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111-766: The Ford Transit Connect is a compact panel van sold by Ford since 2002. Developed by Ford of Europe , the model line replaced sedan-based vans ( Ford Escort and Ford Courier vans) with a dedicated commercial vehicle platform. The model line is the second-smallest vehicle of the Ford Transit range, slotted between the Ford Transit Courier LAV and the Ford Transit Custom LCV/MPV. In line with other Ford Transit variants, passenger-oriented models (in Europe) are marketed as

222-414: A countershaft (also called a layshaft ) and an output shaft . The input shaft is connected to the engine and spins at engine speed whenever the clutch is engaged. The countershaft has gears of various sizes, which are permanently meshed with the corresponding gear on the input shaft. The gears on the output shaft are also permanently meshed with a corresponding gear on the countershaft; however,

333-632: A "compact car" target that was larger than what has become known as the "light car" or the kei car . One of the first compact cars that met those requirements was the Toyota Publica with an air-cooled two-cylinder opposed engine, the Datsun 110 series , and the Mitsubishi 500 . The Publica and the Mitsubishi 500 were essentially "kei cars" with engines larger than regulations permitted at

444-708: A column shifter and more practical, as the gearbox was mounted in front of the engine. The linkage for the shifter could then be positioned on top of the engine. The disadvantage is that shifting is less comfortable and usually slower to operate. Newer small cars and MPVs , like the Suzuki MR Wagon , the Fiat Multipla , the Toyota Matrix , the Pontiac Vibe , the Chrysler RT platform cars,

555-417: A column shifter are the ability to switch between the two most commonly used gears—second and third—without letting go of the steering wheel, and the lack of interference with passenger seating space in vehicles equipped with a bench seat . Some smaller cars in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Citroën 2CV , Renault 4 and early Renault 5 feature a shifter in the dash panel. This was cheaper to manufacture than

666-527: A column-mounted manual shifter. Outside North America, the column-mounted shifter remained in production. All Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric taxis in Hong Kong had the 4-speed column shift until 1999 when automatic transmissions were first offered. Since the late 1980s or early 1990s, a 5-speed column shifter has been offered in some vans sold in Asia and Europe, such as Toyota Hiace , Mitsubishi L400 and

777-434: A combined city/highway fuel economy rating of 62 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (3.8 L/100 km equivalent) based on the five-cycle tests using varying driving conditions and climate controls. The electric van costs US$ 57,400 , which more than doubles the price of the gas-powered version even after federal and any state or local incentives for electric vehicles is discounted. In 2004, Ford of Europe created

888-748: A commercial vehicle. However, Ford described the Connect as a 'dual use' vehicle, equally able to meet business and leisure needs. It was put into production to rival the similar models of the Renault Kangoo , Mercedes Citan , Citroën Berlingo , Peugeot Partner , Volkswagen Caddy , Fiat Doblò and the Opel/Vauxhall Combo Tour . The Connect, when first sold, was the only vehicle of its kind to offer folding and separately removable 60/40 split rear seats that allowed multiple seating formations and increased load capacity. It also boasted

999-431: A direct predecessor; the closest vehicle to its size was the standard-length Ford Aerostar cargo van, which ceased production in 1997. The first-generation Transit Connect was assembled by Ford Otosan ( Kocaeli, Turkey ) along with Ford Romania ( Craiova, Romania ). For the second generation, Ford of Europe shifted production to its Ford Valencia Body and Assembly facility ( Almussafes, Valencia, Spain ). For 2022,

1110-411: A gear while the transmission requires the driver to adjust the throttle so that the transmission is not under load, and selecting a gear requires the engine RPM to be at the exact speed that matches the road speed for the gear being selected). Most motor vehicles use a pedal to operate the clutch; except for motorcycles, which usually have a clutch lever on the left handlebar . In most vehicles with

1221-425: A gearshift without fully disengaging the clutch). Larger differences in speed between the input shaft and the gear require higher friction forces from the synchromesh components, potentially increasing their wear rate. Even in modern transmissions where all of the forward gears are in a constant-mesh configuration, often the reverse gear uses the older sliding-mesh ("crash box") configuration. This means that moving

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1332-480: A large car by contemporary European standards. The term "compact" was coined by a Nash executive as a euphemism for small cars with a wheelbase of 110 inches (2,794 mm) or less. It established a new market segment and the U.S. automobile industry soon adopted the "compact" term. Several competitors to the Nash Rambler arose from the ranks of America's other independent automakers, although none enjoyed

