[XAlp]

Went to Copenhagen, driving in and out of Sweden so needed winter tyres.
The only vehicle Enterprise had with them on that we fitted into was a Ford transit 9 seater, diesel.

Review part - somewhat clattery diesel, good equipment, comfy seats. But the thing that was awesome was the ride quality. Scarcely felt a bump (better roads but still some bumps in 3 days). I think I’ll put 15” wheels on the XC90 and >100 profile tyres!

[Pond]

I hired a new model (2023) Transit Luton the other week. Apart from the complete lack of power at all I found it really nice to drive. Comfy and quite a few creature comforts.

I haven't owned a van for 25 years and they have come a long way since then (apart from the power bit but it would be a base spec as a hire vehicle).

[TodmordenLad]

We've had a fair few generations of Fiesta and Focus in the family over the years. The ride quality has always been brilliant for a non-premium brand - in fact, they've been better than most Germans I've owned, with the exception of recent beemers with adaptive.suspension.

[GOF_430d]

All our vans are VWs from Caddys through to a Crafter and the Transporters in particular are fun to drive with decent acceleration [when empty] and ride - the Caddys are only suitable for people under 6ft 2in.

[SkyJawa]

My Mum has a B-Max and that drives really well. Shame its a disaster in terms of being watertight, its as good as a sieve. Seems that its not alone, since discovery of the internal pond and reading online, turns out the C-Max, Focus and Fiesta all suffer the same fate.

[TodmordenLad]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

My Mum has a B-Max and that drives really well. Shame its a disaster in terms of being watertight, its as good as a sieve. Seems that its not alone, since discovery of the internal pond and reading online, turns out the C-Max, Focus and Fiesta all suffer the same fate.

Never experienced water ingress with our Fords in thirty plus years - clutches and shock absorbers, now that's a different story 😱😂

[SkyJawa]

It seems to be on 2011/2012 - 2018 or so generation - theres absolutely tonnes of stories on the net! Seems Ford liked to cover up ingress points with Duct Tape - which never ever loses its stickiness over time does it! And the rear flaps/vents behind the bumpers - another well known fail point!

[Pond]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

And the rear flaps/vents behind the bumpers - another well known fail point!

Yep that's where the water seems to be best at coming in on the Focus.

[Grant_7]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

It seems to be on 2011/2012 - 2018 or so generation - theres absolutely And the rear flaps/vents behind the bumpers - another well known fail point!

Every car has these. They're called Body Air Outlets.

The purpose being to allow air to escape the vehicle rather than compressing it when you close a door. If the body has a decent level of 'air tightness', then door closure efforts will exceed their design targets if a BAO isn't present (or correctly proportioned).

[SkyJawa]

Originally Posted by Grant_7

Every car has these. They're called Body Air Outlets.

The purpose being to allow air to escape the vehicle rather than compressing it when you close a door. If the body has a decent level of 'air tightness', then door closure efforts will exceed their design targets if a BAO isn't present (or correctly proportioned).

Indeed they are there for air pressure, some people remove them and cover the hole, bad idea imho. The Ford variants of this age seem to wear badly and the flaps stop sealing properly as well as the sealant around them giving up the ghost, which isn’t helped by the way the water is channeled down the car.

Got some brand new ones to fit on my mums car, with some decent sealant, should hopefully help.

[agentorange]

Last passenger van I drove was one of Chevy 12 passenger numbers we have here. They are renowned for falling over if you take liberties, but it rode well and went just fine on the straight roads out here. Not sure what engine was in there, a V6 of V8 I suppose. Ride was nice and all went well until a dust devil got hold of the back end. Found out how the rat feels when the terrier shakes it. I managed to keep us on the blacktop, but my passengers suddenly became very interested in spotting any more dust devils in the desert.