I Love Great Surprises!

[Sarals]

Hi, I'm from Monterey, California, and as of yesterday I'm a brand new 2020 XL TC wagon owner!  I've been musing about a van for three years now, and yesterday I decided it was time to part with my 2015 C-Max, so I traveled over to my Ford dealership.  Earlier I had looked at a Chrysler Voyager and Pacifica, but, well, the Chrysler reputation for questionable reliability influenced me to look elsewhere.  I've owned Fords for years, happily (well, there was the 1993 Taurus SHO - that's another story).  When I got to my Ford store, I looked at an XLT (absolutely loaded) and an XL (also very well equipped), and settled on the XL.  She's a golden tan color, black interior with the vinyl everything.  Added are aluminum wheels, backup sensors, fog lights, heated blind spot mirrors, Sync III with Nav and XM, dual zone climate control, center console, rear overhead storage bins, and some features and things I haven't discovered yet.  The one thing that really tickled me is FordPass, with the remote start and unlock from my phone.  Now, that was cool, and how handy is that.  She has almost everything the XLT had, save for the cloth and carpeting, and adaptive cruise control.  I'm adding a receiver hitch next week.  I'm going to remove the rear seat row, I don't need those seats.  I carry around bicycles with riding gear, as well as other "stuff", all of which I routinely crammed into my poor C-Max!  Removing that third row will give me all the room I need, without cramming.  So far I am absolutely delighted with this little van.  I'm used to 39 MPG with the C-Max, I know the XL won't get anywhere near that, and to be honest that's something that I'll need to get used to.  Other than that, it drives so much like the C-Max (except that it shifts gears) that I already feel right at home.  I should have purchased one of these vans ages ago!

Edited November 26, 2020 by Sarals

[jrm223]

With a gravel/sand driveway, the vinyl floor is better than the carpet, IMO. So much easier to clean the rocks & dirt off the vinyl, lol. And if those bicycles are being used off-pavement, than all the more reason for vinyl floors for easy cleaning. Most people with carpet end up spending more money to get things like WeatherTech floor covers, made of vinyl/rubber! 

[Sarals]

Agree!  I'm having a receiver hitch put on to mount my Kuat rack so I can carry off road bikes outside the van.  I did put my mountain bike inside to see how it fit.  Even through the floor is vinyl, I did purchase Weathertech front mats.  They just make things easier.

 

So far, so good with the van.  I'm averaging 25 MPG (over 450 miles), not horrible, but admittedly a bit of a shock after 39 MPG in my C-Max.  But, the C-Max didn't have the room or the utility, and I think this little van actually drives better.  It's quiet, smooth, not terribly powerful, but more than adequate.  I'm very happy with it.

 

[Double Nickels]

Transit Connect vans are great for people who just don't need a full size van.  I thought about removing the 3rd row.  But then I started driving with the middle row down. Passengers could ride in the 3rd row, with a lot of space for gear in the middle. I sat back there myself. It was kind of nice to have the cooler in front of me, and be able to drink beer behind the tinted windows. The last row of seats has a power point for charging the phone. And the parents can't see everything you are doing back there.