All new Ford Tourneo Connect models enhance Fords lineup

• All-new five-seat Ford Tourneo Connect (from £14,245) and seven-seat Grand Tourneo Connect (from £16,985)are available to order
• Best-in-class flexibility from seating, stowage and dual sliding rear doors, plus class-unique features including Active City Stop and Ford SYNC
• Tourneo Connect available with multi award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and Ford’s highly efficient, Dagenham-built, 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine
• Smooth and responsive 6-speed automatic gearbox available with Bridgend-built 150PS 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine
• Tourneo Connect models combine with Tourneo Custom to enhance all-new line-up of Ford people movers on sale in Europe by mid-2014

Ford’s spacious and versatile all-new five-seat Tourneo Connect and seven-seat Grand Tourneo Connect add to Ford’s new generation of people movers and are now available to order for delivery later this year.

Ford’s two Tourneo Connect models provide smart, stylish and affordable people movers for families and users with active lifestyles, offering best-in-class flexibility from versatile seating, stowage and dual sliding side doors; outstanding fuel economy from highly efficient powertrains; and class-unique technologies including Active City Stop and Ford SYNC.

Prices start from £14,245 for the five-seat Tourneo Connect and £16,985 for the seven-seat Tourneo Connect. Forecast residual values are typically £1,700 better than the competition*.

“Whether tackling the school run or taking the family mountain biking at the weekend the Tourneo Connect people movers are great for today’s busy lifestyles,” said Barb Samardzich, Product Development vice president, Ford of Europe. “These are roomy and economical cars which are kind to the family budget, and offer all the comfort, features and smart technologies that Ford customers have come to expect.”

Standing out from the crowd with their dynamic, modern appearance, the Tourneo Connect models deliver a bold new look. A stylish cockpit constructed with meticulous attention to design and craftsmanship offers an attractive and comfortable interior.

Smart space

The Tourneo Connect models also offer outstanding practicality for active families, with dual sliding rear doors, highly flexible seating and a host of smart stowage areas, including aircraft-style overhead lockers above the rear seats and luggage area. A large glass panoramic roof adds to the feeling of space and light.

Other useful stowage areas include a clever ‘hidden’ box with a 12V socket above the instrument cluster, a large lockable glovebox, practical front door bins capable of holding 1.5-litre bottles, spacious centre consoles with cup holders, and a stowage compartment in the second-row footwell.

In addition, the car provides unrivalled access to the rear, with the widest sliding side doors in the class, and is equipped with a folding front passenger seat that enables items up to three metres long to be carried.

Stephen Lesh, Ford Tourneo Connect chief program engineer, said: “The new Tourneo Connect is all about smart space – helping customers squeeze the most out of everyday motoring with an interior which is clever, flexible and very spacious.”

The five-seat Tourneo Connect offers best-in-class first-row leg room and head room, and best-in-class leg room and knee room in the second row. Clever 60/40 split rear seats can be folded flat and tumbled forward, or removed to provide 2,410 litres of space behind the front seats.

The seven-seat Grand Tourneo Connect breaks new ground in its segment by offering rear seating which folds quickly and easily into a flat, unobstructed luggage platform with up to 2,620 litres of space; the third row seats also slide fore/aft to allow customers the choice between extra leg room or increased luggage space.

Fuel efficient

The two Tourneo Connect models offer outstanding fuel economy delivered by highly efficient diesel and petrol engines. Fuel Efficiency is enhanced further by Ford ECOnetic Technology features such as Auto-Start-Stop and Active Grille Shutter. The five-seat Tourneo Connect offers the multi-award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine which achieves best-in-class figures of 50.4mpg and 129g/km CO2 emissions** – a 16 per cent improvement over its closest UK petrol rival***.

The 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine with a choice of 95 and 115PS power outputs, delivers outstanding fuel economy of up to 61.4mpg and 120g/km CO2 emissions** – a 25 per cent improvement versus the current model.

For the first time, Tourneo Connect customers also have the option of a smooth and responsive six-speed automatic transmission, paired with the powerful Bridgend-built 150PS 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine.

The new models are the first in their class to offer the automatic emergency braking system, Active City Stop, and to deliver further technologies that enhance the ownership experience such as Ford SYNC with Emergency Assistance, Rear View Camera, and Trailer Sway Assist. Ford’s improved-efficiency Electric Power Assisted Steering. A gearshift indicator and Ford ECO Mode driver information system are standard on all models.

Design and engineering

Designed and engineered at Ford Dunton Technical Centre in the UK, in partnership with Ford Otosan in Turkey, the all-new Tourneo Connect models are manufactured at Ford’s state-of-the-art production plant in Valencia, Spain.

For excellent comfort and driving dynamics, the new vehicles incorporate a unique torsion beam rear suspension system, replacing the leaf-spring design on the outgoing model.  The chassis also features the latest electric power-assisted steering technology which helps to deliver agile and responsive handling while also reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to a traditional hydraulic system.

The Tourneo Connect and the Grand Tourneo Connect form part of Ford’s new generation of versatile Tourneo people movers, joining the already-on-sale Ford Tourneo Custom. This new Tourneo line-up sits alongside the “MAX” range of multi-activity vehicles in Ford’s passenger car portfolio – B-MAX, C-MAX and S-MAX.