# 2015 Ford Transit Connect?



## onepivot (Jan 14, 2004)

Is anyone hauling bikes in this little van? I'm wondering if my XL framed bikes will roll into it with the front wheel left on. I'm tired of dealing with racks and I can see a van in my future as a daily driver & bike hauler.


----------



## thx138 (Aug 5, 2013)

onepivot said:


> Is anyone hauling bikes in this little van? I'm wondering if my XL framed bikes will roll into it with the front wheel left on. I'm tired of dealing with racks and I can see a van in my future as a daily driver & bike hauler.


I just picked up a wagon last Tuesday and with the seats installed I have to remove my front tire to fit my XL bikes in it. I am going to remove the 3rd row seats this weekend and I will see it a bike will fit then.


----------



## onepivot (Jan 14, 2004)

thx138 said:


> I just picked up a wagon last Tuesday and with the seats installed I have to remove my front tire to fit my XL bikes in it. I am going to remove the 3rd row seats this weekend and I will see it a bike will fit then.
> 
> View attachment 987976


Thanks. I'm guessing the wagon (with it's seats) reduce the top-bottom measurement. I'm curious to hear how it works when you remove the 3rd row seats but I'm probably going with the van instead of the wagon.


----------



## SteveF (Mar 5, 2004)

I looked pretty hard at one of these a while back, but eventually went with a pickup instead. Started a thread about it in fact:

http://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/new-ford-transit-connect-van-891325.html

These are great haulers but not really that nice to drive. Handling and ride is good (especially for a box on wheels) but they're very noisy (again, box on wheels) and not very nice inside. (cargo van interior=lotsa plastic) The base motor is a bit underpowered and the upgraded Ecoboost is often dinged for failing to attain EPA mpgs. Also, if you special order one expect a very long wait. They're made in Spain and it can take the better part of a year to get yours. Buying out of stock is better of course.

According to Ford's web site the maximum cargo height for the van is 49.7 inches.

2015 Ford Transit Connect Work Trucks | View Interior Specifications | Ford.com

Simply measure the tallest part of your bike and see if it'll clear, or take you bike to a Ford dealership and try it. (my local dealer was very willing to let me roll my medium Turner Burner into the back of one--it fit with room to spare in every direction.)


----------



## xhailofgunfirex (Jun 25, 2008)

thx138 said:


> I just picked up a wagon last Tuesday and with the seats installed I have to remove my front tire to fit my XL bikes in it. I am going to remove the 3rd row seats this weekend and I will see it a bike will fit then.
> 
> View attachment 987976


Id be curious to see the results of the third row removal. I'm considering the wagon and was thinking about removing the third row, if a bike could fit vertically with front wheel off and fit 4 people that would be awesome. Did you get the split doors or hatch rear?


----------



## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

Not that I plan on getting one but I see plenty of them around for business use and I thought it would be good for being a bike hauler too. Plus you can keep your bike locked up inside.


----------



## thx138 (Aug 5, 2013)

xhailofgunfirex said:


> Id be curious to see the results of the third row removal. I'm considering the wagon and was thinking about removing the third row, if a bike could fit vertically with front wheel off and fit 4 people that would be awesome. Did you get the split doors or hatch rear?


I have the split rear doors, I could not walk under the hatch without hitting my head. I will see about fitting a bike with rear wheels off and third row removed.


----------



## jasevr4 (Feb 23, 2005)

I'll just leave this here


----------



## onepivot (Jan 14, 2004)

SteveF said:


> I looked pretty hard at one of these a while back, but eventually went with a pickup instead. Started a thread about it in fact:
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/new-ford-transit-connect-van-891325.html
> 
> ...


My bikes will fit with wheels on. Pretty much what I expected. I'm still trying to figure out if I can live with the spartan & noisy interior as I'd be using this as a daily driver. I like the utility and good fuel mileage but I once owned a Honda Element and sold it because it was too small and had a rough ride. I know, this is a first world "problem"


----------



## SteveF (Mar 5, 2004)

onepivot said:


> My bikes will fit with wheels on. Pretty much what I expected. I'm still trying to figure out if I can live with the spartan & noisy interior as I'd be using this as a daily driver. I like the utility and good fuel mileage but I once owned a Honda Element and sold it because it was too small and had a rough ride. I know, this is a first world "problem"


