Ford’s £26k Tourneo Courier is family wagon with acres of space, sliding doors & great handling, but it does have faults

THE answer to every car question used to be a Ford.

Ka, Fiesta, Focus, ­Mondeo, Galaxy, B-Max, C-Max, S-Max and more.

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They had a car for everyone.

Today? Not so much.

All of the above have either been axed or soon will be. Focus goes next year.

Why? Because there wasn’t much money in them.

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Plus Ford needed a proper switch-it-off-and-back-on-again reboot to prepare for the electric revolution.

So here we are.

The cheapest family motor is now a Puma crossover at £25,640.

Battery- powered version to follow later.

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If you don’t fancy a Puma, your next choice is the van-based Tourneo Courier at £25,865.

It’s clearly bigger and more practical for just £225 more.

Tourneo is Ford-speak for MPV by the way. We like the Tourneo Courier. We think nans will too.

It has five seats, a Tardis-like cabin with acres of space, clever stowage and twin sliding doors that open half a metre wide.

They’re great for loading the kiddlywinks and the dog.

Peter Crouch would be happy with the headroom in the back.

The boot will swallow a washing machine with the rear seats down.

Flip them up and you can easily stick bikes in there.

There’s even a pull-out compartment for muddy shoes.

But I do have a grumble. The tailgate. You need about two metres of space behind you to open it.

The tailgate window should pop open like a Citroen Berlingo for chucking in shopping bags. Or just give it cargo doors.

It does feel very van-like at the tiller, you wouldn’t call it plush, but you do get heated front seats, heated steering wheel and a driver’s armrest on all versions, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay for your smartphone.

Driving impressions.

There’s only one engine option but it’s a good one. Ford’s cheery 1-litre petrol EcoBoost with 125hp. Manual or auto.

You’ll nudge 40mpg.

You won’t get anywhere in a hurry — but this type of car isn’t meant to. Relax, enjoy the views.

All-round visibility is excellent, like sitting in a greenhouse.

Handling and front-end grip are almost Puma-like.

Which makes sense as Tourneo Courier is based on the Transit Courier panel van, which is based on the Puma.

More important, the body control and suspension is soft enough to be comfy without being so floaty that the kids get sick.

We also like the manual ­handbrake.

EV version to follow next year. But no diesel. You’ll have to go Berlingo for a diesel.

That said, the new Transit Courier panel van will offer the full menu of petrol, diesel and electric. Prices from £17,992 exc VAT.

And you can now load two Euro pallets in the back.

Need a bigger family wagon than a Tourneo Courier? Ford has an answer for that too.

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The seven-seat Tourneo Connect or the nine-seat Tourneo Custom.

Send that one up to Tyson Fury.

Other observations. The green and white paint job on my test car. No, mate.

It looks like a budget Defender Hardtop. Keep it simple. White paint is free.

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And lastly, finance. Tourneo Courier costs £320 a month. Puma from £262 a month.

Or a seven-seat Dacia Jogger from £197 a month?

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