Darren and I recently spent a day hard at work at the Chicago Auto Show. We had hoped to discover a lot of new, innovative designs for families, especially in the mid-size SUV or minivan range. Sadly, there isn’t really much to report.
We thought Kia might have a prototype of the rumored new Sedona, but alas, there were no minivans in their showing.
I really looked forward to seeing the passenger version of Ford’s Transit Connect Wagon. Until now, the Transit Connect van and wagon have been geared toward cargo-hauling businesses, but Ford is now going to market a version for families. It will come in a two-row model (to seat five) and a three-row model (to seat seven). Unfortunately, they only had the two-row passenger version on display, and I wasn’t very impressed.
First, there was very little cargo room behind the back seat. Second…it’s not attractive. It’s a minivan with the looks of a slightly more modern cargo van. Not very aesthetically pleasing.
Before I saw it, I thought it might serve as competition for the large Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or Nissan NV, but it likely won’t. Those two dwarf the Transit Connect in size and passenger capacity. There might be some benefits, though. The seats fold flat for great cargo room (if you don’t need them for passengers), and it will come with Ford’s Ecoboost engine, which should result in great gas mileage.
Beyond that… I found a couch I’d really love to have.
Also, Darren did a great job pretending to be scared by the zombies at Hyundai’s display.
So, those are my observations from the Auto Show. Just between us, I think the Transit Connect would be a way better choice than the Elantra during a zombie apocalypse.
When the zombies come, I want a Hummer. And not one of those Hummer wannabe SUVs GM made, but the real original one.
I live in the UK and once I heard the Transit Connect was going to come in a 5-seater I wondered how it would do in the US. There are lots of models like that here (made by Renault, Peugeot, and I think Fiat has one) and they’re awesome for urban areas (tighter parking garages and narrow streets) and small business owners who occasionally need passenger transport after-hours. It will be interesting to see how it goes in the American market.