Ford Tourneo Courier review – an MPV with a car-like drive

Verdict – is the Ford Tourneo Courier a good car?

The Ford Tourneo Courier is a great choice of MPV if you’re coming from a conventional hatchback, because it offers a very car-like driving experience that should make it feel easy to get used to, despite its van-derived origins. The problem is that it’s not quite as practical as other MPVs on the market which are also cheaper and offer a more diverse range of power options.

Ford Tourneo Courier models, specs and alternatives

The Ford Tourneo Courier is a small family MPV based on the smallest of the brand’s vans, the Transit Courier. Practicality is the order of the day when it comes to cars like the Tourneo Courier, so it sports an upright design that allows for plenty of interior and boot space, though it’s only offered with five seats instead of the seven or more offered by larger options like the Ford Tourneo Connect or Ford Tourneo Custom.

While the standard Ford Tourneo Courier is offered with a petrol EcoBoost engine, there will be an all-electric version arriving in 2025 called the E-Tourneo Courier for those after a zero-emissions option.

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While the Tourneo Courier may not look particularly sleek and fails to hide its van-derived origins well, this does translate to a commanding driving position that offers a lot in the way of visibility, which is part of the appeal for many buyers. Better yet, large sliding rear doors and a high roofline makes it easy to get in and out of for those with children or passengers with mobility issues.

Trim levels for the Tourneo Courier are limited to just two: Titanium and Active. Active gets a slightly more rugged look reminiscent of an SUV and larger wheels, while the entry-level Titanium looks more pedestrian. 

Rivals to the Tourneo Courier include other van-based MPVs such as the Peugeot Rifter, Citroen Berlingo, Vauxhall Combo Life and Volkswagen Caddy.
 

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The Ford Tourneo Courier comes with just one petrol-powered EcoBoost engine that doesn’t feature mild-hybrid assistance like the engine offered in the Ford Puma. While it may have been considered an economical choice a decade ago, it’s hardly game-changing in 2024. We’re surprised that one of the closely related Transit Courier’s diesel engines hasn’t been offered on the Tourneo Courier, as this would be a more logical and economical choice for long-distance drivers. An all-electric version of the Tourneo Courier, called the E-Tourneo Courier, will arrive in 2025, adding extra appeal for buyers after a zero-emissions choice.
 

How much will the Ford Tourneo Courier cost in tax?

The Ford Tourneo Courier will cost the standard rate of VED (road tax) which is £190 per year as it’s a conventional petrol car. The electric E-Tourneo will just miss out on the exemption for zero-emissions vehicles as it’s arriving in 2025 when this ends. If you’re buying a Tourneo Courier as a company car, you’re better off waiting for the electric version as this will benefit from favourable BiK (Benefit-in-Kind) tax rates given its zero-emissions status.

What will the Ford Tourneo Courier cost to insure?

The Ford Tourneo Courier should be relatively cheap to insure given that it sits in groups 10 to 13 out of 50. The Volkswagen Caddy is cheaper to insure, though, starting from group eight before rising to group 12 in top-spec guise. 

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The Ford Tourneo Courier looks very van-like, and its driving position is upright and offers lots of visibility as a result. We’re happy to report, however, that on the move the Tourneo Courier feels rather more car-like to drive than you might expect, and that’s because the Transit Courier on which it’s based actually sits on the same platform as the Fiesta hatchbacks and Puma small SUV; both cars that impressed us with their driving feel.

The manual gearbox feels precise and solid, which makes it satisfying and easy to use, while the steering is well-weighted and direct. You’d expect from a car with these proportions that the Tourneo Courier would be wallowy and unstable through the corners, but it hangs on pretty well with minimal bodyroll – as a result, the Tourneo Courier does not let the side down when it comes to Ford’s reputation for producing drivers’ cars.

You might expect that this would mean a tradeoff in terms of comfort, but while some rivals might be more comfortable, the Tourneo Courier strikes a good balance.

Despite its small engine, the Tourneo Courier’s engine noise is minimal at higher speeds on the motorway, though some of this is because the wind noise drowns it out. Admittedly, however, we haven’t tested it full of passengers and luggage, and getting up to motorway speeds in the first place does take a while – we can’t help but wonder if Ford has missed a trick by not offering a diesel option for a bit of extra grunt and long-distance cruising capability.

Petrol models

From launch, the Ford Tourneo Courier is offered solely with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, and a fully electric E-Tourneo Courier will arrive later. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost is a familiar unit that’s been used in Ford’s lineup for some years now – while it might sound small in size, it uses a turbocharger to bump power up to 123bhp, so it feels more substantial when you put your foot down. 

It can be had with a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission. The manual is good to use and we also briefly drove the automatic, which feels smoother to drive and is quick to shift.

