2020 Ford Transit Connect Review

Name: 2020 Ford Transit Connect Review
Brand: Ford
Price: 14300 USD

Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van XLT w/Rear 180 Degree Doors LWB Cargo Minivan Exterior

Ford Transit Connect Wagon Titanium LWB Passenger Minivan Exterior Shown

+288

The Transit Connect is Ford's small cargo and passenger van. It lacks engine power, and it's not especially comfortable, so it's not a real alternative to regular family minivans (even if its lower price is tempting). But it drives surprisingly well, with tight handling and a small footprint that make it ideal in cities. If you often move people or goods across town, it makes sense.

Used Transit Connect for sale

$14,300 - $33,998

23 listings

See Cars for Online Purchase See All for Sale

Appraise This Car

Ford Transit Connect model years

Ford Transit Connect for Sale

Ford Transit Connect types

Minivan
Diesel

See Edmunds pricing data

Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

See pricing history

2020 Ford Transit Connect Review

byDan Frio^{Correspondent
Dan spent many years covering the go-fast, look-good, get-loud corners of the automotive universe. First, he served as editor of enthusiast magazines AutoSound and Honda Tuning, then as executive editor at SEMA News, the publishing arm of the trade group that produces the annual SEMA Show (yes, that show). As a contributor to Edmunds, he now likes to keep the volume low and the speed limit legal, providing expert car-shopping advice to drivers looking for the perfect match.}

Pros

Extremely practical yet compact
Comprehensive suite of optional driver assistance technology
Available in a variety of configurations

Cons

Engines don't have an overabundance of power
Not as passenger-friendly as a minivan or as utilitarian as some rival cargo vans

What's new

Rearview camera and automatic headlights are now standard
Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking are now standard
Part of the second Ford Transit Connect generation introduced in 2014

Overview

The 2020 Ford Transit Connect offers an alternative to full-size commercial vans for anyone who needs the utility of a van in a smaller package. Its car-based platform makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces, especially in crowded downtown areas with challenging parking.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van XL 4dr Minivan w/Rear 180 Degree Doors SWB (2.0L 4cyl 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.01 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

$148/mo

$159/mo

Avg. Compact Minivan

Calculate my fuel costs

The Transit Connect is offered in two body styles, three trim levels, two wheelbase lengths, and a number of options to tailor the van to individual uses. There's a short-wheelbase passenger wagon that can seat five or a long-wheelbase model for seven passengers. In its highest trim level, the van can be equipped with leather seats, rear climate controls and a touchscreen-based navigation system. A four-cylinder powertrain provides the motivation, but sadly it's not one of the zesty EcoBoost units.

For 2020, the new van offers more standard features to make the driver's life a little easier, including rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights and a rearview camera, as well as forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking. Ford's new suite of advanced driver aids, Co-Pilot360, also comes standard on the XLT and Titanium trims and is optional on XL models.

Besides offering utility, the Transit Connect cuts a sharp and stylish figure that stands out from the boxier profiles of its competitors. And the cabin offers comfortable front seats and a modern, well-organized design. For larger jobs, you'll want the Ford Transit Van. And while the smaller Connect isn't as refined as a traditional family minivan, it nonetheless strikes a pleasing balance between commercial and passenger needs.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict^{The Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.}

Below Average

7.0

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

Rated for you by America's best test team.

Performance

7.5/10

How does the Transit Connect drive? Manage your expectations and the Transit Connect actually has a lot going for it. It maneuvers well thanks to its light steering and small size. It's easy to thread through dense urban traffic and park in tight spaces. The gas and brake pedals operate smoothly, the transmission shifts quickly and, despite the tall profile, the Transit Connect handles turns and corners without much body roll. (Caveat: We only tested the van with an empty load.)

The downside? The van is woefully slow to accelerate. It took a leisurely 10.6 seconds to reach 60 mph in our testing. The Ford has enough zip to dash between city stoplights but gets winded quickly. Highway merging and passing require planning.

Comfort

7/10

How comfortable is the Transit Connect? The Transit Connect's front seats are comfortable enough, but the rear seats are stiff and lack support. The ride is fairly smooth overall thanks to small wheels and tires with plenty of sidewall, but it firms up as more passengers and cargo come aboard. Even with its tall profile and expansive windshield, the van is surprisingly quiet. You'll still get wind hum rushing over the glass and noise from the road, but neither is at an obnoxious or fatiguing level.

The van's primary controls are simple to discern and operate. It takes a while to heat and cool the large cabin, but the climate system works well once at speed. The seat heaters offer five levels of intensity, though none is particularly warm.

Interior

7.5/10

How’s the interior? There's nothing fancy about the van's interior. It's all function over form. The controls are easy to manipulate, even when wearing gloves. The default seating position is rather high, but you can compensate if you like with the adjustable steering wheel and seat. Visibility is excellent thanks to big, tall windows and small blind spots.

