Ford has had a sudden change of mind regarding the
introduction of a 1.5-liter turbodiesel on the Transit Connect van in the
United States. About a year ago, the company announced the oil-burner would become
available as an option for the updated Transit Connect from early 2019.
However, in the end the automaker decided to cancel the diesel powertrain
without any formal announcement.
While Ford did not make the announcement via its
official channels, it did confirm to Car & Driver that production of the
diesel has been canceled for the United States. The official line is that the
decision was made due to “lack of market demand”, but could also have something
to do with the EPA’s increased scrutiny on all diesel engines in the U.S.
The Transit Connect equipped with the 1.5-liter
diesel did not receive an official fuel economy rating from the EPA; the
agency’s website only lists the 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline
engines for the 2019 and 2020 model year Transit Connect.
When it announced the Transit Connect diesel, Ford
claimed an EPA estimate of around 30 mpg highway for the 120 HP, 1.5-liter unit
that would be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
In addition to ditching the diesel, Ford said it
also dropped the short-wheelbase, five-seat version of the Transit Connect. The
SWB cargo van carries on, as does the long-wheelbase model in both cargo van
and passenger van versions, the latter with six or seven seats.
Prices start at US$ 25,395 for the short-wheelbase
cargo and US$ 28,140 for the long-wheelbase passenger version respectively, including
destination charges.