1443-525: A license plate number beginning with "5". In the past, the small size category has received tax benefits stipulated by the Japanese government regulations , such as those in the 1951 Road Vehicle Act . In 1955, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry set forth a goal to all Japanese makers at that time to create what was called a "national car". The concept stipulated that

1554-451: A manual transmission is an automatic transmission . Common types of automatic transmissions are the hydraulic automatic transmission (AT) and the continuously variable transmission (CVT). The automated manual transmission (AMT) and dual-clutch transmission (DCT) are internally similar to a conventional manual transmission, but are shifted automatically. Alternatively, there are semi-automatic transmissions . These systems are based on

1665-421: A manual transmission, the driver selects gears by manipulating a lever called a gear stick (also called a gearshift , gear lever or shifter ). In most automobiles, the gear stick is located on the floor between the driver and front passenger, but some cars have a gear stick that is mounted to the steering column or center console. The movement of the gear stick is transferred (via solid linkages or cables) to

1776-400: A mechanism is needed to stop the input shaft, such as using the synchronizer rings for fifth gear. However, some vehicles do employ a synchromesh system for the reverse gear, thus preventing possible crunching if reverse gear is selected while the input shaft is still spinning. Most transmissions include a lockout mechanism to prevent reverse gear from being accidentally selected while the car

1887-637: A new Transit Connect along the Bronco Sport and the Maverick . The move would have ended all issues related to importation tariffs (as Mexico and Canada are exempt from the chicken tax). Though the model line held a significant market share of the small commercial van segment, it followed a significant decline of small van sales overall (coupled with the discontinuation of the Nissan NV200 and Mercedes-Benz Metris ), leading Ford to end sales of

1998-504: A potential market size of 275,000 cars. By 1955, the Nash Rambler that began as a convertible model became a success and was now available in station wagon , hardtop , and sedan body styles. During the Recession of 1958 , the only exception to the sales decline was American Motors with its compact, economy-oriented Ramblers that saw high demand among cautious consumers. By 1959, sales of small imported cars also increased to 14% of

2109-598: A push toward compact cars, resulting in the introduction of the Studebaker Lark , Chevrolet Corvair , Ford Falcon , and Plymouth Valiant . These models also gave rise to compact vans built on the compact car platforms, such as the Studebaker Zip Van, Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier , Ford Econoline , and Dodge A100 . During the 1960s, compacts were the smallest class of North American cars, but they had evolved into only slightly smaller versions of

2220-582: A risk of engine fires caused by a “lack of coolant circulation”. The recall partly contributed to a charge of US$ 300 million by Ford. The third-generation Tourneo Connect for the European market was released in October 2021 as a rebadged and restyled fourth-generation Volkswagen Caddy . The Caddy-based Transit Connect will launch to Australasia in the second quarter of 2024. As the Transit Connect

2331-768: A single-speed transmission, for a range of up to 160 kilometres (99 mi) and top speed of about 113 kilometres per hour (70 mph). Its BEV technology was developed in collaboration with Smith Electric Vehicles . Only models sold in Continental Europe and the British Isles are shown, overseas territories often have different offerings.       Developed in collaboration with other manufacturers       Manufactured in Ford factories in other continents Compact car In Japan, small size passenger vehicle

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2442-441: A switch or pressing a button on the gearshift knob or on the steering column, or automatically by momentarily lifting the foot from the accelerator with the vehicle traveling above a certain road speed. Automatic overdrives were disengaged by flooring the accelerator, and a lockout control was provided to enable the driver to disable overdrive and operate the transmission as a normal (non-overdrive) transmission. The term 'overdrive'

2553-484: A synchromesh and teeth on each side in order to lock either gear to the shaft. Unlike some other types of clutches (such as the foot-operated clutch of a manual-transmission car), a dog clutch provides non-slip coupling and is not suited to intentional slipping. In order to provide smooth gearshifts without requiring the driver to manually match the engine revs for each gearshift, most modern passenger car transmissions use 'synchromesh' (also called 'synchronizer rings') on

2664-782: A third generation of the Tourneo Connect was released; based on the Volkswagen Caddy , the model line is assembled by Volkswagen in Poland. The Transit Connect was introduced in Europe in October 2002 as the replacement for car-derived vans based on the Escort and the Fiesta but as it is built on a dedicated commercial vehicle platform it is not a car-derived van itself. Production of the Escort in Europe ceased in 2000 (although