It's a worry, no doubt about it. FWIW, the ride is not bad--it's built on the Focus platform after all. The noise is a real issue, though. My plan was to install a bulkhead behind the passenger compartment and if that didn't damp down the echo chamber sufficiently, add sound insulating material to one or both sides of it. I had found a non-metal, no-screws/drilling needed bulkhead with a window that had potential. (link below) In the end, I was simply too disappointed in the lack of options and weird aesthetics of the cockpit. (it's like three feet from the steering wheel to the windshield, for example.) Since this was going to be my first new vehicle since 1997, and likely the last new one I'll ever buy (I'm planning to retire in 5 or 6 years and hope to drive my 2015 Canyon for at least 10) I just wanted a more nicely trimmed and finished interior and a quieter driving experience. And like you, whatever I bought would be my daily driver. Plus, here in Michigan, I kinda wanted AWD or 4WD so I could get out skiing and fat biking in the winter without any trouble. So I went with the Canyon instead. It's a great truck so far...

Bulkhead: https://www.inlad.com/protexx-parti...zs84AoX_RVS-ardNWrYzUA53FffdYamkd0aAoFc8P8HAQ


----------



## thx138 (Aug 5, 2013)

Well my XL El Mariachi fits in with the 3rd row removed and the 2nd folded down.


----------



## onepivot (Jan 14, 2004)

thx138 said:


> Well my XL El Mariachi fits in with the 3rd row removed and the 2nd folded down.
> View attachment 988855


Cool. How easy/hard is it to remove the seats?


----------



## thx138 (Aug 5, 2013)

There are 8 t50 torx bolts that came out easy, the seats are awkward to remove but I found it easiest to fold them flat to lift out and store.


----------



## onepivot (Jan 14, 2004)

thx138 said:


> There are 8 t50 torx bolts that came out easy, the seats are awkward to remove but I found it easiest to fold them flat to lift out and store.


Thanks. Other than the need to store the seats I am thinking it might be a good move to go with the wagon instead of the van. I assume the people hauling wagon model will have more sound deadening insulation and be a bit nicer place to be versus the bare bones van.


----------



## madstayen (Aug 2, 2015)

Hi guys, newb here. I just bought a 2015 transit connect LWB van, sound proofed it for R1200 ($100) approximately. Build a bike rack from 1" pvc pipe, I fit 2 xc bikes and 1 all mountain bike easily into the back of this van. If I were to use skewer mounts and remove the front wheels, I could probably get 5 bikes in there. But I bought it so I don't have to do that anymore. Yes, it is a bit plastic in the front, but you have a tonne of extras to keep you comfortable, like abs, ebd, park assist, traction control, sync, driving behavioural learning, etc, plus a pretty powerful engine, if you go for the top spec edition, which I enjoy thoroughly. And it's light on fuel too.


----------



## Ltdan12a (Jun 15, 2012)

So, you've had it for a month- still love it?


----------



## bigflamingtaco (Oct 26, 2013)

If I had 178hp and 3950Lb like the Transit, I'd dump it in a heartbeat. It has almost the same power to weight ratio as the '89 Escort my wife drove in college.

The Transit is the perfect vehicle for what it was designed for, a utilitarian work vehicle that gets good mileage. It's also great as an personal hauler, but it's not powerful. Neither is my Escape (200hp/3250Lbs), which gets the job done when I'm pulling a thousand or two in the trailer, but I avoid short or steep freeway entrances and maintain significant separation.

The definition of powerful? Not being dropped or outbraked by the average driver in an average sedan driving averagely when you're hauling max payload or tow.


----------



## madstayen (Aug 2, 2015)

yessssssssss


----------



## rachmak (Jul 1, 2013)

madstayen said:


> yessssssssss


very cool - can you post a picture so we know what it looks like?


----------



## madstayen (Aug 2, 2015)




----------



## madstayen (Aug 2, 2015)

I ride a giant reign, so it's a pretty long bike, and it fits in with plenty space.


----------



## rachmak (Jul 1, 2013)

madstayen said:


> View attachment 1051900
> 
> 
> I ride a giant reign, so it's a pretty long bike, and it fits in with plenty space.


amazing bro!!!! awesome and thanks for posting. am I right in seeing that there is a barrier between the trunk and the back storage area?:thumbsup:


----------



## madstayen (Aug 2, 2015)

Yes, but it's removable.


----------

