2021 Ford Transit Custom 320S Sport review

Unsurprisingly, things might seem upside down on the other side of the world. For instance, while Australians flock to the 4x4 ute for hard yakka, in the United Kingdom, tradies rally behind the van.

However, what each country does share is a love for Ford-built workhorses. The Ford Transit Custom is by far the most popular light commercial vehicle in the UK, while we know how well the Ford Ranger does in Australia.

That popularity explains why the Brits can have a Transit Custom with raised suspension, all-wheel drive or even racing stripes. Cue the Sport. It has existed in Europe since the Transit Custom was born in 2012.

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Recently, we were let in on the fun. Ford facelifted the Transit Custom range in 2018, then introduced the Sport to Australia a year later when the range welcomed a new interior, more safety equipment and an upgraded 2.0-litre diesel powertrain.

Today, the Sport tops the range in short- and long-wheelbase guises, both sold exclusively as an automatic. We'll be reviewing the short wheelbase here, which comes finished in Metallic Blue, one of the two special colours reserved for the Sport alongside Orange Glow.

Priced at $49,590 before on-roads, it adds $3500 to the price of a regular SWB Transit Custom, which grows to $53,623 once priced up drive-away in Victoria. This puts it at the thick end of the mid-size van category, alongside others like the $50,990 Volkswagen Transporter TDI 450.

But Ford is one of the few manufacturers that backs its commercial vehicles with a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty. Peugeot, Renault, Toyota, Hyundai and Mercedes caveat their five-year commercial warranties with a distance limit. Meanwhile, Volkswagen, Iveco and LDV deal with some form of three-year coverage.

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Ford, however, isn't positioning SWB Sport as super heavy-duty, evidenced by the model's downgraded gross vehicle mass rating. Its 3100kg GVM rating falls 300kg short of what the standard Transit Custom 340S can muster.

After subtracting the Sport's 2054kg kerb weight from its 3100kg GVM rating, you're left with 1046kg for you, passengers, cargo and ball weight. Or if you're hitching up an 1800kg braked trailer, there's then only 254kg for passengers and cargo before you reach the 4100kg combined weight limit.

Despite the Sport's blunted load-lugging potential, Ford has beefed up its acceleration and deceleration capabilities. The turbocharged inline-four is up to 136kW/405Nm (11kW/15Nm more than the base model's 125kW/390Nm), while the front brake rotors are 20mm larger (up to 308mm).

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You'll easily spot a 320S Sport in a crowd, thanks to a unique lower front bumper, lower grille inserts and unique side skirts. They're complemented by dual black racing stripes with a silver or orange pinstripe depending on the body colour.

Lower body pieces are now finished in body colour rather than bump-friendly plastic to complement new wheel arch blisters. Their extra width offsets new 17-inch alloys that also replace the base model's 16-inch steelies.

Finishing the look is a pair of hockey-stick decals that streak down the van's sides from its bi-Xenon headlights featuring cornering function and LED daytime running lights.

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The Sport treatment continues inside, a three-seat front row now partially trimmed with leather and the driver's pew upgraded to electrical adjustment. Trim pieces in the doors and centre stack are now gloss black, as well. The footwells are even illuminated.

Visually, these changes go a long way to gentrifying the base model's blue-collar ambience, helping the Transit Custom's smart-looking workstation stand out, with the dash architecture pinched from the latest Focus.

But fundamentally, the seats are still flat and hard-cushioned. You'll begin fidgeting in the front row after an hour and craving a driving break after the next hour. But that's it for complaints about comfort.

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Locating a good driving position comes easily thanks to a 10-way adjustable driver's seat. The standard-fit bulkhead behind the front cabin also suppresses road noise that would otherwise be amplified by the rear compartment, even if you often do hear the suspension jostling with the road.

But over-shoulder vision is compromised unless you pay extra for a sliding door with a window. The concave side mirrors are all you have for knowing what's just beside you when turning across multiple lanes and not enough to feel completely secure.

The driver's pew is upgraded to electrical operation. Trim pieces in the doors and centre stack are now gloss black, as well. The footwells are even illuminated.

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Thankfully, the Transit Custom is loaded with a gamut of active safety technology to help. This includes adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist and blind-spot monitoring. There are also six airbags, one for the driver and outboard passenger, and a pair of curtain airbags and seat side airbags.

The Ford Transit Custom's five-star ANCAP rating is old, originating from a 2012 Euro NCAP crash test. But after a big push to review commercial safety ratings in late 2020 for active safety, ANCAP gifted the Ford Transit Custom a gold rank, shared only with the Toyota Hiace in a field of 13 other vans.

But that's not the end of it. Driving aids also include rollover mitigation, crosswind assist and trailer sway control. Sport variants also receive tyre pressure monitoring, viewed through the 4.2-inch colour screen on the cluster and accessed by steering wheel button pads.

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Cabin technology also benefits from a central 8.0-inch touchscreen with Ford's SYNC 3 technology, sat-nav and digital radio, providing backup if the two USB-A ports are occupied and you can't access the wired smartphone mirroring.