2775-411: A three-speed manual transmission. This transmission, along with many similar designs that it inspired, was a non-synchronous (also called sliding-mesh ) design where gear changes involved sliding the gears along their shafts so that the desired cogs became meshed. The driver was therefore required to use careful timing and throttle manipulation when shifting, so the gears would be spinning at roughly

2886-568: Is 21 mpg city/27 mpg hwy and 23 mpg combined. An electric version followed in 2011, converted by Azure Dynamics Corporation at a U.S. facility. To build interest and awareness in North America, Transit Connects specifically equipped as "mobile showrooms" were displayed at industrial parks and other venues in 13 U.S. urban areas in May 2009, with the goal of offering 3,000 test drives to small business owners. With model year 2011, Ford offered

2997-600: Is a light truck assembled outside of North America, Ford imports the first and second-generation Transit Connect into the United States as a passenger vehicle, equipping it with rear side windows, rear seats (and rear seat belts) in an effort to circumvent the 25% tariff on imported light trucks , as imported passenger vehicles were subject to a lower 2.5% tariff. The first-generation vehicles were exported from Turkey to Baltimore on cargo ships owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics . Upon their arrival, cargo examples of

3108-530: Is a registration category that sits between kei cars and regular cars, based on overall size and engine displacement limits. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model Year (dated July 1996) includes definitions for classes of automobiles. Based on the combined passenger and cargo volume, compact cars are defined as having an interior volume index of 100–109 cu ft (2.8–3.1 m ). The beginnings of U.S. production of compact cars were

3219-429: Is also used to describe a gear with a ratio of less than one (e.g., if the top gear of the transmission has a ratio of 0.8:1). Vehicles with a manual transmission can often be push started when the starter motor is not operational, such as when the car has a dead battery or when the starter motor itself has malfunctioned and is unable to deliver sufficient rotational energy to turn the engine over. When push-starting,

3330-428: Is an optional rear liftgate in addition to the double doors preferred by commercial buyers and wheelchair users. The Transit Connect will include the optional new feature called MyKey, a personalized key system. MyKey owner controls let the vehicle owner program different keys to restrict different vehicle features, such as top speed and maximum radio volume. Production takes place at Valencia, Spain. As before, to avoid

3441-427: Is connected via a pinion gear at the end of the counter/output shaft. In a modern constant-mesh manual transmission, the gear teeth are permanently in contact with each other, and dog clutches (sometimes called dog teeth ) are used to select the gear ratio for the transmission. When the dog clutches for all gears are disengaged (i.e. when the transmission is in neutral), all of the gears are able to spin freely around

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3552-445: Is moving forwards. This can take the form of a collar underneath the gear knob which needs to be lifted or requiring extra force to push the gearshift lever into the plane of reverse gear. Another design of transmission that is used in older cars , trucks , and tractors , is a non-synchronous transmission (also known as a crash gearbox). Non-synchronous transmissions use a sliding-mesh (or constant-mesh, in later years) design and have

3663-746: Is not considered a manual transmission. Some automatic transmissions are based on the mechanical build and internal design of a manual transmission but have added components (such as computer -controlled actuators and sensors ) which automatically control the timing and speed of the gear shifts and clutch; this design is typically called an automated manual transmission (or sometimes a clutchless manual transmission ). Contemporary manual transmissions for cars typically use five or six forward gears ratios and one reverse gear, however, transmissions with between two and seven gears have been produced at times. Transmissions for trucks and other heavy equipment often have between eight and twenty-five gears, in order to keep

3774-614: Is not offered. Other features include rear-seat climate controls and school bus yellow paint. In 2011, the Transit Connect was rejected for the New York City Taxi of Tomorrow bid (a 10-year contract to replace the Crown Victoria exclusively); though a finalist, the Transit Connect lost to the Nissan NV200. During the 2010s, New York City adopted the Transit Connect as an accessible cab; it also has replaced

3885-404: Is used to reverse the direction in which the output shaft rotates. In many transmissions, the input and output shafts can be directly locked together (bypassing the countershaft) to create a 1:1 gear ratio which is referred to as direct-drive . In a transmission for longitudinal engined vehicles (e.g. most rear-wheel-drive cars), it is common for the input shaft and output shaft to be located on

3996-507: The C307 Focus . Initially, only the long-wheelbase version of the van, outfitted with a 2.0L four-cylinder petrol engine and 4 speed 4F27E , was offered in North America; elsewhere, the 1.8L diesel engine and 5 speed manual transmission was the only available powertrain. The 2.0L Duratec DOHC I-4 gasoline engine has 136 hp @6300rpm, and 128 lb.-ft. of torque @4750 rpm. It specifies minimum 87 octane gasoline and fuel economy

