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Ford is jumping back into the 'big van' category with its Transit 460. We find out if it is a proper heavyweight contender.
The market for light goods vehicles with a GVW of more than 3,500kg, but less than 7,500kg, or "big vans" as they are known, is a modest one. The market is seen as a bit specialised, and volumes are still small. Tachographs, tougher licensing requirements, and speed limiters all help to keep the appeal down to niche numbers.
At the lower end, say four to five tonnes GVW, the drawbacks are frequently outweighed by the need to have a higher payload reserve than a 3.5-tonner can ever offer.
Generally, it's only a bit higher up the weight range, from 5,500 to 6,500kg, that they are looked at as competition for the ubiquitous 7.5-tonner, which offers similar payloads but in a smaller package. Our productivity calculator (see panel oveleaf) shows how many ways there are of doing the same job.
Having produced a lower-end contender, the Transit 430, from 2001 to 2006, Ford is returning to the fray with the Transit 460. The 460 van comes with 4,600kg GVW and one body style, an EL (extended length) Jumbo High Roof with 14.3m^sup 3^ (SAE) or 12.3m^sup 3^ (VDA), of volume. If you want to choose your own bodywork, single and double-cab chassis-cabs are available. Engine choices are 2.4-litre, four-cylinder units marketed as 115 and 140PS, or the 3.2-litre, five cylinder 200PS as tested. As well as this 460 model, the 200PS engine is also available with 350 MWB, LWB and EL vans and chassis cabs.
The 20-valve engine began life as a UK-developed variant of the 2.4-litre, four-cylinder Puma engine, but final development with common-rail injection and variable geometry turbocharger was completed by Ford's Turkish arm. It's only available with the six-speed rear-drive transmission, and comes with standard ESP keeping the power under control.
The Transit van range now comes with a rationalised offering of trim levels. Above the standard base model comes the Trend series for £750 extra, or for £1,800, the Limited series. The test van was a Trend, the pack including fog lights, auto lights and wipers, heated windscreen and mirrors, cruise control, trip computer, Bluetooth connectivity, side-protection mouldings...