E-VANgelical – Ford Tourneo Custom PHEV review

Albeit quite a while back now, I took the extended family on a road trip from Auckland to Tauranga and back (via the Coromandel) in a Ford Tourneo, with Its space and overall driveability proving exceptional for the long weekend away. Well, the marque’s commercial division has now begun preaching a new EV psalm by launching PHEV models of both the Transit and the Tourneo and I couldn’t wait to grab the latter from Ford NZ, in Platinum spec.

Both the Transit and the Torneo share the same PHEV powertrain technology, namely an advanced plug-in hybrid architecture with the front wheels being driven exclusively by a 92.9 kW electric motor powered by a 13.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and Ford’s award-winning 1.0‑litre EcoBoost (3-cylinder) petrol engine essentially acting as a range extender.

What this means is that according to Ford the vehicle’s total driving range exceeds 500 kilometres, with 2.7 l/100 km fuel efficiency and 60 g/km CO2 emissions (NEDC), but more importantly, for those that like to ‘stay local’, it delivers upto 56km of zero-emission driving. 

Dimensionally, the Ford Tourneo is a shade under 5m in length and around the 2m mark in terms of width and height, with an overall van-like appearance (not a bad thing as the Transit is a good-looker). The nose features Ford’s wide grille and rather large wraparound headlights, plus there’s a subtle flap on what would be the equivalent of the passenger side fender that hides all the AC charging gubbins.

Entry to the rear cabin comes via large sliding doors on both sides of the Tourneo, from there you have the option of six seats in either a traditional two row facing forward arrangement, or ‘conference style’ with the middle row facing back, I stayed with the latter for reasons I’ll explain in a moment.  

From a driver’s point of view, the cloth seats are comfortable, with a high riding position and armrests to ensure you’re not overly taxed. Visibility is good through the huge windscreen and I counted at least four cup holders should you wish to have four coffee’s on the go. The gear stick sits up high in the dash, just below the infotainment screen, while the drive modes are selected via buttons below one of the AC air vents.

On the matter of modes, the PHEV Ford allows you to cycle through a variety of power options, ‘EV Auto’ that does all the thinking for you – optimising both performance (although there isn;t that much) and efficiency, and cleverly working out when or if to activate the range extender. ‘EV now’ that prioritises the stored battery power for emissions-free driving and deactivating the range extender until battery levels reach a minimum state of charge. ‘EV Later’ that holds the battery level where it is and prioritises the range extender (and regenerative charging) to most efficiently maintain the current level of battery charge – ready for later use. Or ‘Charge’ that has the 3-cylinder engine fill up the battery while driving.

When it comes to charging, both the Transit and the Tourneo can be charged in around 4 hours using a domestic 240-volt 10-amp power supply, or under 3 hours using a commercial type-2 AC vehicle charger. There’s also the regen option  where you can choose the degree of energy recovery and braking assistance by selecting either Drive or Low on the gear selector. Low mode offers a kind of ‘one pedal driving’ sensation (accelerating and ‘braking’ using the accelerator pedal), it’s also worth noting that when you release the accelerator in low-mode, it automatically illuminates the brake lights to warn drivers behind – so no fear of being rear-ended.

Unlike the previous fossil-fueled Tourneo, alas I didn’t get to recreate the weekend away with the PHEV model, however, I did get the opportunity to use all its 8-seats as by default I became the designated driver for my son’s 7-a-side football team. 

The Tourneo’s ‘minibus’ functionality (and sliding doors) was an immediate hit for the boys and the fact that they could face each other and (I assume) discuss game strategy was another positive.

Thanks to its EV-style powertrain, the PHEV’s off the line speed, (even well-loaded) is pretty good, but it does seem to find its limit early wen venturing onto SH1. But I have to say that the PHEV Tourneo’s ride itself is great, it sits well on the road and as I said before offers great visibility. It’s quiet enough too, apart from the range extender cuts in, and even then, from the inside it’s not bad. 

When it comes to the engine sparking up, it’s quite an odd experience. Mainly as when in EV Auto, it comes on without much rhyme or reason – so not at obvious times like climbing a steep hill or heavy acceleration – it’s freakishly disconnected. Still, it does its job and does it well.

The instrument cluster differs from the previous Tourneo I drove, with a power/charge gauge replacing the standard rev counter and the small TFT screen in the centre showing which EV mode you select, but it’s also not complicated with simple inputs and data display.

Admittedly I stayed local with the Tourneo and didn’t use the ‘low’ regen, but even so I clocked up a fair number of k’s around the town and the PHEV Ford was evidently more conservative with its fuel consumption than its pure ICE engined sibling. I did manage to clock one of my runs and my 51.2km journey used 52km of range which is pretty darn cool.

The new PHEV may be the first rung on Ford’s EV journey (with the full EV well on its way) but it’s a great option for those with more ‘shuttle style’ needs or as it turned out, ideal for 7-a-side football coaches.