What's the difference?
Long before Tesla EVs, there were electric golf buggies.
From the first half of last century, they began quietly ferrying birdie and eagle enthusiasts around their favourite courses.
For many, these have been their first (and only) experience of electric vehicles (EVs) at work.
Now, the blue-collared Blue Oval mob has this – the all-new E-Transit Custom.
Designed to take on other electric mid-sized vans such as the LDV eDeliver7, Peugeot E-Expert and the Mercedes-Benz Vito Electric, it is the brand’s second – and more affordable – foray into van electrification.
Does the E-Transit Custom score above par? Let’s dive straight in!
General Motors Australia & New Zealand (GMANZ) has recently expanded its full-electric Cadillac SUV range in Australia from one to three models, with the new Optiq and Vistiq joining the pioneering Lyriq in the company's local line-up of luxurious US-sourced SUVs and pickups.
The five-seater Lyriq is now the happy medium of the Cadillac trio, as it’s positioned between the smaller Optiq and larger Vistiq; the latter with a unique seven-seat design.
We recently spent a week aboard the Lyriq to see if its opulence, practicality, performance, driving range and price provide a compelling alternative to full-electric or combustion-powered rivals for high-end luxury SUV buyers.
Wow. This is state-of-the-art EV van engineering – complete with sporty handling and an excellent ride – yet it maintains all the usual Transit attributes.
The Tesla of electric vans? Maybe.
The only thing remains is pricing and how the E-Transit Custom behaves and drives on Australian roads… and we’ll have the answer to those by the end of this year.
But as it stands, Ford's European mid-sized van is keeping the innovative spirit of the original alive.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
The Lyriq Luxury combines handsome styling and luxurious appointments with responsive yet supple ride quality, the choice of relaxed driving or exhilarating performance as desired and a decent driving range. Its lack of towing ability may be a deal breaker for some, but it's certainly worthy of consideration by prestige SUV buyers with a penchant for electric power and (for now at least) sub-$100K drive-away pricing.