SWB 250 Base 2.2 TDCi 100 Low Roof Panel Van

Not what they used to be

We purchased the van brand new from Arnold Clark and they were excelent to deal with and the after care customer service has also been excelent. The van is great to drive and is very comfortable as the driver. The passenger side is a lot more cramped however, the dash intrudes a long way and im 6ft and cannot stretch my legs out like in the previous one. Storage space in the cab is also poor compared to the previous model. The load bay is also badly designed and is poor for carrying 8x4 shee materials. Its narrower compared to the previous van due to the curved design of the back of the van and the useable space is also slightly shorter. Ford claim 8x4 sheets fit in the van no problem, they do but this is on the floor which isnt much use when you carry tools and equipment. Putting them ontop of tools limits the load length more and requires the bulkhead to be removed in order to make them fit but even then its very tight and jams them hard upto the seats and the back door. Build quility is average at best, the dash is laid out very well and feels solid but the body work is a different matter, the body panels are paper thin and dent very easily. We have also had the common problem of the drivers hinge dropping and it has dinted the front wing where the door had to be forced closed. The fuel filler cap has also dropped off a few times as its held on by flimsy plastic clips. We have been having on going issues with the van over the last few months as well, the van has had to have a dpf regen at the dealers as they only made diesel models when we purchased ours which are no good for short runs. Its took ford a few visits to diagnose this as the van kept bringing up random error messages, bit this was done free of charge for the inconvenience which was good. Its also had a bad sensor replaced but they suspect the turbo may also be on its way out which after 3.5 years and 22,000 miles is not good at all. Ohh and it eats brake pads. The curved design of the rear of the van also makes it very hard to judge the back end which makes parallel parking very difficult. All in all its a good van for couriers and people who dont need to carry sheet materials but other wise ford have missed the mark with this van as it is no longer a builders van. I would not purchase another one because of the load bay restrictions and would look at vauxhall or renault as they are still square at the back and can carry sheets materials better

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