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New Trail and Active trims beef up the Ford Transit family

Technical upgrades and extra body cladding make Transit models better off road

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Ford has announced two new Transit specifications called Trail and Active that make the popular van family more capable off road.

The new Trail trim, which is available on the full-size Transit and mid-size Transit Custom, adds a new mechanical limited-slip differential to front-wheel drive versions of each van, which has been developed with Quaife and has previously been used on Ford Performance models to enhance traction. It is also available with all-wheel drive on the large Transit for even better off-road performance.

Designed for owners who use their vehicles in more challenging terrain, both panel van and double-cab-in-van body styles can have Trail variants and get extra black cladding on the outside, while Custom models can be specified with roof rails and running boards.

A bold new grille on the Trail models is inspired by the Ranger Raptor pick-up and Ford’s American truck models.

The Transit Trail and Transit Custom Trail also get full leather seating, air conditioning, power-folding door mirrors and automatic lighting as standard.

The Transit Trail is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine with a choice of 130hp, 170hp and 184hp outputs, while the Transit Custom Trail gets these engines but in mild hybrid form.

2020 Ford Transit Custom Active, Tourneo Custom Active and Transit Connect Active
Ford Transit Custom Active, Tourneo Custom Active, Transit Connect Active and Tourneo Connect Active

The Active trim is targeted at people with outdoor lifestyles and is available on the mid-size Tourneo Custom and Transit Custom. The image above also shows Active versions of the smaller Transit Connect and Tourneo Connect, which will join the family later in the year with details to be announced closer to launch.

Style-wise, the Active models mirror the same trims on Ford’s Fiesta and Focus passenger car models. That means 17-inch alloy wheels, a unique grille design, exterior body cladding and roof rails as standard. The limited-slip differential available as a £550 option.

It has the same engine options as the Trail models, but they vary depending on the model and specification chosen, and have manual and automatic transmission options across the range.

Pricing for the Transit Trail and Transit Custom Trail starts at £35,685 and £29,250 respectively, while the Transit Custom Active and Tourneo Custom Active start at £30,000 and £37,950 respectively.

Darren Cassey
Darren Cassey
Articles by Darren Cassey are provided for The Van Expert by PA Media (formerly the Press Association). They include test drives of the latest new LCVs and features on various aspects of automotive life.

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