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By Jonathan Crouch

Ford's E-Tourneo Custom could well be the definitive super-large full-electric MPV. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 35

Ford's E-Tourneo Custom is perhaps the market's definitive eight or nine-seater big electric MPV. Battery range might not be cutting-edge but the space, practicality and drive dynamics you get here are all difficult to beat.

Backgroundword count: 137

The Tourneo Custom dates back to 2013, but that first generation version was less MPV and more glorified minibus. The second generation model - this car - that arrived in 2023 was a much more car-like proposition, even though it remained resolutely based on Ford's mid-sized Transit Custom van. An LCV which by then had gained a full-electric E-Transit Custom variant. That meant the Tourneo Custom could offer that battery drivetrain too, creating the E-Tourneo Custom model we're going to look at here. Like all current Ford commercial vehicle-based designs, it shares all its engineering with comparable Volkswagen models, in this case the competing Volkswagen e-Transporter Shuttle. But there are some specific Ford touches here you might really like. And apart from that Transporter clone, there's really nothing else quite like this big MPV in the segment.

Driving Experienceword count: 363

All E-Tourneo Customs use a 71kWh battery and in this mainstream form, it energises a 218PS electric motor. That motor drives the front wheels via the usual single-speed EV auto gearbox and is fitted directly to the vehicle's rear floor, removing the need for a dedicated subframe, plus it's rotated 90 degrees to maximise load space and reduce weight and complexity. From launch, the van and MPV versions of this EV Ford were the first-ever electric vehicles to use (as standard) vapour-injected heat pump technology to heat and cool the cabin. It's a system designed to deliver improved energy efficiency for optimum driving range. So it's slightly disappointing to find that this E-Tourneo Custom's quoted driving range figure of 202 miles is some way below the class standard. We've talked about this E-Tourneo Custom's electric motor: it is at least an eager thing, developing a 415Nm torque figure that might give the traction system a work-out on a slippery winter morning. And that figure, by the way, remains the same if you choose the uprated 285PS version of this motor that's available on the rare sporting 'MS-RT'-spec model at the top of the line-up (though with that version, drive range falls to just 165 miles). With all E-Tourneo Customs, there are four driving modes - 'Eco', 'Sport', 'Slippery' and 'Tow/Haul'. The power surge in 'Sport' is fun for a bit (and gets you to 62mph from rest in about 7s) but you really don't need anything more than the restricted forward thrust of 'Eco' for regular day-to-day use. If you've driven a few of the latest large MPVs and you're taking the back road home in this one, it'll soon become clear that this is the best-handling People Carrier in the segment; body roll and traction are both top-notch for an MPV. But whether that'll be important enough to offset that slightly restricted range figure is another question. As for brake regen, well you can increase that with an 'L' button on the gear selector stalk; or there's a full '1-Pedal' setting in the centre screen menus that can very nearly bring the van to a standstill when you come off the throttle.

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