It’s not often you get a surprise at a motor show these days, but Ford’s announcement of an all-new Fiesta Van at the CV Show 2018 came pretty close. After all, in 2017 Ford said it would never build another one.
But times change quickly these days, and as emission concerns in cities become more and more important, it seems there’s renewed interest in small, urban-friendly vans with ultra-efficient diesel and petrol engines.
Plus it seems that uptake of the Transit Courier as an alternative to the Fiesta hasn’t been quite as high as Ford hoped – despite the Courier seeing a sales increase of 25% in 2017.
Whatever the reason, the Vauxhall Corsavan no longer has the market to itself.
UPDATE: in fact, it’s the other way around, as in bizarre coincidence, Vauxhall has now confirmed the Corsavan is being discontinued, so it’s actually the new Fiesta Van that will have the car-based van market to itself in the UK.
What’s the new Ford Fiesta Van like?
It’s at the CV Show in range-topping Sport form, and looks really rather tasty with a bodykit borrowed from the Fiesta ST Line passenger car.
Sport was a popular choice in the previous model, accounting for 40% of the 4,000 Fiesta Vans Ford sold every year; with looks like this, Ford is probably right to think the new Sport will record an even higher percentage.
It’s also packed with technology, if you want it. Including the new FordPass Connect system, which only launched in passenger cars in the brand new Focus two weeks ago.
What is FordPass Connect?
Basically, it’s a built-in 4G Wi-Fi modem – much like that fitted to the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
In the Ford, this system allows up to 10 smart devices to share its data connect, while the FordPass App allows you to see details of the van on your phone – including its location, fuel level and servicing status.
Better yet, it allows you to lock and unlock the van using your phone – which is handy if you’re on the other side of a site and someone else needs to retrieve something from it.
FordPass Connect launches on the Ford Fiesta Van and the Ford Transit Connect, but should be available across the entire Ford light commercial vehicle range by 2020.
Any other new tech on the 2018 Ford Fiesta Van?
There’s all the latest safety tech you’d expect, including autonomous emergency braking, but we were rather more taken with the news that the Sync 3 infotainment system, with feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, can now be linked to the Waze sat-nav app.
If you’re not familiar with Waze, it uses crowd-source data to give drivers information about upcoming hazards (from potholes to the police) and also has excellent traffic-avoidance capabilities with innovative and dynamic routing.
Having it built into the Fiesta Van could well be a boon for business efficiency.
What’s the load area like in the 2018 Ford Fiesta Van?
We haven’t got the full details yet, but we can tell you the load area is 1.0 cubic metre in size, with a load length of ‘almost 1.3 metres’, and the 2018 Fiesta Van offers a payload of 500kg – in Sport guise.
It looks very nicely finished inside, with a rubber floor and tough sidewall trimming, and the example on display at the CV Show features a part mesh bulkhead for load security and passenger safety. There are four load lashing points, too.
What engines are available in the 2018 Ford Fiesta Sport Van?
Ford has confirmed the Sport version of the new Fiesta Van will be available with the following engine choices:
- 1.0-litre Ecoboost turbo petrol with 125hp
- 1.5-litre TDCi turbodiesel with 120hp
Given the van’s small size and light weight, either of these should get it moving pretty efficiently – and by that we mean both quickly and with good mpg.
We’ll bring you more details when we get them.
What will ordinary versions of the 2018 Ford Fiesta Van look like?
Not interested in the Sport model? Ford has released the following picture of the Fiesta Van without the ST Line bodykit.
As you can see, it still looks pretty sharp.
We’ll have to wait a little longer for more information on exact standard specification, but Ford is promising two additional engines on non-Sport versions:
- 1.1-litre non-turbo petrol with 85hp
- 1.5-litre TDCI turbodiesel with 85hp
Although whether both of these will be offered to UK buyers remains to be seen.
Who is the Ford Fiesta Van aimed at?
Obviously, with a 1.0-cubic metre load area and 500kg payload, this is a light-duty van rather than a serious hauler. So it’s aimed at operators who need only a limited amount of space and/or prefer the nimble handling and additional style of a modern, car-based vehicle.
Example business uses include florists, service engineers who aren’t required to haul a large stock of chunky spare parts, and security firms, perhaps with accomodation for a dog in the back.
