Video: The new Ford Transit Connect is not just another European plumbers van

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Ford thinks that the recently crowned North America Truck of the Year, the Transit Connect, is not just another utility van.

Oh no…this is potentially a truck/van (let's call it a vanette) that can be used to by amateur athletes and sportsmen around the country to hall their mountain bikes, kayaks, windsurfers and fishing and hunting gear to their favorite trails, rivers and oceans.

The Ford Transit Connect is indeed a mini van with maxi room so it can easily swallow mountain bikes, wind surfers and all of the hunting and fishing gear you and your buddies could ever need.

But than again so can a full sized pick-up truck.

The vanette is powered by a 2.0-liter gasoline engine with a four-speed automatic transmission and it gets 19 mpg city, and 24 on the highway.

So far Ford has no plans to bring in the European models diesel engine to the States. but production of the Transit could be moved to the United States from Turkey (where it is currently made) should demand for the new vanette become strong enough.

Check out the Transit Connect below from the Detroit Auto Show including a conversation with Robert Stevens (Ford's Chief Nameplate Engineer) for the commercial vehicles.

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