What a thoroughly pleasant experience our six-month trial with the Ford Transit 260 SWB is proving to be.

In its first month we’ve thrashed up and down a few of Britain’s motorways, hauled shedloads of furniture around the country and bounced along many a winding byway – and so far the Transit has impressed in every area.

For starters, the cab is much better thought-out than in many rivals. There are lots of coffee cup holders in all the right places (unlike with certain rivals I could mention) and there are even two large storage bins on each side. 

I also like the 12-volt power take-off on top of the dash, which means I can charge my mobile phone up while driving along without having a wire dangling right across the dash.

I didn’t find the driver’s seat very comfortable at first – it was too small and there was a lump sticking into the upper region of my back. 

But having said that, I completed a 350-mile day trip a week ago with no twinges so it can’t be as bad as I imagined at first and I’m now getting used to it.

Our first proper fuel economy test showed the van returning 34.4mpg, which is well short of the 40mpg we achieved with a Citroën Relay a few months back.

But having said that, this particular tankful featured a fast dash up the entire length of the M40 the other week when I was late for an appointment near Birmingham to drive the new Ford Fiesta Van. 

I’m hoping our economy will improve – we’ll be reporting in the next issue. 

One of the favourite extras on this van is the parking sensor system. It really does make parking a van a doddle and I’m amazed that van manufacturers don’t fit it as standard.