus leather etc) SWB we are looking at on Friday morning is listed at £18975, not sure of the mileage though. Mostly going because its just down the road (we’re in Leeds) but if its low mileage we could be interested. A van dealer in Stockport has 2 ’15 plates for £18600 in 125ps titanium spec (30k mileage) so the one in leeds with all the toys could win if lower mileage and they’re willing to budge on price. Experience tells that leather seats are a big plus with kids and dogs.

There are a few cheaper around (15 plate 155 titanium’s – £18k) but they are 150 miles from home.

We hired a Transit Custom to shift some furniture when we moved house last year. I was incredibly impressed with it, tons of power around town and on the motorway and bags of space.

@snownrock no problem. Let me know if you have any more questions.
We bought from Evans Halshaw in Bedford. Found them to be really helpful. They’re 100 miles from me but arranged for someone to drive the van to me to test and look over. I then did everything else over email and drove up to finalise the purchase and leave my old car as part ex. They were very thorough with the handover and went on a drive with me to fill the tank for me and explain all of the controls etc. Top dealership to deal with.

On a used custom, check to see if it’s had the door hinge fault fixed. The new ones come with different check straps to stop the door hitting the wing if they are blown open or swung hard. If it has twin batteries, check they’re ok. Only half of the heated screen working was another fault. Water running into the engine bay onto the ecu was another issue. Lots of these niggles have been ironed out on the newer ones. Fuel economy isn’t the best, but it isn’t on any bigger van compared to a car.

You may get a good deal on a new 66 plate euro 5 engine, they’re selling them off to make way for the new euro6 engine.

I’ve owned 3 customs and 1 connect, I love the custom. Lots of room for bike and camping kit, it isn’t bad for work either.

We had that 👿

We had that

They made a mess when they blew open didn’t they!

Also forgot to mention – our Tourneos have car speed limits, not van.

Judging by the speed most vans go past me on the motorway, it seems that most have car limits.

Car/van speed limits are the same on motorways.

dknwhy or others that own the custom, who do you insure yours through? Just done a quick quote on confused and it comes out at 375% more expensive than the octavia on exactly the same terms which is worrying. Edit: same on moneysupermarket too.

Do I need to be looking at specialist brokers (Adrian Flux etc)?

My previous insurer refused to cover it. I was mid term so they cancelled the policy. Went with co-op in the end. Even then I had to explain it wasn’t a van. I think having 8 instead of 9 seats made a difference.
Policy was around £600. Full ncd.

As has been said, check the hinges.

I saw a Transit Custom minibus a few months back where the wings were flapping as the doors rip them off.

Ours came with the tailgate instead. ‘Tis huge and makes a great canopy. Requires a lot of rear space to open it though!

We have our cars with Admiral on a multi car policy. They wouldn’t quote on the motorhome as it didn’t fit their criteria.
Swapping the Fiat 500 for a Tourneo connect so that Abigale can get more stuff in it when she takes it for biking. Not much difference in insurance price

This hinge issue, when did they start the change in the factory? We are mostly looking at 15 plates, will these be affected?

Not sure when they started to fix them from the factory but the older ones had a 4-5mmm door/wing gap. The newer ones have a larger 7-8mm gap, as though the wings have been moved forward and out of the way. Not all of them did it, none of mine did. It mostly happened when the wind caught the door and ripped it out of your hand, maybe a good shove test is in order 😉

Insurers class no claims gained on a car as different from no claims gained on a van.

singletracksurfer – Member
Some Insurers class no claims gained on a car as different from no claims gained on a van.

FTFY

Picked up our Connect last night.

Gone from this

and this

to this

At least Abigale and Katie wont struggle with a 29er or more than one bike

Thanks to all for the helpful feedback and advice. It’s much appreciated. We’ve paid a deposit for a dealer to hold one for us to view/hopefully drive away next Saturday. A 15 plate 125ps titanium with 30k miles. Viewed and drove one yesterday to confirm we were happy with our choice. Very nice vehicle!

Car/van speed limits are the same on motorways.

Yes, what was meant is that some, not all vans/commercials are limited to 70mph, actually 68mph, those that aren’t seem to spent most of their time on motorways/dual carriageways doing 90+, judging by the way they pull away from me when I’m doing an indicated 80.

Just a quick follow up to say thank you to all those who offered their thoughts and experiences of the tourneo. Ours was delivered yesterday and despite a couple of minor niggles all seems well. We’ll see how we get on with family ferrying about over Xmas.

snownrock where did you get yours from please? Undecided between a Transit or Tourneo at the moment for a basic camper conversion 😀

Got ours from a place called direct commercials in Derby. He has loads of them, ex europcar hire cars, priced accordingly though.

Great – thanks!