Dash And Carry: Ford Has Launched The Fiesta Sport Van

Sometimes your head knows you need a practical small van for business, but if your heart still wants a stylish supermini, walk this way...

What do you do when your job means you need a small van, but looking good is life? Ford has the answer at last: the new Fiesta Sport Van. And yes, this is a real thing.

Essentially a three-door Fiesta with the two rear windows not cut out of the bodyshell, the Sport Van also has a half-solid, half-mesh bulkhead behind the two front seats and a fully-lined load bay, like, ahem, a proper van.

This cute little number is decked-out in hard-wearing materials, says Ford, but features the excellent Sync 3 infotainment unit with an eight-inch colour screen. It gives access to certain smartphone apps, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

You can add automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and blind spot warnings. If style really is paramount, you can add 18-inch wheels, but don’t forget some rim protectors if you spend a lot of time pulling up to kerbs.

Of course, you want to know how much valuable cargo this juicy little vannabe can carry. Gross payload is about 500kg, says Ford, in a space measuring about one cubic metre. The load bay is 1.3 metres long and has four tie-down hooks.

Power for the Sport Van comes from a 123bhp 1.0-litre Ecoboost turbocharged petrol engine or a 1.5-litre, 118bhp diesel. The suspension is unmodified: the van’s gross vehicle weight is the same as the car’s - minus the seats.