kstanley

So, I picked up the vehicle on Christmas Eve. 2016 SWB Transit Connect Wagon XLT, Magnetic color, rear lift gate, stone colored cloth interior, roof rack (for kayak hauling), dual temperature control, auto head lights, and Sync. So far, so good. No issues with the initial inspection of the vehicle or first 2 days of driving. I am pleasantly surprised at the ride quality. I had forgotten how it drove in the test ride months ago. I usually drive a 2008 Honda Civic, to give some perspective on what I am used to. This is as good or better than the Civic in terms a ride feel, sound level, smoothness of transmission, etc. I admit, I was concerned about the transmission after reading some posts in this forum. So far, it is excellent. No problems syncing up my i-phone. One observation - the rear view mirror is far forward and high up on the windshield and I have to lean out of my driving position to adjust, at which point I can't adjust for my driving position. Also, it feels unusual to have to look up at the rear view mirror while driving. Not an issue. I just noticed it as unusual for me. Even in my pickup truck, that is not the case. Most importantly, I purchased the vehicle to haul my bicycles and kayaks. My road bike fits perfectly, up-right, with the front wheel removed, with the 40% side of the rear seat folded and flipped forward. Coincidently, the drops of the handle bars fit snuggly around the flipped up seat base securing the bike is place. There is about 2 inches of length beyond the back of the bike to the lift gate. I checked this out before ordering. I wanted to get the SWB but still be able to fit the bike. Mission accomplished. I am 6 foot 1 inch, to give an idea of the size of the bicycle. The only negative of this set up is that the front passenger seat cannot recline with the bike back there. I will probably do this when I am traveling alone. When my wife and I are traveling, I will probably remove the rear seats and install fork clamps at the back of the van and roll the bikes in facing the rear. This will allow us to easily carry 2 bikes, luggage, etc and still recline the front seats somewhat. I have to emphasize that this is a great feature of the vehicle for us. Short of getting a much larger minivan or vehicle, I could not find other vehicles with the head space to carry two bikes, upright like this. My wife's Honda CRV cannot do this. I will get some pictures once the holiday busyness is over. Finally, I was unable to get any information from the dealer as to why the wait was so short or whether a similar wait should be expected in the future. Happy Holidays!

I just received word that my 2016 SWB Transit Connect XLT Wagon is at the dealer. It totally caught me by surprise. It was ordered on September 30. The only update I got was that it was "in production" on October 31. That makes it exactly 12 weeks from order to delivery. That is about half of what I was told and about half of previous experiences of which I have heard. I have not seen the vehicle yet. Hopefully everything is satisfactory once I see it.

Did you order? If so, did your dealer give you any time frame?

I live in Virginia. I ordered a 2016 Short Wheel Base Wagon Transit Connect on September 30. I was told it would take about 6 months. I have found a website, link below, that says the "order to delivery time for TCs is 22 - 24 weeks. http://www.arifleet.com/resources/manufacturing-updates/lead-times-downtime-production-delays/