2010 Ford Transit Connect

Fuel-efficient commercial vehicle is ideal for active lifestyles

By Larry Edsall

2010 Ford Transit Connect

At first glance, the 2010 Ford Transit Connect is the DSPALV, which is short for Dead-Solid Perfect Active Lifestyle Vehicle.

Consider a vehicle that gets 22 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway, earns ULEV (ultra-low emission vehicle certification) and has a cruising range of more than 350 miles.

Or that it swallows 135.3 cubic feet (or up to 1600 pounds) of cargo on a floor that stretches six feet front to back, and shelters that cargo and its occupants beneath a roof that provides 59.1 inches of clearance from floor to the ceiling. That’s right, if you’re four-foot-nine or shorter, you can stand up in this vehicle.

By the way, that load floor is a mere two feet above the pavement, so there’s very little lifting involved in stowing that bicycle, camping gear, sporting goods, home improvement hardware or plants for the yard and garden. Read the rest of this entry »