Ford Transit

This L/H system is not a Ford peculiarity. Mercedes, Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot and Citroën use the same codes. It allows vans of different brands to be compared directly — though the centimetres behind them differ by manufacturer. The step is comparable, the measurement is not.

Which steps a given year offers changes across the generations. Not every Transit comes in all four lengths, and the shortest step offered is not called L1 in every generation. Anyone who depends on the centimetre should check the interior measurement of the actual vehicle, not just the code.

The second decision is drive. The Transit comes with front-, rear- and all-wheel drive. Front drive gives a lower loading lip and more traction when empty, rear drive carries heavy loads better and tows more. Anyone regularly running fully loaded or towing should look harder here than at the engine.

Alongside the Transit there are the smaller Transit Custom, the Transit Connect and the Transit Courier. The names are similar, the vehicles are not: these are separate ranges of different sizes. Listings mix them regularly — checking gross vehicle weight and load length separates them more reliably than the name does.