Since I had the chance to drive a Ford Tourneo last week, perhaps it's time for a quick review, from the point of view of raiolway modellers. At the very least, it may attract a bit of extra traffic to these pages.
Caveat: I love Citroen Berlingo. Ideally, the Mk2 version, after that, the legroom in the front got a little short of my comfort. I also think the Mk2 is best looking, and it's a terrific nippy little motor with wonderful, big wing mirrors.
The front: Fitted with a diesel engine, it seems a little under-powered. I'm not a fast driver by any means, but there's not a lot of low-down grunt. It's quite easy to stall at slow speeds, you need to keep the revs up. That said, the engine isn't stupidly noisy, does Liverpool and back on less than £30 of diesel. An hour of slow running on the M6 won't have helped this either. Obviously, there is no issue with 70mph, by which time you've got it in 6th gear and it bowls along.
The middle: A first for me, I had to slide the drivers seat forward slightly! And when in position, I could have worn a top hat happily, as there is so much headroom. In fact, space is the main story with this car, loads of it. OK, it's a bigger beast than the Berlingo, but fits in a parking space.
The controls are OK. Setting the speed limited was a little bit of a faff, it knows the speed but can't automatically be set to it, but I hadn't read the instruction book, so there probably is a better way. There are plenty of actual knobs to twiddle, and buttons to push, none of that touch screen nonsence.
Instruments are clear. You can have your speed in both traditional swinging needle form, or in numbers. These appear on a screen in the middle of the dash, and the screen is used for other jobs, which is a little anoying. Vision around the car is wonderful, all that glass ensures you can see what's around.
The hire version is possibly a little light on toys. No reversing camera, electronic handbrake, or front parking sensors. The wing mirrors are a bit smaller than the Berlingo, but adequate.
The back: This is the best bit. There are seats, but when shifting layouts (or loco side tanks) around, these can be folded out of the way. I couldn't see a way to remove them entirely like you can with a Berlingo, and the guy at the hire place didn't look like he appreciated my examination and talk of spanners.
Width between the rear arches is very nearly four feet. If I owned one of these, I'd seriously consider building baseboards to fit it. As it was, the tank fitted with loads of space to spare. There's plenty of height too if your boards are paired up and have tall backscenes, it won't be an issue.
Generally, this is a nice car. Better than a Berlongo? Possibly not, but it's a close run thing. OK, it's a bit light on charisma, but as a load lugger for people who actually do things, it's a good choice.
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