Ford Tourneo Courier review

The Courier is based on Ford’s Global B platform shared with the Fiesta (RIP) and the Puma, which means it’s actually very enjoyable to drive.

The little three-cylinder turbocharged engine is gutsy for its size and sounds good too. It drives the front wheels with 123bhp and 125lb ft of torque, so it’s not rapid (0-62mph is quoted at a pedestrian 13 seconds) but it’s eager enough for family transport. 

Should I go for the manual or automatic gearbox?

We’re not just saying this as part of some larger ‘save the manuals’ campaign, but it’s the six-speed DIY setup that’s by far the better option in the Tourneo Courier. The seven-speed auto will constantly select the highest gear possible and at times point blank refuses to change down when you’re in need of acceleration. And as you might expect in a car this shape, there are no paddles to take control of shifts yourself. 

The manual is a great gearbox though. If you closed your eyes and shifted through the gears you could quite easily imagine yourself in a slick little Fiesta (that’s high praise, but we don’t recommend trying it at home).

Is it comfortable?

Well, there are only 16- and 17-inch alloy wheel options, so on all Tourneo Couriers you get a very decent amount of tyre sidewall. That means it’s reasonably compliant over bumps and is certainly softer than some design-led crossovers.

There is a decent amount of body roll through corners too, but it never feels unruly and we’d rather that than a rock-solid ride.

Plus, considering it’s related to an actual Transit van, the Tourneo Courier is remarkably refined. Wind noise is kept to a minimum despite the square front end and there isn’t the booming echo of road noise in the cabin that afflicts some van-based cars.

What about efficiency?

Ford claims figures of up to 42.2mpg for the manual and 39.2mpg for the auto, but on initial drives that included city traffic, motorway miles and country roads we saw 33.2mpg in the manual and 30.7mpg in the auto.

That was unloaded too so doesn’t look great, but we’re sure you could up those figures by treating the little 3cyl with a bit more care and attention.