There's plenty of headroom, and it's easy to step in and out of the Transit Connect thanks to tall and wide door openings. Accessing the third row is similarly easy. Removing the rear seats makes for voluminous cargo utility. But as a six-passenger van, the Transit Connect isn't especially roomy. Limited rear legroom in the immovable second row makes it less people-friendly than a regular minivan.

Technology

7/10

How’s the tech? You won't find cutting-edge technology abundant in the Transit Connect, even if the top-level Titanium trim can connect your smartphone and offers handy voice controls. But Ford's Sync 3 is helpful for drivers who need basic hands-free phone, navigation and device charging capabilities.

The menus are easy to navigate and the voice controls are sophisticated, offering an easy way to issue commands with a minimum of distraction. Sync 3 also offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, but it's only available on the Titanium trim. There's only one USB port, although you could use one of the 12-volt ports to power a USB charger if you wanted. The four-speaker stereo won't impress anyone either, but it does the job.

Storage

5.5/10

How’s the storage? We tested a six-seat Transit Connect, which leads to comparisons with mainstream minivans and contributes to the Ford's lower score here. There's considerably less cargo space, for example, with just 15 cubic feet available behind the second-row seat and a maximum of 104 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded. (Most competitors offer 30-plus and 140-plus cubic feet, respectively.) And there's not much small-item storage.

The Ford lags behind its Mercedes and Ram rivals with a 1,620-pound payload capacity, and its 2,000-pound towing maximum is only average. Child safety seat installation is problematic. You'll be able to install a safety seat in the second row, but the seats don't slide, and the car seat anchors are hard to access.

Fuel Economy

7/10

How’s the fuel economy? The Transit Connect long-wheelbase model (LWB) is rated at 22 mpg combined (19 city/27 highway) by the EPA. That's right on average for this small segment, and during our time with the van, we found that our test vehicle met or exceeded its ratings. On our highway-heavy 116-mile evaluation route, the Connect achieved 25.1 mpg. That's less than the EPA highway rating, but our route is more than just highway. Overall, after mixing in more city driving, we averaged 22.5, which is on target with its estimates.

Value

7/10

Is the Transit Connect a good value? Equipping the Transit Connect as a passenger van costs more than most vehicles in its class. You might question what you're paying extra for, as interior quality is disappointing. The dash feels plastic and hollow, the leather upholstery is stiff and unforgiving, and the cabin generally pales in comparison to the interiors of competitors such as the Mercedes Metris (which costs about the same as a Titanium-level Transit Connect). The Ford's three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty is average, and its five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan is fairly generous.

Wildcard

7.5/10

What you get from the Transit Connect depends on how you'll use it. You could use it as a three-row family hauler, but why? A similarly priced, lightly used minivan is better suited to family life. But the Transit Connect might be the ticket if you often ferry customers or colleagues for short distances, or if you need to get the band to gigs or your starting five to the tournament. It can even power your business if you're willing to take a few rows out.

With driving manners similar to Ford's Escape SUV, minus the punchy engine, the Transit Connect doesn't feel as large or ungainly as most of today's vans do. That's a good thing on tight roads, but it won't be as fun on long drives.

Which Transit Connect does Edmunds recommend?

Buyers on a tight budget will likely be satisfied with a base XL trim because it covers all the bases that a small business or delivery enterprise might need. But for not much more money, we'd suggest the XLT since it adds several comfort and convenience features that make for a better driving experience. Both trims are also available in short or long wheelbases.

2020 Ford Transit Connect models

The 2020 Ford Transit Connect is available in both cargo- and passenger-van configurations. The cargo van is offered in XL and XLT trims in either the short- (SWB) or long-wheelbase (LWB) version. Passenger vans also come in two wheelbase options and are available in XL (LWB only), XLT and Titanium trims.

The XL and XLT trims in both cargo or passenger configurations offer a choice of a rear liftgate or rear doors that swing open 180 degrees. All vans are front-wheel-drive; all-wheel drive isn't available.

The XL cargo van comes standard with two-passenger seating, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (169 horsepower, 171 lb-ft of torque), an eight-speed automatic transmission, 16-inch steel wheels, black bumpers and body trim, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, a rearview camera, and pre-collision assist, which includes forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking.

Interior comforts include air conditioning, power front windows, a height-adjustable driver's seat, vinyl upholstery, vinyl floor covering, and a four-speaker sound system with Bluetooth and one USB port.

The XLT cargo van is equipped with foglights, body-colored bumpers and body trim, heated power mirrors, and cruise control. Inside, the XLT gets cloth upholstery, floor mats, cruise control, wireless smartphone charging, two USB ports, satellite radio, and the Sync 3 interface with a 6.5-inch touchscreen.

