2019 Ford Transit Connect

With the Transit Connect's novelty having worn off in the commercial market, Ford is now reaching out to the Baby Boomer crowd as the next target audience for this little van, which enters 2019 with a styling refresh and two new engines that bring the total range of powertrain choices to four. Ford hopes these changes will help improve the Transit Connect's appeal to non-commercial buyers, those who simply want a roomy vehicle in a compact footprint.

The new standard engine is a 2.0L four-cylinder borrowed from the discontinued Focus and there's also a 1.5L turbodiesel that Ford developed with Peugeot, both of which will come matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Gone, apparently, is last year's turbo gasser, though the antiquated 2.5L four-cylinder will continue to be offered to fleet buyers.

Ford has also given this little wagon a mild styling update inside and out, and fitted it with a new rear suspension designed to improve ride comfort. Among the more notable interior updates is a "floating" central touchscreen mounted atop the dash.

What doesn't change here is the Transit Connect's robust carrying capacity of up to 725 kg and a tow rating of about 900 kg when properly equipped.

Ford has yet to reveal specs for the new engines, but figure on the 2.0L making about the same 160 hp and 146 lb-ft that it did in the Focus. Ford says it expects the diesel to achieve a 7.8L/100 km highway fuel consumption rating.

XLT trims can be optioned with Ford's SYNC 3 infotainment system, which comes with a 6.5 touchscreen and backup camera. XLT and Titanium passenger vans can be had with automatic headlights and configurable daytime running lights. And on XL and XLT cargo vans, second-row fixed glass windows come with a steel mesh interior window guard.

The Transit Connect remains our favourite of the current crop of mainstream commercial vans (including the Nissan NV200 and Chevrolet City Express twins and Ram's Promaster City), the passenger version boasting styling slick enough that it would look perfectly suited to a suburban driveway.

Body-wise, the Transit Connect can be had as a cargo van or passenger wagon, with single or dual sliding side doors, and either a lift-up tailgate or symmetrical side-hinged cargo doors.

Standard kit in XL cargo vans includes 16-inch steel wheels with plastic covers, four-way manual front seats with fold-flat front passenger seat, no rear seats, air conditioning, AM/FM radio, 12-volt power point, front centre console, door pockets, full-width overhead storage shelf, keyless entry, vinyl flooring, tilt-and-telescopic steering, capless fuel filling, manual-adjusting side mirrors, variable-speed wipers, power front windows and passive anti-theft system.

By the time you get to the Titanium model, you'll find alloy wheels, heated front seats, leather seats with six-way power driver adjustment, second-row bucket seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather-trimmed steering wheel, power-folding side mirrors and rain-sensing wipers.