There are also two 12-volt sockets and a drop-down centre armrest with cup holders. While the passenger glovebox can't store anything bulky, storage compartments integrated into the dash and doors can accommodate everything from folders to large 1.25L drink bottles.

Driving aids also include rollover mitigation, crosswind assist and trailer sway control. Sport variants also receive tyre pressure monitoring.

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As for carrying cargo, the 300kg difference between the Sport and base model's GVM equals a similar shortfall in payload, which is replicated against other mid-size panel vans like the Renault Trafic (1046kg versus 1216kg), Volkswagen Transporter (versus 1220kg) and Mercedes-Benz Vito (versus 1260kg).

Despite that disadvantage, the Sport retains impressive load volume, swallowing six cubic metres up back – bang-on average among rivals. The Transit Custom and Sport use rear dual barn doors as standard, opening to 180 degrees. A lift-back hatch is optional, as is a second sliding door.

Cargo dimensions include a 1404mm rear door opening, while the rear wheelarches measure 1392mm apart, wider than most mid-size vans. But that measurement narrows between the area protected by the standard-fit plastic cargo floor.

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Loading stuff is a cinch, as the load floor sits only 574mm above ground, while the rear opening measures 1347mm tall. The side opening is slightly shorter at 1324mm. Inside, the space measures 1406mm from floor to ceiling.

Inside the cargo bay are eight anchorage points plus wood panels protecting the walls and rear doors. A hatch extends the floor's load length from 2554mm to 3037mm underneath the passenger seat. Keep in mind that the load hatch creates a passage of air between cargo and cabin, which is something to consider with toxic fumes on board.

Although a rear liftback hatch would be more convenient for anyone working out of a van, the Transit Custom's sturdy grab handles help ingress and egress. At the same time, the plastic floor provides more grip than an unpainted surface – especially when wet. Also, you can lock the rear door's hinges in place by simply pulling them out.

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Driving the Ford Transit Custom SWB Sport speaks to how manoeuvrable a mid-size van can be. The 11.6m turning circle is within the ballpark of some large SUVs. However, at 3.0 turns lock-to-lock, the steering slow can feel slow when navigating tight turns. It at least minimises the chance of overshooting a corner and aids directional stability at higher speeds.

It's an easy van to drive, with a nice if slightly artificial steering weight feeding you enough information on tyre grip. The throttle pedal is responsive and while brake travel is long, you're rewarded with good feedback from the full-disc system and extra bite from the upgraded front rotors.

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The Sport is slightly stiffer than a long-wheelbase Transit Custom through no fault of its own, but with 250kg on board and a full 72-litre fuel tank adding almost another 50kg, the ride fails to chill out. Shocks resonate through the cabin, mostly originating from the stiff rear torsion-beam axle, exposing cabin quality flaws such as a loose headrest on the driver's seat.

NVH is otherwise okay, with the side mirrors catching little wind noise at highway speeds and the four-speaker audio overcoming a dull road noise easily. The adaptive cruise control maintain set distances well, while the front camera accurately reads speed signs.

It's an easy van to drive, with a nice if slightly artificial steering weight feeding you enough information on tyre grip.

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At highway speeds, the Sport's transmission tune hangs in higher gears to harness the engine's beefier mid-range – spreading 405Nm over the same 1500rpm-2000rpm range as the base model – especially when accelerating on a roll.

Otherwise, having so much torque buried down low often tests the limits of the front-wheel-drive layout. Careful throttle application helps avoid wheelspin from traffic lights or when exiting wet roundabouts.

Having manual mode just below Drive on the lever's shift pattern makes gear selection annoying as well, as you don't realise you're stuck in manual until the revs are nearing the 4800rpm redline.

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During cold months, standard-fit heating on the front seats, windshield and mirrors are useful. Meanwhile, pop-up roof racks (rated to hold 130kg) further broaden the Transit Custom's excellent practicality. And that's what is so appealing.

There is not much to compromise with a Transit Custom. It's practical, safe, and drives well and wants for little when it comes to equipment or features. Ford knows what it's doing in the light-commercial space.

There are some refinement/fit-and-finish issues. On our test vehicle, the exposed steering column behind the pedals would leak a very small amount of fluid, and in sun, the cargo floor bulged when trapped air expanded underneath.

But the Custom Sport is hard to beat on ownership. The excellent warranty terms are backed up by four years and 120,000km of fixed-price servicing. The Custom Sport's ADR 81/02 combined fuel consumption figure of 6.6L/100km also rates better than its automatic rivals.

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Our Sport variant underscores the Transit Custom's little room for improvement. Extra power, luxury, and flair seem like a logical next step when something is already so well-rounded in this segment.

And yet, while it's a great looking thing and the upgrades easily justify the $3500 cost, its extra grunt and stopping power are wasted on downgraded GVM and towing ratings. We feel our opinion will be trivial for Australians considering dropping this much on a niche mid-size front-drive van, but we're glad it exists.

2021 Ford Transit Custom 320S Sport specifications