The Toyota HiAce has dominated our van market for decades and while many have tired to break its stranglehold over the years, most have left empty handed.

Ford with its new Transit Custom is the latest model to challenge the HiAce’s supremacy and on paper at least, it looks a stronger contender, having won the 2013 International van of the year award. While credentials like this are impressive, they won’t win the sales orders of potential customers where reliability and trust, not awards influence their buying decisions. New van buyers here know what they like and like what they know and it’s the HiAce, whose success isn’t build on its legendary reliability.

These days the only really serious competition for the HiAce comes from European brands and the capable Korean made Hyundai i-Load van. The remaining Japanese van offerings include the ancient Mitsubishi L300 van and aging Nissan Urvan. Like the HiAce, they to are students of the “Old-school” cab forward layout, where the engine is squeezed into a cavity under the front seats. More modern van designs like those coming out of Europe have a proper engine bay mounted forward of the front windscreen that offers greater safety.

Engine noise is an issue for cab-forward vans because of where the motor is situated and that is pretty much under the bums of the driver and front seat passengers. The front wheels are also in the general neighbourhood, with the front wheel below the driver’s door, making for a bouncier ride, even over relatively benign road surfaces.

It really is European manufacturers who are driving the modernisation of vans and is now delivering major the engineering, comfort and safety gains. The Ford Transit Custom is great example of just how far van design has progressed in the last decade and drives with an almost uncanny car like qualities. While dozens of different variants of the Transit Custom are offered in Europe and the UK, just a solitary $49,995 version is offered here. Ford see it this model as the complete Van package and believe they can get away with just a single model, and have cleverly promoted it as the all-new all-in-one delivery van.

The Ford hits out strongly on the performance front with a punchy new 2.2 litre common-rail 114kw turbo diesel that produces a class leading 385nm of torque at a super low 1600rpm to help this van drive like a car. I never thought I would be saying that about a vehicle that was bought into the automotive world for servitude and hard toil, not driving pleasure. Thankfully Ford had other ideas and have come up with a van design that is clearly outside the box for this market, and for that a alone, it deserves to succeed.  The motor is a winner with its nippy performance and exceptional smoothness and refinement that make it such an effortless drive on the open road, yet it feels right at home in town driving, where vans are often expected to earn their keep.

An accurate yet quick shifting six-speed ensures brisk progress and often had me thinking this gearbox wouldn’t be out of place in passenger vehicle. The gear ratios strike a good balance between being low enough help the Transit Custom fulfil its prime role as a load hauler, while still managing to factor some fun into the driving experience into the driving equation.

Size wise the Custom is a compact and far better looking version of its big brother the Transit. Unlike the Transit and a number of other vans, the Custom has a front wheel drive layout. Swinging open the barn style rear doors reveals a huge load area that will swallow three euro pellets, or six cubic metres of cargo. A piece of smart thinking, are the three integrated roof racks that can carry up to 130kg. These fold down when not being used allowing the van to get in and out of car park buildings.

In recognition that vans are also a mobile offices, the one is kitted out with a voice-activated Bluetooth phone and audio system that can also read out text messages – how good is that!  Add in a mobile phone with a 12-volt power supply on the driver side and your office is complete. It’s a comfy yet flexible office space, thanks to features such as steering mounted remote controls for the phone an audio functions, air conditioning, cruise control and cup and bottle holders because when you have building vans as long as Ford, you understand driving these vehicles can be thirsty work.

An elevated driving position offers good forward visibility, however the view out the back of he vehicle isn’t so clear. A smallish window in the fixed wooden bulkhead between the driver and cargo area is barely large enough to see out of, while metal side panels block out another potential line of sight. A side glazed window option isn’t offered at the moment.  A rear backing camera and parking sensors would go along to giving the driver a better idea of what is happening around the rear end of the vehicle during reversing. Backing cameras are now a reasonably affordable bit of after-market kit and if I was a Transit Custom owner, I would seriously look at getting one installed.

For a van this one points and steers through corners with the competence and confidence that matches many passenger vehicles – yes it is that good! The steering is crisp and sharp with good road feel, something very rarely found in this type of vehicle. Ride comfort is also well above the typical scratchy effort you get from most vans. In my view, the Transit Custom sets a new ride and handling benchmark for its class, which is a vantastic achievement by Ford!

What is the verdict? Lifts compact van design, performance, refinement to an all-new level – the best van I have driven.