The current Ford Tourneo Connect was first launched in October 2021 and now our spy photographers caught a prototype of the MPV / LCV testing with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The Ford Tourneo Connect is a sibling to the VW Caddy, something that is evident from the shared body panels between them, especially in the profile. While Ford fitted the prototype with the front end from the production Tourneo Connect including a distinctive bumper, grille, headlights, bonnet, and fenders, it didn’t bother adding its own tailgate, leaving the VW emblem and Caddy lettering on this LCV mashup.
The plug-in hybrid nature of the prototype
is evident from the front fenders where we can see a charging port that is not
present in other variants. The powertrain will most likely be Volkswagen’s
eHybrid system found in the mechanically related VW T7 Multivan and many other
MQB-based models. The eHybrid consists of a turbocharged 1.4-liter
four-cylinder engine and an electric motor producing a combined 215 hp and 350 Nm of torque in the T7. Something similar should be expected
from the Ford Tourneo Connect PHEV and the VW Caddy eHybrid which will likely
appear soon.
The electrified Tourneo will bring a
pure-EV driving mode while improving the combined fuel economy and lowering CO2
emissions. It will join the existing range of the Tourneo Connect that is
available with VW-sourced engines including the 1.5-liter petrol producing 112
hp, and the 2.0-liter diesel producing 110 hp or 120 hp.
The Ford Tourneo Connect PHEV is expected
to debut towards the end of 2022, most likely as the flagship of the range.
Interestingly, the MQB-based Tourneo/Transit Connect will be the only model in
Ford’s light commercial vehicle range that won’t be available in pure electric
form. The automaker has confirmed it will be offering five electrified LCVs by
2024, including the smaller Transit/Tourneo Courier, the Transit/Tourneo
Custom, and the larger E-Transit.