The XL passenger van supplements the base XL equipment with power second-row windows, a rear window defroster, cruise control, rear parking sensors, second- and third-row fold-flat seats, six cupholders (two in each row), and cloth upholstery.

The XLT passenger van, available in short- and long-wheelbase versions, adds the XLT cargo van's many extras along with dual-zone climate control and a nine-speaker sound system.

The Titanium passenger van also offers the option of short- or long-wheelbase versions and adds 16-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights, LED foglights, power-folding mirrors, remote ignition, keyless entry and ignition, a locking glovebox, heated front seats, a six-way power driver's seat, leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, integrated navigation, and HD radio.

The new Co-Pilot360 bundle of active driver safety features is included with XLT and Titanium trims (optional on XL versions) and comes with automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and lane departure warning and lane keeping assist.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

3/5Average

#3 out of 24 among Commercial Vans

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Ford Transit Connect from 2008-2022.}

$740/yr

vs. $851/yr
for Average Commercial Van

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

1.78x/yr

vs. 1.96x/yr
for Average Commercial Van

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

14.8%

vs. 17.8%
for Average Commercial Van

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2020 Ford Transit Connect.

5 (36%)

4 (27%)

3 (10%)

2 (10%)

1 (17%)

3.6

30 reviews

Write a vehicle review See all 30 reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Transmission issues again

LL, 11/14/2020

2019 Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van XLT 4dr Minivan w/Rear Liftgate SWB (2.0L 4cyl 8A)

This started out as a great van but after a couple a months the van would hesitate going in reverse. Than during a scheduled oil change they found a leaking transmission seal. had dealer replace it now the van has stop working altogether so dealer is replacing the transmission. Its just a year old and has spent almost 7 weeks in shop for transmission issues

Great Little Van with some imperfections

DV Synthetic Lubricants , 09/04/2019

2018 Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van XL 4dr Minivan w/Rear 180 Degree Doors LWB (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

I have owned this van LWB XLCargo for 15 months and 26k. Overall I like this van. I use it as a delivery vehicle to deliver oil and make sales call to my customers. Not that I'm not happy with this van but I wish I would have purchased an XLT model. I've added a backup camera. Tinted the windows. Love the tinted glass. I'll list the things that Ford SHOULD have improved upon first. LOW …

So far, so good!

Mike, 10/24/2017

2017 Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van XL 4dr Minivan w/Rear 180 Degree Doors LWB (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

Cabin is comfortable, fairly roomy for a smaller vehicle, but not much in the way of storage compartments. Handling is nimble, very compliant. This vehicle is "peppy" enough around town and actually fun to drive - but not a lot of "giddy up" when merging onto the highway. Ford annoyingly chose to leave out a way to switch off interior cargo LED's.

Skinny but Tall

TheWagonDriver, 06/23/2019

2017 Ford Transit Connect Wagon Titanium LWB 4dr Minivan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

I have the Titanium Long Wagon. I really have enjoyed this vehicle. It drives like a small car and is very nimble. The 2.5 engine is okay, it isn't fast but is plenty capable for the vehicle. I have averaged 22mpg with 2 adults and 3 kids riding in it. The seats are pretty comfortable for around town. The passenger area is good for a small family. The cargo area behind the third row is …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2020 Ford Transit Connect, so we've included reviews for other years of the Transit Connect since its last redesign.

See all 30 reviews of the Ford Transit Connect

Write a vehicle review

2020 Transit Connect Highlights

Type:

Minivan

Trim:

Cargo Van XL

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$24,275
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	25 MPG
Cost to Drive	$148/month
Seating	2 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	104.8 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Our experts like the Transit Connect models:

Pedestrian Detection: Detects pedestrians in your path and triggers forward collision warnings. Can automatically brake if necessary.
Side Wind Stabilization: Helps correct for strong crosswinds to keep the vehicle going in its intended direction.
Automatic Emergency Braking: Helps to prevent or mitigate an accident by automatically applying the brakes when an obstacle is detected.

People who viewed this also viewed

Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van
5.0 average Rating out of 2 reviews.
Starting at $32,790

See Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van Inventory

Ford Transit Crew Van
Starting at $44,320

See Ford Transit Crew Van Inventory

Mercedes-Benz Metris
5.0 average Rating out of 1 reviews.
Starting at $39,600

See Mercedes-Benz Metris Inventory

2020 Ford Transit Connect Review

2020 Ford Transit Connect Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

Edmunds Expert Rating

Performance

Comfort

Interior

Technology

Storage

Fuel Economy

Value

Wildcard

Which Transit Connect does Edmunds recommend?

2020 Ford Transit Connect models

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2020 Ford Transit Connect.

Trending topics in reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Transmission issues again

Great Little Van with some imperfections

So far, so good!

Skinny but Tall

2020 Transit Connect Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2020 Ford Transit Connect info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Ford

Other models

Join Edmunds