U.S. florists attracted to versatility of Ford Transit Connect
Across the country, florists – just like the one featured in “Valentine’s Day” – are using the Transit Connect to get the job done.
Jim Farquhar, owner of Grosse Pointe Florist in Grosse Pointe, Mich., is a third-generation florist. He’s spent a lifetime navigating floral delivery trucks through his community’s maze of winding cul-de-sacs and narrow driveways. The recent economic downturn coupled with the rising cost of gas prompted him to replace one of his larger cargo vans with the new Transit Connect.
“It’s a great truck,” he said. “I can zip in and out of tight spaces easily, and the mileage is great. The amount of money I’m saving on gas compared to the larger cargo van is making my payment on the Transit Connect.”
Like Farquhar, Dennis Sparr, owner of Sparr’s Floral in Plymouth, Mich., also was looking for a more economical vehicle.
“I’m trying to cut my operating costs, and the Transit Connect fit the bill,” he said. “Everything Ford said about it is more than true. They said it would get 22 miles per gallon in the city, and we’ve been getting 23.”
Sparr says the Transit Connect is easier to drive because it handles more like a car than a truck. “One of the things that really impressed me is the way it holds the road so nicely,” he said. “Other trucks sway when they get a little weight or wind. Not this truck.”
Farquhar says the vehicle’s dual side doors make flower delivery a breeze.
“Most of the homes in our area have driveways on the right-hand side, so the drivers used to have to walk around to the passenger side of the truck, unload the flowers and then go back around to make the delivery,” he explained. “The Transit Connect has doors on both sides of the cargo area, so it saves a lot of time.”
And because it is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the Transit Connect makes winter floral deliveries much safer, says Farquhar.
“There is much less slipping and sliding in the snow,” he said.
Snow is not an issue for florists on the West Coast, but heat can be a concern for delicate floral arrangements in the summertime, says LuAnn Schwab, owner of Blooms & Bears Florist in Irvine, Calif. So she ordered the versatile Transit Connect without side windows.
“It works very well,” she said. “The front window is huge and the mirrors are great. That really compensates for the lack of side windows.”
But it’s the amount of space in the cargo area – especially the extra height – that really makes life easier, says Schwab.
“We do a lot of tall arrangements for our corporate accounts, and in the past we would have to tip the flowers a little bit before we could put them in,” she said. “With the Transit Connect, there’s enough headroom so the driver doesn’t have any problems.”
All three florists say they’ve never had a delivery vehicle that garnered so much attention.
“We drove it for a short while before we had our signage put on it, and our driver said everyone would stop him and comment on it,” said Schwab. “It’s like a traveling billboard for us.”
photo:Ford
Across the country, florists – just like the one featured in “Valentine’s Day” – are using the Transit Connect to get the job done.
Jim Farquhar, owner of Grosse Pointe Florist in Grosse Pointe, Mich., is a third-generation florist. He’s spent a lifetime navigating floral delivery trucks through his community’s maze of winding cul-de-sacs and narrow driveways. The recent economic downturn coupled with the rising cost of gas prompted him to replace one of his larger cargo vans with the new Transit Connect.
“It’s a great truck,” he said. “I can zip in and out of tight spaces easily, and the mileage is great. The amount of money I’m saving on gas compared to the larger cargo van is making my payment on the Transit Connect.”
Like Farquhar, Dennis Sparr, owner of Sparr’s Floral in Plymouth, Mich., also was looking for a more economical vehicle.
“I’m trying to cut my operating costs, and the Transit Connect fit the bill,” he said. “Everything Ford said about it is more than true. They said it would get 22 miles per gallon in the city, and we’ve been getting 23.”
Sparr says the Transit Connect is easier to drive because it handles more like a car than a truck. “One of the things that really impressed me is the way it holds the road so nicely,” he said. “Other trucks sway when they get a little weight or wind. Not this truck.”
Farquhar says the vehicle’s dual side doors make flower delivery a breeze.
“Most of the homes in our area have driveways on the right-hand side, so the drivers used to have to walk around to the passenger side of the truck, unload the flowers and then go back around to make the delivery,” he explained. “The Transit Connect has doors on both sides of the cargo area, so it saves a lot of time.”
And because it is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the Transit Connect makes winter floral deliveries much safer, says Farquhar.
“There is much less slipping and sliding in the snow,” he said.
Snow is not an issue for florists on the West Coast, but heat can be a concern for delicate floral arrangements in the summertime, says LuAnn Schwab, owner of Blooms & Bears Florist in Irvine, Calif. So she ordered the versatile Transit Connect without side windows.
“It works very well,” she said. “The front window is huge and the mirrors are great. That really compensates for the lack of side windows.”
But it’s the amount of space in the cargo area – especially the extra height – that really makes life easier, says Schwab.
“We do a lot of tall arrangements for our corporate accounts, and in the past we would have to tip the flowers a little bit before we could put them in,” she said. “With the Transit Connect, there’s enough headroom so the driver doesn’t have any problems.”
All three florists say they’ve never had a delivery vehicle that garnered so much attention.
“We drove it for a short while before we had our signage put on it, and our driver said everyone would stop him and comment on it,” said Schwab. “It’s like a traveling billboard for us.”
photo:Ford