4107-489: The Ford Tourneo Connect with side windows and rear seats. The first and second-generation Transit Connect has been imported to North America from the 2010 model year. To circumvent the 25% " chicken tax " on imported light trucks, all examples have been imported as passenger vans, with cargo vans converted to the intended configuration after their importation. In the region, the Transit Connect does not have

4218-674: The Honda Element , the Honda Civic , the Daihatsu Sigra , and the Honda Avancier , may feature a manual or automatic transmission gear shifter located on the vehicle's instrument panel, similar to the mid-1950s Chryslers and Powerglide Corvairs . Console-mounted shifters are similar to floor-mounted gear shifters in that most of the ones used in modern vehicles operate on a horizontal plane and can be mounted to

4329-621: The international Ford Focus , then common with the first generation North American Ford Focus . Rather than adapting an existing bodystyle into a van, the Transit Connect was designed with sliding side doors. The Escort van and the Fiesta Courier had been assembled at the Halewood and Dagenham plants in England, respectively, but both plants were to cease Ford car production (Halewood was to be handed over to Jaguar , whilst Dagenham

4440-519: The pony car , named after the Ford Mustang , which was built on the Falcon chassis. At that time, there was a distinct difference in size between compact and full-size models. Early definitions of vehicle size class were based on wheelbase, with models under 111 inches as compact, 111 to 118 inches intermediate, and over 118 inches as full size, at least until EPA classes based on interior volume of

4551-427: The splines on the shaft, forcing that shaft to rotate at the same speed as the gear hub. However, the clutch can move back and forth on the shaft, to either engage or disengage the splines. This movement is controlled by a selector fork that is linked to the gear lever. The fork does not rotate, so it is attached to a collar bearing on the selector. The selector is typically symmetric: it slides between two gears and has

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4662-415: The stereo system or HVAC system , to help prevent accidental activation or driver confusion. More and more small cars and vans from manufacturers such as Suzuki , Honda , and Volkswagen are featuring console shifters in that they free up space on the floor for other features such as storage compartments without requiring that the gear shift be mounted on the steering column. Also, the basic location of

4773-471: The 1948 Ferrari 166 Inter and the 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint . Five-speed transmissions became widespread during the 1980s, as did the use of synchromesh on all forward gears. Six-speed manual transmissions started to emerge in high-performance vehicles in the early 1990s, such as the 1990 BMW 850i and the 1992 Ferrari 456 . The first 6-speed manual transmission was introduced in the 1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale . The first 7-speed manual transmission

4884-809: The 1980s that American cars were being downsized to truly international dimensions. In the 1985 model year, compact cars classified by the EPA included Ford's Escort and Tempo as well as the Chevrolet Cavalier. For the 2019 model year, the best sellers were the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. In Japan, vehicles that are larger than kei cars , but with dimensions smaller than 4,700 mm (185.0 in) long, 1,700 mm (66.9 in) wide, 2,000 mm (78.7 in) high and with engines at or under 2,000 cc (120 cu in) are classified as "small size" cars. Small-size cars are identified by

4995-484: The 2.5-litre engine to be converted to use CNG or LPG/propane instead of gasoline. When sold in the United States, the Tourneo Connect bears the "Transit Connect Wagon" moniker, available in two wheelbases, and with a choice of 5 or 7-passenger seating. The latter configuration is the first 7-passenger minivan sold by Ford since the 2007 discontinuation of the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey. In 2014, it

5106-692: The 2.5L engine has an est. MPG (City): 20 mpg ‑US (12 L/100 km), MPG (Highway): 27 mpg ‑US (8.7 L/100 km), 0–60 time: 9.5 sec. and top speed of 108 miles per hour (174 km/h). The 2022 models with the 2.5L engine saw a reduction to 26 mpg ‑US (9.0 L/100 km) highway. While the 2019-2022 models with the 2.0L GDI engine were rated at 24 mpg ‑US (9.8 L/100 km) city and 28 mpg ‑US (8.4 L/100 km) or 29 mpg ‑US (8.1 L/100 km) highway, depending on trim level. In 2017, Ford recalled 2013–2015 Transit Connect with 1.6 EcoBoost engines because of

