Leasing a vehicle is far more convenient than trying to buy one that you can’t afford, but you still need to choose a vehicle to actually lease. For many people, that is the Ford Transit Custom, an adjusted version of the original Ford Transit design that is meant to be more versatile.
But what makes this such a good option, and is it actually such an excellent choice of lease vehicle in lots of situations? Here is what you should know about Ford Transit Custom leasing benefits.
What is the Ford Transit Custom?
The Ford Transit Custom is a medium-sized van that is designed to be tough, reliable, and act as a versatile variant of the standard Ford Transit. Unlike many vans, it has multiple different permutations and variants that can all serve different roles but is also meant to be useful in almost any situation, no matter how the user sets it up.
While you can’t always modify lease vehicles unless it is specifically part of the lease agreement, this means that a Ford Transit Custom can come in many different forms and have all sorts of specific attachments or upgrades. No two Ford Transit Custom models in a company’s vehicle fleet have to be identical, and they can all be built for certain purposes or left as general-use utility vans.
Transit Custom Van
The Ford Transit Custom Van is the standard model and is designed to be a regular load-carrying vehicle with multiple adjustable parts. This includes things like a separate loadspace with a bulkhead between the cab and the back, which can either be half-height, full-height, or removed entirely.
The Van model can also have multiple door configurations, with either one or two sliding side doors as well as a tailgate or hinged rear doors. Even the amount of seats in the cabin can be altered, and extra seats can be installed in the rear if needed.
Transit Custom Double Cab-in-Van
The Double-Cab-in-Van design has an extra row of seats behind the cab, then a bulkhead that helps separate all of the seating from the loadspace behind it. This makes it more suited for carrying a bigger group of people while still setting aside some room to carry extra cargo and smaller loads.
This is a good balance of both options and works well for dealing with mixed roles or in companies where one van might have to do several different tasks one after the other. Again, it can be heavily modified and has multiple configurations to change what it can be used for.
Transit Custom Kombi
The Kombi frame is designed as a people-carrier, offering extra rows of seats that can carry up to nine people – and folded away when not in use to give you more storage space. This turns it into more of a transit bus but still allows you to make use of the loadspace if you need to.
Like the other basic types, you can adjust and alter it in numerous ways, meaning that you are not forced into a certain amount of seating or a specific way of using the vehicle. If it needs to fill specialist roles, then you can get conversions for that exact purpose.
Why is the Ford Transit Custom so Popular?
The Ford Transit Custom is one of the few famous van types that aims for maximum flexibility, taking a single basic body and giving companies a lot more control over the type of vehicle that they actually receive after leasing or buying one.
Flexibility
For example, if a company needed a people-carrier one day and a load-carrying van for the next day, they might need two different vehicles to do the job perfectly. However, with something like the Ford Transit Custom Kombi, both roles can be handled very well, with only minor adjustments being made to the seating.
This also means that there are many more lease options available, with even minor differences being significant. You can specify that you want a Ford Transit Custom with a certain bulkhead type and usually find it, so even leasing customers can get more control over the kind of van they are choosing.
Convenience
Since all Ford Transit Custom designs share the same basic parts, repairs and maintenance are also very easy. If a company’s entire vehicle fleet uses the same basic frame and design, then there are far fewer vehicle types to keep track of, and spare parts can usually be ordered in bulk without any being wasted.
If all vans within a company are nearly identical, then they are also roughly the same complexity when it comes to driving them. A company’s driver can be trained using one type of Ford Transit Custom but can also drive the others as long as they get used to differences in weight, length, or height.
Because of this, it is entirely possible (and sometimes quite common) for a company’s vehicle list to be mostly Ford Transit Custom models, especially leased ones. It takes a lot less to handle one vehicle compared to six different designs that all serve one or two roles each.
Simplicity
The other benefit of Ford Transit Custom Leasing is that the vans are generally quite simple: anybody who has driven a van or car before can drive a Ford Transit Custom, even if they need to practice slightly first. There are no specific gimmicks or features that can work against the driver and make it harder for them to keep doing their job, which is extremely useful in a business context.
For this reason, a lot of Ford Transit Custom vans end up being used as family vehicles, too: they are simple, they can carry a lot of people and/or cargo, and they end up handling like a big car. Even a larger model with a raised room section can still be controlled quite easily by any decent driver.
Should I Lease a Ford Transit Custom?
Ford Transit Custom leasing is a great option for any business, even a small company that only needs one or two vehicles at most. With the number of variants and options available, they can easily be tailored to each specific need and situation, which makes them ideal for a company with limited funds.
Larger companies can benefit from having a fleet all made up of the same vehicle, too, and there are plenty of reasons to continue using the Ford Transit Custom even if more specialized vehicles are available. Since they are so widespread, the lease prices on them can be very affordable, so they are not going to eat into budgets more than any other standard van.
What should I look out for?
Always check to see what kind of engine is installed in a leased Ford Transit Custom, and make sure you understand the alternate components or variants that you might be getting. While all Ford Transit Custom leasing vans are designed to work as a generic utility van, some variants and conversions are better for specific things than others.
If you are really focused on a single kind of work, then it can be a good idea to try and find a van that matches that sort of niche, especially if it directly impacts the way you interact with customers or handle your products and services. For more varied businesses, though, a generic kit and conversion can sometimes be ideal for adapting to different situations and customer requirements.
The most important thing to consider is the seating since that is not always easy to change on a lease vehicle. If you need more storage space, it is a good idea to decide how important extra seats would be: the more seats you have, the less room you might have available for carrying cargo, even when the seats are folded away.
This becomes even more vital if you are using a Double-Cab-in-Van design since the cab is extended backward and takes up space that would normally be used as a cargo room. Unless the Ford Transit Custom itself is longer to make up for this, you can be cutting down some of your available storage, which might make longer items harder to transport.
Where can I lease a Ford Transit Custom?
Ford Transit Custom leasing is quite easy since the van is widespread enough to appear almost anywhere. However, if you want the maximum number of combinations and conversions available to help you decide what is right for your needs, then looking at a dedicated or specialist van leasing site can be the best option.
Sites like https://www.swissvans.com/product/ford-transit-custom-lease/ might be a good place to start since they have a long list of different van types available and can show off the styling packs, conversion details, finance options, and other important technical information of each model without you having to ask about it directly.
Remember that performance is also important and that the physical design of a van matters just as much as its ability to move properly. Always be sure to check the engine, the transmission, the wheels, and everything else that helps a van function properly before you agree to a lease.