Ford's vans in Europe just got a lot more fun

Let's face it, vans are boring. People only buy them for their utilitarian purpose, not for how they look. Ford wishes to change that by giving the Transit Custom a new Black Edition featuring "bold contrasts, sports style." Taking inspiration from the Fiesta and Focus Red and Black Editions, the special edition Transit Custom will be offered from spring 2017 in Europe with new hues: Deep Impact Blue, Race Red, Frozen White with Jet Black accents, and Absolute Black combined with Race Red contrasts.

Production is going to be capped at 1,000 units and all vans are going to be based on the short-wheelbase model with the standard roof van body style in the 290 Trend series specification and with the chassis settings of the Sport variant. Power will be provided exclusively by Ford's brand new four-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine part of the EcoBlue family and rated at 170 horsepower channeled to the road via a six-speed manual gearbox.

Ford Transit Black Edition

In addition, the Transit Custom Sport family based on the 290 series Transit Custom model is growing to include a total of eight different members thanks to the addition of new body and seating options. All of them come with a slightly beefier body painted in the same color and combined with dual stripes on the hood in a contrasting color. As standard, the vans will ride on fresh 17-inch wheels featuring a silver and black two-tone color combo, but Ford will give buyers the option of upgrading to a larger 18-inch set.

Stepping inside the cabin, the Transit Custom Sport will have the Ford SYNC connectivity package and a rearview camera as standard equipment, along with partial leather upholstery including for the second and third rows where fitted.

This one too comes with the 170-hp diesel hooked up to a six-speed manual, but Ford will also sell it with a new six-speed automatic gearbox available on four of the versions. To try and live up to its "Sport" name, the van has a thicker front anti-roll bar and a rear anti-roll bar, which you don't get in the other Transit models. Bespoke damper tuning with a firmer setup for the rear is also part of the package, as are the softer rear springs. Go for the Kombi or the double cab body style and Ford will throw in different damper and spring settings to boost rear passenger comfort and sharpen up handling.

In related news, the Tourneo Custom gets a similar Sport series option based on the Tourneo Custom Titanium model. It can be had with eight seats in short or long wheelbase guises with the same diesel engine. The latest version of the Tourneo Custom also welcomes the aforementioned six-speed auto, a rear air suspension, and new 17-inch rims.