Electric models 

It’s not been released yet, but Ford has announced an all-electric version of the Tourneo Courier, badged the E-Tourneo Courier. Full details are yet to be released, but Ford says it will get a 134bhp electric motor, making it the most powerful of the Tourneo Courier range. 

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The Ford Tourneo is unapologetically focused on function over form, with hard-wearing plastics carried over from its commercial origins that, while they may not look particularly attractive or premium, should prove durable. 

Is the Ford Tourneo Courier’s infotainment and sat-nav system easy to use?

Ford’s SYNC 4 infotainment system is snappy and responsive to use, but the eight-inch screen is a little small, with too many functions taking up such limited screen space. While Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration is a welcome alternative, frustratingly you have to switch between these and the SYNC 4 system if you need to adjust the heating and ventilation settings as they’re controlled via the core software.

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One of the main reasons you might choose the Ford Tourneo Courier over similarly-priced small SUVs like the Ford Puma is its focus on practicality. It’s only available with five seats – you’ll have to spring for the Ford Tourneo Connect for more – but the space for those five occupants is plentiful without having to sacrifice a large boot. Four adults, or two adults and three children can travel in comfort. The Tourneo Courier’s shape means there’s lots of headroom and the sliding doors make getting in and out easy, especially for those with mobility issues.

There are a lot of storage holes in the dashboard as well as an area you can clip items to, such as smartphone mounts. While there’s a shelf area for coats or jackets above the front seats, it’s a shame Ford hasn’t installed any storage bins on the ceiling in the back for extra versatility, like you get in a Peugeot Rifter. There are also a couple of ISOFIX points in the side rear seats for attaching a baby seat.

Does the Ford Tourneo Courier have a big boot?

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The beauty of a van-based MPV is that you don’t have to compromise on passenger or boot space – you can have both. The Tourneo Courier’s boot is a vast 570 litres in size, and if you need to use all the space back there without transporting passengers, you can fold the rear seats up and flip them forward for a massive 2,100 litres, essentially turning it back into the small van on which it’s based.

Rivals like the Peugeot Rifter, Citroen Berlingo (both essentially the same car) and the Volkswagen Caddy offer much more boot space, however, so while the Tourneo Courier’s boot is big if you’re coming from a standard hatchback, be aware that even more practical options are available.

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Ford hasn’t performed well in our recent Driver Power customer satisfaction surveys, with the brand finishing in 28th place (out of 32 manufacturers) in the brand-specific survey in 2023. It didn’t perform terribly in terms of reliability, though, with a lower-than-average 21% of buyers reporting an issue with their Ford in the first year.

The Ford Tourneo Courier itself is perhaps too niche a model to have appeared on our model-specific survey, but the closely related Ford Puma and Fiesta did feature in 2024. Customers liked the Puma’s engines and infotainment, though these were rated less favourably by Fiesta owners despite them being largely the same in both models. Considering the Puma gets the same SYNC 4 infotainment system as the Tourneo Courier, it should be a good reflection of what to expect from the MPV.

How safe is the Ford Tourneo Courier?

The Ford Transit Courier is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP but it comes with autonomous emergency braking, intelligent speed assist, traffic sign recognition, wrong-way alert, a driver fatigue monitor and driver-assistance tech like cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard. You’ll have to pay extra for the parking pack if you want extra safety tech like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring or cross-traffic alert among other safety tech.

Should you buy a Ford Tourneo Courier?

The Ford Tourneo Courier is definitely worth your consideration if you want a small people carrier with space for five and luggage, or if you require an easier car to get in and out of than a conventional hatchback or small SUV. It’s a good option for the price, but it can hardly be considered a bargain, just be aware that there are much better performers when it comes to outright practicality, and the interior isn’t the last word in quality.

The Tourneo Courier’s big strength is that it’s surprisingly car-like to drive, so buyers daunted by the prospect of an unwieldy or cumbersome van needn’t worry. The electric version will add another string to the Tourneo Courier’s bow when it arrives in 2025.

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What is the Carbuyer pick of the Ford Tourneo Courier range?

We think it’s worth sticking with the Ford Tourneo Courier Titanium and can’t see much benefit for paying the extra money for the Active. Most of the equipment you need is standard on Titanium, and as far as we can tell, the Active consists mostly of visual upgrades that don’t really add much to the experience, while features like adaptive cruise control and sat nav are niceties but not vital.

Ford Tourneo Courier alternatives

While the MPV market is less popular nowadays, with most buyers shifting their money towards SUVs, the Ford Tourneo Courier still has a few van-based rivals, the majority of which are models closely related to each other, such as those from Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall. The Volkswagen Caddy is actually slightly larger and the Tourneo Connect (the Courier’s larger sibling) is based on it, but price-wise the Caddy is not much more expensive, so it’s worth your consideration.

• Peugeot Rifter
• Citroen Berlingo
• Vauxhall Combo Life
• Volkswagen Caddy