Driven: Ford Tourneo Sport

​The latest-gen Ford Tourneo Custom has been around since last year, and three trim levels give buyers some great options. Kicking off the range is the Trend, followed by the more elevated Sport, and then the range-topping Titanium X. They’re all brilliant people carriers, but my pick of the bunch has to be the Sport model, and it’s not just because it has Sport in the name. After being behind the wheel of one for the last week, it’s jumped to be a favourite in my list of cool vans. Sure, I haven’t had any others to officially review, but in recent months, a strange set of circumstances saw me having access to one from Volkswagen and another from Mercedes-Benz. I expected the Merc to be good, but that suspension is on the hard side, especially when you’re in the back seat.  While the VW is pretty much the same as the Tourneo thanks to the tech sharing between the companies, it just didn’t feel as well sorted. I can’t explain it; maybe it’s the fact that all the windows have the FoMoCo badge on them, making it feel more like a parts bin creation? The Ford feels like a true blue piece of kit. 

Each trim level is different, but the Sport has the coolest features to make it worthy of the name. Up front is a honeycomb-style grille that’s more along the lines of the pattern seen on the Mustang; it’s definitely the best-looking of the Ford vans. The bumper also has a more angular design, easily spotted on the side intakes, and it also has an integrated lower spoiler - it also matches the body colour. The profile changes up a bit with a set of side skirts, and round back there’s a top spoiler with just the right dimensions to stand out without having people think you stay in Kempton Park. The model I had wore the standard black 17-inch Sport wheels, but if you had a good SARS return, the van can also be optioned with the same, but in 19 inches. The finishing touch comes from decals; there’s a pair of blue-outlined black GT stripes running the length of the van, along with some extra decals on the sides to break the colour. On the Frozen White paint, they just work, and it’s also pretty cool to have a styling touch that dates back to the first Shelby Mustang 350 in 1965.  

​Jump inside and you’ll find a rather nice place to spend your time. The seats, all 8 of them, feature blue accent stripes with partial leather trim, and they’re pretty comfortable. The driver’s seat is where I spent all my time in the van, and with it being electronically adjustable and heated, it gets no complaints from me. The rest of the seating can also be adjusted enough to make the passengers comfy, enough to nap on a road trip. The Piano Black surrounds for the display and centre console add to the sporty vibes, as does the leather-bound multifunction steering wheel.  As standard, the infotainment system is headed up with a sizeable 13‑inch touchscreen powered by Ford’s SYNC4 system. I reckon this is one of the best systems out there, it’s intuitive to use, not over-complicated, and there are dedicated buttons that work as shortcuts to some of the most fiddled with functions and settings.  Switching that auto stop/start off is easy – and a must. The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are great features. Once connected to my phone, all I had to do was start the car, and I was instantly connected and able to use Waze, YouTube Music and make calls without having to do anything. I did like the wireless charging spot for phones in the lower section of the centre console because it keeps the charge up while having the phone away from street vendors’ prying eyes. It’s a Fourways thing. Oh, and that 10-speaker audio system also bangs just right; you can confirm that with my neighbours. There’s ample storage space around the cabin for drinks, stuff, shades and even a laptop. Travelling in this Tourneo Sport is a pleasure.

​The Tourneo Sport is powered by a 2.0 EcoBlue turbodiesel lump rated at 125 kW with a healthy 390 Nm of torque, and it’s mated to an 8-speed auto that sends power to the front wheels. The drive is quiet, punchy and smooth, that goes for the engine, and the gear shifts too. As expected, I tested the drive modes, well, besides Slippery, Tow / Haul and Mud-Ruts because winter in Jo’burg isn’t like winter anywhere else. Normal mode is the default everyday one that balances comfort, control, and convenience, and the van runs great with it, but I mostly used Eco mode. This one prioritises fuel efficiency, so it softens the throttle response and regulates climate control to save fuel on long drives - with the price of diesel now, it should be the new Normal mode, thanks, Trump. Oddly, the fuel consumption stayed the same between modes; either that or the gauge was stuck on 9.6l/100 km. Sport mode is really cool, it does the obvious and maximises the engine and transmission performance. It levels up accelerator sensitivity and holds gears for longer for quicker acceleration, especially cool when you’re slowing down and need to pull away again for a gap in traffic or to gap a Ranger Thunder on Cedar Road. I took the Tourneo Sport to a client in Pretoria, and the route was around 60 km of highway in heavy traffic, but it was such a stress-free drive that I’m almost tempted to want my own automatic transmission. 

I set the adaptive cruise control to 123 km/h, and the van did the rest – all I did for 90% of the drive was steer, and even then it could be a lazy kind of steering thanks to the Lane Keep Assist and Collision Mitigation functions. It’s actually quite trippy, I reckon full self-driving like Tesla must be quite scary. The Tourneo Sport drives and behaves like a sedan; the only time it feels bigger is when you come across a strong crosswind.  The suspension is compliant enough to handle Jo’burg roads, and it’s also stiff enough that the van never feels wallowy or soft. The Tourneo Sport gets no complaints from me. If I have to nitpick, then I’d say the size is hard to live with, but that’s only because I live in a complex and the designated parking spots aren’t made for anything bigger than a hatchback. The only downside to having the Tourneo Sport on test is that it heads back to Ford just a few days before I head to Durban. That would have been an epic road trip…

​The Ford Tourneo Sport is a great option if you need a people carrier. It has all the space you could want, all the tech to keep you both connected and safe, and then there’s the main selling point - some pretty cool styling. The only way it can look cooler is if it were in that Artisan Red paint that it’s available in. It’s not cheap, but then most cars aren’t these days. The number of cars that hover around the R1,000,000 mark is quite large, and in this category, a tag starting at R1,232,000 for the Ford Tourneo Sport is actually quite palatable. The price includes a 6-year/90 000 km Ford Optional Service Plan, 4-year/120 000 km Ford warranty, 4-year/unlimited distance Roadside Assistance plan and a 5-year/unlimited distance corrosion warranty. In addition, over-the-counter (OTC) parts and service parts warranty (SPW) are covered for a 2-year/unlimited distance. There’s more info and detailed specs over at Ford.co.za