2016 Ford TRANSIT CONNECT

Great when you want a small minivan

Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 5

We bought this to replace our beloved Mazda MPV after 220k miles. The MPV was small, we wanted a similar sized minivan. We test drove about 20 minivans and similar hybrids, but when I got in this, I told my wife "this is it". The forward view is so wide it feels like driving a motor coach or bus. I love the open view and light. The little details like the notch mirrors are great... but needed as there is a bit of a blind spot on the passenger shoulder area. Overall it feels very open with high visibility. Storage space is great on the 3 row model. The fold flat seats take some getting used to, but offer a very flat large storage area. A bit smaller than our MPV, but large enough to haul most of the bigger stuff from the store like chairs and tvs. The worst downsides for me are 1. slow acceleration 2. AC takes forever to cool down 3. things will roll right out of the back unless you put the optional net in because there is no storage well 4. second row seats do not recline (oddly the third row does) 5. with the third row seats up there is very very little storage room behind those seats. 6. no volume controls on the left of the steering wheel which means I can't fully drive with only one hand there on the left 7. I always find the cruise control a little confusing. 8. microsoft sync system can be a bit buggy (i've had to power down the car a few times to get it to fully restart, it's done "scheduled maintenance" where it's updating lord knows what for 8 min and not working) 9. I don't like that you can't turn off the proximity alerts. Sometimes they get annoying; YES I KNOW I'M NEAR THE WALL AT THE DRIVE THROUGH. 10. the steering is a bit loose, it's not a car that you want to steer with your knee for even a second. That may sound like a lot of bad stuff, and those things ARE annoying, but overall, I still love the car. What it gets right, it really gets right. It's comfortable, flexible, and for the most part I love the controls and sound system. There are lots of little things like bag hooks and storage nooks that just make it a pleasure to use. My wife is short and I am tall, and it works for both of us quite well. Backup camera is amazing.