5217-454: The 25% tariff on imported trucks, all cargo vans sold in the United States are built and shipped as passenger vans, which are then converted to cargo configuration before delivery. The 2014 Transit Connect is powered by a 2.5-litre inline-4, or a 1.6-litre EcoBoost turbocharged inline-4. The only transmission type available is the 6-speed 6F-35 automatic. For buyers interested in alternative-fuel vehicles, Ford offers optional hardware allowing for

5328-571: The 6-cylinder or V8-powered six-passenger sedan. They were much larger than compacts (and sometimes even mid-sizers) by European manufacturers, which were typically five-passenger four-cylinder engine cars. Nevertheless, advertising and road tests for the Ford Maverick and the Rambler American made comparisons with the popular Volkswagen Beetle . Compact cars were also the basis for a new small car segment that became known as

5439-652: The Canada Post Transit Connects are left-hand drive (though Ford does produce the Transit Connect for RHD markets). In fleet (taxi) applications, Ford markets the Ford Transit Connect Wagon as a replacement for the Ford Crown Victoria P70 (discontinued in 2011). For taxi use, the rear seat is shifted several inches rearward (both to increase legroom and to allow fitment of a partition); a third-row seat

5550-602: The Crown Victoria in multiple large American municipalities with organized taxicab services. At the 2009 Chicago Auto Show , Ford confirmed development of a battery-powered version of the Transit Connect. Later at the Geneva Auto Show the same year, Ford showed a prototype electric version of the Ford Tourneo Connect passenger van, which is closely related to the Ford Transit Connect. Ford originally announced Smith Electric Vehicles would install

5661-801: The Ford Transit Connect X-Press, based upon a pre-production Transit Connect prototype and a 212 hp 2.0L engine of the Ford Focus RS . Using a short-wheelbase cargo van with a rear liftgate, the X-Press is fitted with the front suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and steering of the Focus RS. The cargo bay is fitted with a full-body roll cage along with two spare tires. During 2006, the Transit Connect X-Press saw minor exterior changes to better reflect

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5772-715: The Honda City, Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6, and the Changan Alsvin. Manual transmission A manual transmission ( MT ), also known as manual gearbox , standard transmission (in Canada , the United Kingdom and the United States ), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system where gear changes require the driver to manually select

5883-653: The Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon in the US and Canada, a passenger version of the van — with seating for five, rear windows that opened for ventilation, blind spot awareness, rear view camera, larger alloy wheels, body-colour grille, and front fog lamps. The Transit Connect Wagon was the first Ford minivan since the 2007 discontinuation of the Freestar , though it was closer in size to the standard length Ford Aerostar sold from 1986 to 1997. In

5994-563: The Transit Connect in North America after the 2023 model year. As of current production, the smallest Ford van sold in North America is the Transit T150 regular length, low-roof (the Transit Custom is not sold in the United States or Canada). In 2010, Canada Post selected the Ford Transit Connect, purchasing a fleet of 1,175 units to replace a large portion of its Grumman LLV vehicles. In contrast to its LLV predecessor,

6105-483: The Transit Connect were converted into commercial vehicles at a WWL Vehicle Services Americas Inc. facility. With the exception of Transit Connect Wagons, rear windows on Transit Connects were replaced by metal panels and rear seats/seatbelts were deleted; the removed parts were recycled. The process exploited a perceived loophole in the customs definition of a commercial vehicle. As cargo does not need seats with seat belts or rear windows, presence of those items exempted

6216-470: The U.S. and Canada had a 3-speed column-mounted shifter—the first generation Chevrolet/GMC vans of 1964–70 vintage had an ultra-rare 4-speed column shifter. The column-mounted manual shifter disappeared in North America by the mid-1980s, last appearing in the 1987 Chevrolet pickup truck . Prior to 1980, the GM X platform compacts (Chevrolet Nova and its rebadged corporate clones) were the final passenger cars to have

6327-426: The U.S. passenger car market, as consumers turned to compact cars. By this time, smaller cars appealed to people with a college education and a higher income whose families were buying more than one car. Customers expected compact cars to provide improved fuel economy compared to full-sized cars while maintaining headroom, legroom, and plenty of trunk space. Between 1958 and 1960, the major U.S. car manufacturers made

6438-527: The U.S., the Transit Connect was available in two different trim levels, which are XL and XLT. For passenger models, an XLT Premium model was offered. The second generation Transit Connect was introduced on 6 September 2012 in Amsterdam , Netherlands. In its first redesign since its 2002 introduction, the 2014 Transit Connect adopts many features of the Kinetic Design language. A major design change

