You can have your van-with-windows in multiple sizes these days, as van-based MPVs have taken over from the conventional people-carriers of the 1990s and 2000s as the way to ferry larger families around. Ford offers a few options, with two based on the Transit Connect alone: the Tourneo Connect, and the larger Grand Tourneo Connect you see here.
The benefit of the latter is its seven-seat layout, with the kind of adaptability that lets you turn it back into a van when you need the space, for galactic levels of room. And as a Ford, it’s typically good to drive, and doesn’t even look too bad - particularly with the rufty-tufty cladding of the Active.
The best-known vehicles in this segment are probably the Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Rifter, while the Renault Kangoo and Volkswagen Caddy have offered MPV variants for a number of years too.
There’s something quite appealing about these vans converted into multi-purpose vehicles or MPVs - maybe it’s the down-to-earth honesty of a vehicle that isn’t pretending to be sleek or overly fancy, and instead gets right to the business of moving people and stuff. It’s a van, it’s boxy, and it’s proud of it, and you should be too.
The Grand Tourneo Connect is a good one to choose, too. Whether in its van form or as the passenger-carrying Tourneo, the Connect looks good and drives well, and in this Grand form comes with seven seats as standard, the rearmost pair offering far more room than you’ll get from the average seven-seat SUV and a lot more luggage space too - 450 litres even with all the seats in place, and a truly cavernous 2620 litres if you fold and remove all but the front pair. For reference, a conventional MPV like a SEAT Alhambra will take up to 2430 litres in its two-seat format, so the Connect really is massive inside.
Quite pleasant too, with a sensible dashboard layout (albeit only the top-spec Active has a touchscreen infotainment system), comfortable seats with plenty of adjustment, and a pretty good level of standard equipment. It doesn’t feel badly built either and there’s plenty of storage for smaller items.
The 1.5-litre diesel engines do the job just fine and aren’t too noisy at higher speeds, while the Grand Tourneo Connect rides and handles more like a well set-up car than a van. Like most Fords, it’s surprisingly engaging but also safe and confidence-inspiring.
That all makes this particular van a real contender for your MPV shortlist, but don’t discount some of the Connect’s rivals either. The Volkswagen Caddy is comfortable and has a great image, while Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Rifter and Renault Kangoo have offered no-nonsense family transport for decades now, and the most recent variants are better than ever, and several are offered with 7-seat options.
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The first question you should ask yourself is whether you need seven seats. If the answer is no, then you may get just as much value from the slightly smaller Tourneo Connect. It’s a little lighter, for better performance and economy, and as it’s 400mm shorter it’ll be a little easier to park.
If you’re set on the Grand Tourneo Connect, then either version of the 1.5-litre diesel will do, from our experience of the regular van. Even the 100PS version is a good all-rounder and is unlikely to struggle unless you really do fully load the van at every opportunity. In terms of spec, we’d aim for the Titanium for its parking sensors and heated windscreen, though the Active’s features are appealing and make the Connect feel more like a family vehicle than a converted van.
The Grand Tourneo Connect comes in three trim levels, with a specification that sits somewhere between the panel van variant of the Transit Connect, and Ford’s conventional cars - so there’s no truly basic offering, since the Zetec gets air conditioning and alloy wheels, but you have to step up to the Titanium to get parking sensors and Ford’s useful heated windscreen, and to the Active for a touchscreen infotainment system.
The Ford Grand Tourneo Connect’s dimensions are:
The Ford Grand Tourneo Connect’s boot size is:
It might look like a van but the Grand Tourneo Connect is registered as a car, so for any model registered since April 2017, it’ll get a flat rate of VED or ‘road tax’ of £180 per year, just like its rivals. Only the all-electric versions of models like the Citroen Berlingo will be cheaper thanks to their zero-rate taxation.
At the bottom of the range a Grand Tourneo Connect in 100PS form and Zetec trim starts in a usefully low group 8, while the 120PS engine and Active trim only lifts that to group 12. Several of the van’s rivals are similarly low - a Peugeot Rifter spans groups 10-15.
Read our full Ford Tourneo Connect review
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