Ford is expanding its Active range of vehicles, which are aimed at those who enjoy “outdoor and leisure pursuits,” with the new Tourneo Connect Active and Transit Connect Active. The two new models join the Active and Trail variants of the Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom that were released last month.
Styling revisions for the smaller Active people movers include roof rails, front and rear skid plates, along with plastic cladding on the body to prevent paintwork scuffs when negotiating brush trails or when loading tools or equipment.
To complete the Active look, there are also 17-inch alloys, a signature mesh grille, a full-width decal and dedicated badges on the front wings. Customers can also specify two new colours – Sedona Orange and Solar Silver – to make their purchase a little more eye-catching.
Inside, metallic scuff plates help reinforce the rugged nature of the Active models and there are also a selection of seat trim patterns and stitching to complement the blue contrast detailing and Active branding. These changes do not affect the practicality, with the Tourneo Connect Active sporting five or seven seats – the third row can be folded flat when not in use.
It isn’t just the aesthetics that have been altered, as both models benefit from an increased ride height of 24 mm at the front and nine mm at the rear to better clear bumps, ruts and unsealed road surfaces. That’s not all, as an optional mechanical limited-slip differential, developed with Quaife, is also available. This helps to transfer engine torque to the wheel with the most traction in low-grip scenarios to make sure it isn’t “all show and no go.”
On that mention, motivation is provided by an EcoBlue 1.5 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine making 120 PS (118 hp) or 100 PS (99 hp). A six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic are the available transmission pairings, but the LSD is only offered for the more powerful tune with a manual.
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