The 2017 Ford Transit 350 HR Cargo Van. |
It's a wonderful event full of fellowship and fun. The only downside to it is that, for that week, press fleet vehicles become scarce. Many of them are going to be driven at Media Days, and need to be serviced, cleaned and if necessary (stuff happens) repaired beforehand. Last year, there wasn't one available for me. I drove Mrs. TireKicker's 2013 Nissan Versa (a fine car that doesn't deserve the bad rap it gets from automotive journalists) the 207 miles from Folsom to Monterey.
This year, there was one. And just one. A 2017 Ford Transit 350 HR (stands for "high roof") Cargo Van. There are car scribes who would have said "thanks, but no thanks", and rented something flashy to show up in, or who would have driven their wife's car or their beater. But I had a "honey do" list item that the Transit 350 HR was tailor-made for.
Custom interior of 2017 Ford Transit 350 HR Cargo Van. |
Mom's china cabinet and the back of the 2017 Ford Transit 350 HR Cargo Van. |
Monterey-Ukiah-Folsom map (courtesy Google Maps). |
Good news was we traveled during midday and other than a couple of slow spots south and north of the City, traffic was light. We made Ukiah in five hours, with a stop for lunch in Marin, took mother-in-law and 95-year-old aunt out for dinner, drove to friend's house, loaded the china cabinet just before it got dark and hit the road for Folsom...the final 175 of what would be 422 miles that day.
2017 Ford Transit 350 HR Cargo Van interior. |
Controls are instantly familiar to anyone who's been in a Fiesta or Focus, visibility is tremendous due not only to the high driving position, but also to the wise choice of a window in the right-hand side sliding door and the audio system (apart from a slight reverb caused by the largely empty unfinished metal box behind the two front and only seats) was more than capable of producing good sound. Another plus: Fuel economy was quite good, with an average of 18 mpg on our trip.
The Transit 350 HR Cargo Van has a base price of $37,990, but the Ford press fleet people loaded this one with options: $150 for the dark paint, which they've named "Magnetic"; $1,865 for the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine; $325 for the 3:31 limited slip axle; $295 for wheel well liners; $250 for the aforementioned passenger side window in the sliding door; $195 for automatic headlamps and rain-sensing windshield wipers; $125 for a backup alarm; $295 for a reverse park aid; $95 for a keyless entry pad; $485 for the trailer towing package; $220 for long, heated exterior mirrors; $1,270 for the upgraded SYNC audio system with navigation; $230 for a trailer brake controller; $940 for a power running board; $400 for privacy glass and $1,495 for an interior upgrade which includes a complete vinyl floor covering and cruise control.
Got all that? Never mind. The bottom line, with $1,195 destination and delivery was $47,820. Yes, that's a lot of money for a cargo van, and no, not a lot of fleet managers will want to pamper their drivers with all those extras. But...I'm glad this one was built the way it was. There are passenger cars that I wouldn't have felt as fresh getting out of at the end of a nine-hour, 422-mile drive as I did the Ford Transit 350HR Cargo Van.