Our Ford Transit Custom Sport earns its stripes
Cape Town motorists, even at the best of times, are not renowned for their vehicular helmsmanship, so when you introduce howling winds and squalls of sideways rain, most four-wheeled journeys become a sketchy game of Russian roulette. I have learnt to keep my driving to a minimum until the clouds dissipate and that sweet winter sun makes an appearance.
Last weekend it did and, suffering from a mild case of cabin fever, I decided to hop into the Ford Transit Custom Sport that's been languishing in my driveway and go for a jaunt. Good thing I did too, because on start-up the digital instrument cluster informed me the van's 12V battery was in a low state of charge (this cold weather is tough on cells).
Then, a few kilometres later, another warning flashed up alerting me that the DPF was clogged up and that I should keep on driving to initiate the 'cleaning process'. So I did. When it was finished I kept on going and soon found myself heading in the direction of Franschhoek.
Usually this part of the world is best experienced behind the wheel of a grossly overpowered, decidingly antisocial two-door performance car and not a hulking great panel van. But then I remembered the Custom Sport has GT stripes running down its bonnet like a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and my impostor syndrome quickly subsided.
After cruising through the little town's tourist-packed main road I hooked a short left, engaged 'Sport' mode and headed towards the summit of what has to be the Western Cape's most popular mountain pass.
On the ascent, Ford's 2.0l engine makes another strong case for itself with ample torque delivery and willingness to rev. While a lot of turbodiesels kind of lose interest once you push past their torque peak, this one is more than obliging to clatter all the way up to its red line should you feel so inclined.
It's meshed to an eight-speed automatic transmission that does a good enough job when left to its own devices but is also equipped with a manual override feature allowing you to take full control. Actuated by twisting the end of the right steering column stalk forward (up) or back (down), this helps with engine braking and also lets you carry a gear through a set of sweepers — something that assists with stability as your momentum isn't disrupted by the van's electronic brain suddenly moving up or down a cog. Keep it in fifth, for example, and it stays there while you can focus on your line.
The Custom Sport's light electric power steering is great when threading through city environs but on the tighter, more technical portions of Franschhoek Pass it feels overly assisted and, in and around the centre point, pretty void of feedback. I thought Sport mode might dial some extra weight into proceedings but in reality all it does is ramp up throttle response and adopt a more aggressive shift programme.
Still, given what this Ford is actually designed for, you can't hold any of this against it. Despite its utilitarian DNA, the Custom Sport performs admirably through most of this mountain road's twisty bits and disguises its heft well — better than any panel van with a 1,023kg payload has any right to. Body control is particularly polished. I was expecting to field a messy serving of pitch and roll around corners but somehow Ford's engineers have managed to keep it largely in check.
Image: Supplied
Though it puts up a gallant effort along the pass, the Custom Sport feels infinitely more at ease tackling the less technical asphalt ribbons that loop lazily between Villiersdorp and Worcester. With less lateral loads to worry about and that lengthy wheelbase (just over three metres) doing much to boost high-speed steadiness, this load-lugger charges on down the sleepy R43 at a rate of knots, the digital speedometer flashing three-figure velocities high enough to rack up a serious fine and/or tongue-lashing from the Breede Valley's finest. Put your foot down and you can carry a very deceptive turn of pace.
You might not care — and I'm sure few prospective owners will — but the Custom Sport really does offer a modicum of dynamic performance that transcends its intended use case. While its racy exterior styling is nothing more than a frivolous sticker job, an exercise in car park peacocking, Ford's legacy of building fun-to-drive vehicles is genuine and can be felt here in spades. It's under the skin, beneath the metal and in this case helps dispel the notion that owning a practical cargo-hauler comes at the cost of driver appeal.
2025 Ford Transit Custom Sport | Update 5
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