windguy

that's good feedback. thanks. below is a cut/paste from the first link I provided. I'm guessing that if you want to get the navigation system as an option, then you have to get MyFord Touch. "Ford could choose to continue, modify, or abandon the MyFord Touch interface. Sync is the car-Bluetooth-USB-voice recognition component. MyFord Touch and the similar MyLincoln Touch are touchscreen interfaces that break the home screen into four quadrants: phone, navigation, entertainment, and climate control. (It’s possible to have Sync without a touchscreen.) Separate from Ford’s plans to move away from Microsoft, it is planning to add more knob and buttons to the center stack and simplify voice response. Lincoln on new models will move from capacitive sliders to traditional knobs for audio volume and fan speed. That starts on some 2015 models."

just read this article from February 2014. "Why Microsoft lost Ford Sync: Too costly, too slow, and too hard to use" apologize if this topic was posted elsewhere on this forum there are few articles out there on this subject. Below are two links http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/177171-why-microsoft-lost-ford-sync#disqus_thread http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Ford+to+Replace+Microsoft+with+Blackberrys+QNX+in+Sync+MyFord+Touch+Interface/article34383.htm From what I read, it doesn't mention the change for the 2015 TC models. I'm not a gadget type of guy but it's interesting. Maybe others have some input on this.

thanks mrtn. that's a good idea on the lighting. I plan to fix up the cargo area of the van, adding insulation to reduce road noise and improve the appearance, etc and better lighting. If I'm loading or unloading something in the dark it would be good to have light that extends out the back that I can turn on/off. Same for the rest of the cargo area. Jealous that you have a diesel option in the EU.

I checked out the 2014 TC vans last weekend for the first time and thought I'd share some of my observations. I probably spent 100+ hours online reviewing everything I could find on the van over the past year so it was fun to finally see one in person. I currently drive a 95 Volvo 850 wagon and I'm looking for a cargo area that is a bit larger. The wagon has decent cargo space with the rear seats removed and the back seat backs folded flat and the front passenger seat folded forward, but the low roof limits how much I can stack height wise. I've been patiently waiting for a van to come to the US market that only has two seats and lots of cargo room behind them that I can park in the garage (under 68" in height) plus gets decent gas mileage. My plans are to use the van for personal use as an everyday car and as a beach cruiser for surf and windsurf boards and all the gear that goes with it and for light camping. Being able to easily parallel park on the coastal highway is a must. The LWB van is slightly longer than my wagon so that's a big plus. Along with optional front/rear sensors and a backup camera I should be able to slide that van into parking spaces with ease. The dealer I visited had four TC Vans on their lot. three SWB and one LWB, which is my preference. All four were white and one was an XLT. Very few options were added, which I'm guessing is common for stock van model since it will be used for commercial purposes mostly. Considering this isn't a soccer mom van like a Sienna or Odyssey, the van is pretty nice looking and feels solid. Below are some nitpicky observations: Tires - Continental Contiprocontact Extra Load M&S Radials - 215/55R16 97H I checked and these tires got some poor ratings. That's disappointing. Users said they didn't get wear close to the 80,000 mile rating and the traction was terrible. Seems like a poor choice for an OEM tire. One reviewer recommended the Hankook H727. My research on this was limited. Doors - They feel beefy and solid and the track for the sliders is pretty nice and requires minimal effort to open and close. nice levers both inside and out. The catch for the latch for the rear barn doors is below the floor level so it's not in the way. Cargo area flooring - not sure if this is standard, but the padded covering dents really easily. Knee or heel dent impressions don't go away so not sure how that will hold up. It's nice to have the padding when crawling around but it has to be durable. Pics of the cargo area on the Ford site doesn't show this padding so not sure. AC Controls - these are partially blocked by the gear shift when it's in park. Didn't move it to drive but it still seems like a poor placement. XLT - has some nice upgrades. The center console arm rest is very nice. The XL only had a driver right arm rest that swings out of place or ratchets to the desired position. The passenger doesn't have anything. Not sure if this is part of the XL/XLT or the 4 or 6 position seat. Seats - the 4 position seat was pretty uncomfortable for me - I'm 6-2. My wife at 5-4 had no problems. The 6 position seat on the XLT was much better but there's room for improvement. Hard to decide between cloth or vinyl. Seems the cloth was more comfortable but for keeping things clean my preference would be vinyl. The front passenger folding seat back is a nice option and a must for me but the control lever is on the left side of the head rest and a bit hard to access. I would normally move this from the passenger side so I have to reach across the seat and head rest to get to it and you have to move the lever to move the seat back in either direction. Interior color - only saw the charcoal grey black. Seemed okay. Exterior color - I stopped by another dealer that had a silver metallic wagon on their lot. It's between silver or white for me. Hard to decide. The silver looks less commercial so I'm leaning towards that. Rear Cargo Light - only on the passenger side of the headliner area. Would be nice to have it on both sides. Seems like there is a cutout for it in the driver side body. Dashboard - Ford tried to spice it up by having these cowlings over the speedometer and tach. The problem when you're 6-2 is that you're looking down on these and it easily gets shielded. If you slide down in the seat it's easier to see, so it's optimized for someone shorter and a hindrance for someone taller but it's still functional. Visibility - pretty decent for a van. The sloping front windshield give you a nice viewing area. would be nice for touring. Step up Height - the van's low level makes it pretty easy to get in/out of the cabin area and the cargo area low step up is perfect for tailgating, which is ideal for me. It's easy to stand in the openings and access the roof area if you have items on a roof rack. Overall I liked the van and think it will work out well for my needs. I didn't bother to drive it since I've read reviews from others on that and it was adequate. I'm not a speed freak so performance means nothing to me. I do have lots of questions regarding options when ordering so I plan to make a separate post regarding that.

those are nice options. thanks for sharing. I have no idea if that's a good deal. if you enjoy the van then I'd say it's a great deal. I haven't placed an order yet. I'll have to wait until next month when the order window opens.

Johny, Glad you have a TC on order. you made it by two days. good timing! I've looked on the Ford site doing as you said but only within a 50 mile radius, which has numerous Ford dealers. Based on what I saw the dealers aren't really adding too many options for the van models. just some basic options. This kind of makes sense because most van models will be used commerically, I'm guessing, so there's no need to add extra bells and whistles that aren't required and cost more. Will make a post in the 2014 section based on what I saw. What base model did you get and what options did you add? Maybe you can post that too in the 2014 section. Thanks

Robert, Thanks for posting that. Very helpful I checked out the 2014 TC for the first time last Saturday at a local dealer. Told the sales guy that I will need to special order one cause I want certain options. He didn't metioned anything about the order window being closed for the 2014 models. Guess I'll have to wait a bit longer now, which I'm okay with. Any idea if there will be any changes for 2015? The 2014 schedule was pretty short, almost like a 2014 1/2 year introduction to the model. I've got lots of questions and comments after seeing the TC so I'll make a few posts on that. Thanks!