Ohioan

We got one with the barn doors a few months back. We like it -- makes it easier to access a car top carrier, makes it easy to load a few things behind one back seat and keep them there, and we usually have one kid that sits in the back so they can open the door from the inside instead of having to fold down a seat and go out the side door every time they get in and out. The rear visibility does take some getting used to. Like others have said, you just end up using your side mirrors more. Just a slightly different driving habit, and doesn't bother me since I'm looking forwards 99% of the time.

While it's likely that few people will read this, we did go ahead and get a LWB 2014 Transit Connect Wagon. We've been happy with it -- it's big enough for our family of two adults, two kids, and a dog, it has good gas mileage, and the power is good too. We've driven it with every seat filled and a car-top carrier to hold luggage for an overnight trip, and didn't have any problems accelerating or keeping pace on the freeway. We've driven it down country roads with a kayak strapped to the roof rack, and didn't have any problems. Ours does not have a tow rack but I don't really feel comfortable towing something on a regular basis with a 4-cylinder. As much as I have confidence that the van can get itself and the stuff in it where we need to go, I wouldn't want to tax it with a trailer as well. Also I recently looked up the old Ford Ranger that was mentioned in the original post, and it only had like 100 HP. Come on Ford, why would you put that in any kind of a truck? This van gets 169 HP and probably has a much better transmission as well, and the difference is night and day. Oh, and this is replacing a 2007 GM SUV that had some nice luxuries but was terrible in terms of reliability. Also really happy with the gas mileage and amount of space in this one compared to the 3-row crossover.

I'd like to get a 2014 to 2016 TC LWB wagon for our family's next vehicle. But, I'm a little worried about the engine being powerful enough. I've ridden in an early 90's 4-cylinder Ford Ranger on freeways through the mountains of West Virginia, and that thing just could not keep its speed going uphill. It had a cap on the back and was probably 2/3 full of stuff at the time, and would drop from 65 or 70 down to 45 or 50 on long uphill climbs. Had to turn the flashers on and we had semi trucks passing us. Does anyone have experience driving a loaded TC uphill at 60 to 70 mph? Is the 4-cylinder able to keep up its speed when needed? Also, I noticed that the GVWR is only something like 1,000 to 1,200 pounds above the curb weight for the LWB version with rear seats. Does Ford not realize that 5 American adults can easily get to 1,000 lb? Am I reading it right that if we had all 7 seats filled with people it really can't handle any other weight? Thanks!