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Ford Transit Connect does job cheaply

Ford Transit Connect Forum - Got the Econoline Blues? Need a cheap, roomy van to haul your indie band's gear from one college town to the next? Your plumbing company's profits circling the drain as gasoline prices rise? You're a handyman who needs a handy van?

Ford's ready to change your tune with the 2010 Transit Connect. The compact van fits into a Toyota Corolla-sized parking space but boasts a workmanlike 135 cubic feet of cargo space and 1,600-pound payload capacity.

Throw in budget-balancing EPA fuel economy ratings of 22 m.p.g. in the city and 25 m.p.g. on the highway and the Transit Connect should have the butcher, baker and candlestick maker whistling while they work.

The Transit Connect is a triumph of space efficiency and flexibility delivered in a tidy and economical package. It's intended for small businesses that need carrying capacity but can't afford the sticker price and fuel consumption of traditional vans like the Ford Econoline, Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana and delivery versions of the Dodge Grand Caravan.

Prices for the 2010 Transit Connect start at $20,780 for the base XL Cargo model and run to $22,350 for the XLT Wagon version.

I tested a well-equipped Wagon XLT with a $24,280 sticker price. All prices exclude destination charges.

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