Our Vans: Ford Transit Connect
14 June 2019: Petrol vs diesel - which is best in the Transit Connect?
The Details
| Current mileage | 2444 |
|---|---|
| Claimed economy | 56.5mpg |
| Actual economy | 51.2mpg |
What is the best fuel choice for a modern van, petrol or diesel? This is a question we get asked on a weekly basis at Honest John Vans as soletraders and small businesses become ever more conscious of air quality and the fees that clean air zones, like the ULEZ, could slap on your works vehicle.
Ford offers the Transit Connect with a good choice of 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel engines, which span 75PS to 120PS. There is also pretty decent petrol option, in the form the of the 100PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost. But which will be best for you?
Well, the answer to that question will very much depend on your daily driving habits. The reputation of diesels have taken something of a hammering over the past few years, but Ford's 1.5-litre EcoBlue is still one of the best options for van drivers who cover long distances.
Not only are fuel costs affordable - and lower than the 1.0 EcoBoost - but the diesel has a lot more low-gear pull. And this makes the 1.5-litre diesel perfect for shifting heavy loads. However, as with all things in life, there is a catch with the diesel engine. And it's found in the exhaust system.
All modern diesel engines use a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and this prevents harmful particles being released into the air. As a result, modern Euro6 diesel engines are a lot cleaner than the older Euro5, but they need at least 20 miles per journey to burn off the little nasties trapped in the DPF. Failure to do will result in a blocked DPF and an expensive repair job that could set you back thousands.
So, if you do not want to see your profits go up in smoke, you might be better with the 1.0 EcoBoost petrol engine in your next van. The three-cylinder petrol can't match the four-cylinder diesel for torque or fuel economy, but it is better suited for repeated short runs from cold.
Officially the 1.0-litre petrol returns 44.1mpg, which isn't anywhere near the 55-60mpg that's advertised for the 1.5-litre diesels. But the petrol engine will not suffer a DPF failure and be better suited to working in a large town or city.
Personally, my average road trips range from 30-40 miles per journey. And this puts me slap bang in the middle of diesel territory. What's more, with the Transit Connect averaging in the low-50s when half laden, I'm getting pretty close to Ford's advertised fuel economy.
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