What do you call a 2021 model year VW Caddy with different styling and Ford badges? Tourneo Connect is the answer you’re looking for.
The German-American collaboration traces its roots back to January 2019 when VW and FoMoCo announced the next-generation Amarok on the platform of the Ranger. The same recipe applies to the Caddy and Tourneo Connect. Not long now, the all-electric Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 will gain a Ford-badged sibling that will be sold exclusively in the European Union.
Scheduled to arrive in showrooms early next year, the brand-new Tourneo Connect is a multi-activity vehicle targeted at dual-use customers. Available in two length options and with three-row seating for up to seven passengers, the Caddy’s brother will be initially offered with front- or all-wheel drive.
Powertrains include two gasoline units, namely the 1.5-liter EcoBoost with 114 ps (112 horsepower) and a six-speed manual or the seven-speed PowerShift dual-clutch transmission. The 2.0-liter EcoBlue can be specified in two states of tune (102 or 122 ps, which means 101 or 120 horsepower), but only the more potent variant is available with the aforementioned DCT. Somewhat curiously for this vehicle segment, all-wheel drive is exclusive to the six-speed manual as long as you choose the high-output EcoBlue.
There is, however, a catch on the suck-squeeze-bang-blow front. Ford of Europe says the 1.5-liter EcoBoost is a four-banger, which means that we’re dealing with the 1.5-liter TSI from Volkswagen instead of the three-cylinder turbo in the Focus. What’s more, the ratings of the 2.0-liter EcoBlue mirror those of the 2.0-liter TDI. Unfortunately for the Blue Oval, shady rebranding doesn’t work on people who don’t take marketing at face value.
At launch, the Tourneo Connect will be available in four trim levels: Trend, Titanium, Sport, and the crossover-inspired Active series. The Trend is rocking steel wheels and a high-gloss black grille surround, the Titanium levels up to satin chrome detailing and 16-inch alloy wheels, the Sport flexes hood stripes and 17-inch alloys, whereas the Active sweetens the deal with two-tone wheels and a skid plate under the honeycomb-styled front grille.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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