Ford is enhancing its Transit large van with selection of new technology options and the standardisation of several key safety features on models that account for 60% of all sales.
The changes are designed to increase productivity while also improving driver wellbeing, and were announced at the 2021 Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC Birmingham, where the new Ford E-Transit electric van was also shown in the UK for the first time.
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What new technology is being fitted to the Ford Transitin 2021?
There are two major elements to this upgrade. Firstly there’s the new Ford Sync 4 infotainment system, which has a number of improved connectivity features; secondly there is the new safety kit.
Let’s start with the safety stuff.
What new safety features does the 2021 Ford Transit have?
As part of this update, every Transit Trend, Transit Limited and Transit Trail will now be fitted as standard with an autonomous emergency braking system called Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, alongside the Ford Lane-Keeping System.
These three trim levels account for 60% of all Transit sales in Europe, which means the majority of buyers and driver will be able to benefit from these potentially life-saving technologies. It’s a shame Ford hasn’t gone further and fitted them as standard on all models, but the Transit does already have a Gold Award from Euro NCAP for its active safety systems.
At the same time, the QuickClear heated windscreen is being made standard on Trend models, while Limited is upgraded to Sync 4, keyless start and a rear parking camera with LED downlighter.
Further to this, there are new optional safety-related driver aids available to order in the form of Reversed Brake Assist (automatically prevents low-speed collisions when reversing), a 360-degree camera system, and the Full Display Interior Mirror.
What’s different about Ford Sync 4 in the Transit?
The new Sync 4 infotainment system comes with a larger 12.0-inch touchscreen display and a much greater array of connectivity features.
Not only does this include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but also the ability to connect two mobile devices to the system at once (handy if you have a work phone and private phone and need to take calls on the move).
There’s also what Ford calls Advanced Speech Recognition with Conversational Language Commands (you can now casually talk to your van and maybe it will understand you, we’ll see), plus an on-board digital owner’s manual with search function (handy considering how often hardcopy manuals go missing, which should also make this great news for buyers of used vans).
Opt for a Ford navigation system, and the Sync 4 also brings ‘cloud-connected’ live traffic, weather and parking updates.
When do the upgraded Transits go on sale?
The orderbook for these technologically enhanced Transit models is set to open in the last quarter of 2021; there’s no mention of any price changes yet, but we’d expect a slight increase.
The changes bring the regular diesel Transit into line with the technology offered on the all-electric E-Transit, which will also be available to order before the end of 2021.
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