My old van was a 14 plate 155 sport in black with no options fitted.
I sold it early 2021 to a pal with 45k on the clocks.
It had only been used as a leisure van rarely with any weight in it apart from the odd motorbike.
The van was flawless and apart from a brief moment in limp mode with a failing sensor - was reliable and well serviced with oils and filters every 5 - 10k intervals.
The new van is a 21 plate Sport Auto in black, with twin side doors, single passenger seat, 230v inverter, Adaptive cruise and 12v in the rear as a factory order
Delivered to me at the end of April, first job was to rip off the tacky pikey stripes front and rear, and then a ceramic coating.
A local company then lined and kitted out the rear, with a single factory glazed option for the near side door, bulkhead window, 2 quick release torneo seats in the rear with raised floor and all finished in a suitable subtle hard wearing flooring with carpeted sides and roof.
This will again be a leisure vehicle mostly used for the odd bike trackday and general daily commute duties with a estimated 7 - 8k a year miles tops.
So how do they compare ???
Visuals,
well i actually like the 14 plate sport, that also had the silver stripes removed and looked more low key and subtle. The wheels did get tatty and looked aged after around 3 years through general brake dust really.
The new van is stunning, again no stupid cheap stripes front and rear only the subtle matt black stripes down the side give a nice menacing clean look with its OE mouldings and stance from the wide axel.
Interior,
The inside of the 14 plate van was nice, a great feel and drive, a few things annoyed like the lack of door pull handle near the glass, lack of storage space on the dash, but all very nice if a little more cosy than the Mk7 it replaced.
The 21 plate van is different again, similar space (helped by the single seats instead of the bench) but quite a bit more dash level storage which is useful however obviously i lose the middle seat back cup holders area now.
Certainly an improvement over the older model
Ergonomics,
Ok so the ford SYNC system i think is a bit sh*t overall. the old one was fairly intuitive of a sorts once you got your head around it, but the new one with more features is a natural progression but with extras bolted on.
One item of real annoyance is the steering wheel and controls, again a bit of a random mis match in typical ford "that will do" manner compared to VW, Audi, Mercedes etc, but it works even if you now lose some radio controls from the wheel and have to touch the big display which leads me on to the next thing.
I don't understand this trend of sticking a big screen for all to knock, steal, smash when it could be moved to somewhere less prone and easier to see or manage - even the new dash like VW and Audi use these days.
The DAB is actually slightly better than the old one with less dropping of stations which was a real annoyance in the old one.
Bluetooth call quality is superb and possibly one of the best i have heard in any car or van.
Engine,
I was naturally wary of going from the tried and tested 2.2 to the new 2.0 engine. hearing lots of horror stories from recovery pals of mine, from engines filling the bottom end with fuel then rodding the blocks, injector issues, sensors packing up etc, but that clearly was something i had no choice with on a new van.
I have to say the new 2.0 engine starts so much easier and is loads quieter and smoother than the 2.2, and ok while mine is a 185 sport and should be quicker, it actually feels stronger everywhere over the 2.2 as you may expect, but its the lack of fuss or noise and drama from it which stands out. The new one is also better on fuel too. The old van saw an average of around 33 - 34mpg, the new one in a like for like use is more like 35 - 36mpg.
Again overlooking fords utterly ridiculous "fleet manager friendly" service schedule, this will get and oil and filter and fuel filter every 5 - 10k max with the first to be done at 3k to get the worst of the engine glitter out of it like the last one had.
Some may say this is overkill, fine, we all have our opinions, when you know what is actually going on inside these things, mechanical sympathy takes over and oil and filters are a small cost compared to turbo's and rods and pistons !! Also this van will be a 10 year plus keeper.
Gearbox,
Going from the silky smooth light 6 speed manual to the Auto "power shift" box was a gamble - and one i feel has not paid off.
I am not actually convinced all is right with my gearbox, coming from the VW / Audi DSG family, this ford attempt is utter shite in a word.
Its clunky, slow, slow witted and generally poor even compared to the old slush box offerings on the old Focus Mk2 1.6 models.
With no predictability when it changes (cold changes are later and slower same as most autos) but very much an elastic band feel between lunging changes that seem to take an age to perform.
Kick down happens quickly and its more than willing to rev, but it feels very old tech and cheap.
Anyone considering an Auto whom is used to modern dual clutch setups or even like a smooth change, test drive first before you commit.
Another thing against the Auto is the drivability. yes for 95% of the time its easier and less hassle, but when you try and get a wiggle on the Auto makes the van a bit of a pig to wrestle around bends and corners losing is driveability and fun, no more dropping into third to power out of the bend for max grip, it now goes in too hot and runs wide out with the lack of engine braking and control - if you know - you know!!! that said - its a bloody van.
Steering,
Ok so the weighting of the steering is different between the old and new van and i am not sure if this is because of the heavy auto box or simply a design thing. the main thing i notice is the difference in weighting as you put more pressure on in a corner, the old van was quite dynamic and weighted up nicely so you could feel the grip better and when you were about to lose grip (when it goes light) on the new van however this feeling is completely gone and you get zero warning as traction breaks away. Winter driving will be fun and i can see more written off new vans as a result.
Again you could argue it just a van, and when would you drive it like that - well again on track you can feel this and it really is noticeable over the older model.
So there we have it, its a great van and not cheap compared to the older first gen sport vans at over 10k price difference in 6 years. The new van is pushing perilously close to the prices of the VW and other premium brands, but i still feel the custom sport is still the best looking of the bunch.
Why didn't i go for a sport clone like a MSRT or what ever they are called this week ? simply because i wanted twin doors, i did not want a converted crew cab, also i wanted a genuine sport and the healthy resale and residuals they maintain compared to the other "sports" which were based on a limited spec van and kitted up. I also really like the subtle sport body mouldings compared to the botox / fish faced wanna be clones - but i will say, not being able to spec a sport van without the stupid stripes ?? WTF they barely lasted a few days before being ripped off.
So a bit of a read, sorry for the waffle, hope it helps someone, and if you agree or don't agree - i really do not care, these are my findings, it's my van and there is no buyers regret here i knew what i was buying when i placed the order.
Before
And after