Ford has had a sudden change of mind regarding the introduction of a 1.5-liter turbodiesel on the Transit Connect van in the United States.
About a year ago, the company announced the oil-burner would become available as an option for the updated Transit Connect from early 2019. However, in the end the automaker decided to cancel the diesel powertrain without any formal announcement.
While Ford did not make the announcement via its official channels, it did confirm to Car & Driver that production of the diesel has been canceled for the United States. The official line is that the decision was made due to “lack of market demand”, but could also have something to do with the EPA’s increased scrutiny on all diesel engines in the U.S.
Also Read: 2020 Ford Transit Debuts With Two New Engines, Optional AWD
2019 Ford Transit Connect in long-wheelbase passenger version
The Transit Connect equipped with the 1.5-liter diesel did not receive an official fuel economy rating from the EPA; the agency’s website only lists the 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines for the 2019 and 2020 model year Transit Connect.
When it announced the Transit Connect diesel, Ford claimed an EPA estimate of around 30 mpg highway for the 120 HP, 1.5-liter unit that would be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
2019 Ford Transit Connect in long-wheelbase passenger version
In addition to ditching the diesel, Ford said it also dropped the short-wheelbase, five-seat version of the Transit Connect. The SWB cargo van carries on, as does the long-wheelbase model in both cargo van and passenger van versions, the latter with six or seven seats.
Prices start at $25,395 for the short-wheelbase cargo and $28,140 for the long-wheelbase passenger version respectively, including destination charges.
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