6549-466: The United States and Canada. First shown in the United States at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show , the 2010 production model was introduced at the following year's show on 11 February 2009. The introduction of the North American variant coincided with a mid-cycle facelift which includes a restyled front grille, a deeper front bumper and a new dashboard featuring the switchgear and instrument pod from

6660-783: The beginning of a downsizing of all vehicles so that cars such as the AMC Concord and the Ford Fairmont that replaced the compacts were re-classified as mid-size, while cars inheriting the size of the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega (such as the Ford Escort and Chevrolet Cavalier ) became classified as compact cars. Even after the reclassification, mid-size American cars were still far larger than mid-size cars from other countries and were more similar in size to cars classified as "large cars" in Europe. It would not be until

6771-484: The collar from bridging the locking rings while the speeds are still being synchronized. This is achieved through 'blocker rings' (also called 'baulk rings'). The synchro ring rotates slightly because of the frictional torque from the cone clutch. In this position, the dog clutch is prevented from engaging. Once the speeds are synchronized, friction on the blocker ring is relieved and the blocker ring twists slightly, bringing into alignment certain grooves or notches that allow

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6882-463: The cone-shaped sleeve on the dog collar so that the friction forces can reduce the difference in rotational speeds. Once these speeds are equalized, the dog clutch can engage, and thus the new gear is now in use. In a modern gearbox, the action of all of these components is so smooth and fast it is hardly noticed. Many transmissions do not include synchromesh on the reverse gear (see Reverse gear section below). The synchromesh system must also prevent

6993-570: The conversion no longer involves the disposal/recycling of the removed parts; instead, the removed rear seats and rear window components are shipped back to Ford in Spain for reuse. Ford initially planned to release the third-generation Transit Connect in North America as a potential 2024 model. Alongside the redesign of the model line, production was to be relocated from Valencia, Spain, to Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly in Mexico, with Ford assembling

7104-417: The design of, and are technically similar to, a conventional manual transmission. They have a gear shifter which requires the driver's input to manually change gears, but the driver is not required to engage a clutch pedal before changing gear. Instead, the mechanical linkage for the clutch pedal is replaced by an actuator , servo , or solenoid and sensors , which operate the clutch system automatically when

7215-438: The dog clutch to fall into the engagement. Common metals for synchronizer rings are brass and steel , and are produced either by forging or sheet metal shaping. The latter involves stamping the piece out of a sheet metal strip and then machining to obtain the exact shape required. The rings are sometimes coated with anti-wear linings (also called 'friction linings') made from molybdenum , iron , bronze or carbon (with

7326-427: The dog clutches require the input shaft speed to match that of the gear being selected; otherwise, the dog teeth will fail to engage and a loud grinding sound will be heard as they clatter together. Therefore, to speed up or slow down the input shaft as required, cone-shaped brass synchronizer rings are attached to each gear. When the driver moves the gearshift lever towards the next gear, these synchronizer rings press on

7437-417: The driver to select the next-higher or next-lower gear. In a vehicle with a manual transmission, the flywheel is attached to the engine's crankshaft , therefore rotating at engine speed. A clutch disc sits between the flywheel and the transmission pressure plate which is attached to the transmission input shaft, controlling whether the transmission is connected to the engine or not. The clutch pedal controls

7548-631: The driver touches or moves the gearshift . This removes the need for a physical clutch pedal. A manual transmission requires the driver to operate the gear stick and clutch in order to change gears (unlike an automatic transmission or semi-automatic transmission , where one (typically the clutch) or both of these functions are automated ). Most manual transmissions for cars allow the driver to select any gear ratio at any time, for example shifting from second to fourth gear, or fifth to third gear. However, sequential manual transmissions , which are commonly used in motorcycles and racing cars , only allow

7659-413: The early 1950s, most cars only had synchromesh for the shift from third gear to second gear (drivers' manuals in vehicles suggested that if the driver needed to shift from second to first, it was best to come to a complete stop beforehand). Up until the late 1970s, most transmissions had three or four forward gear ratios, although five-speed manual transmissions were occasionally used in sports cars such as

7770-557: The electric drivetrains and lithium-ion battery packs in the vehicles, but Ford instead partnered with Azure Dynamics Corporation in October 2009, with Johnson Controls-Saft as the battery supplier. Production of the Transit Connect Electric began in December 2010, and Azure Dynamics is the official manufacturer of record. The official US Environmental Protection Agency range is 56 mi (90 km) and has

7881-407: The energy generated by the wheels moving on the road is transferred to the driveshaft, then the transmission, and eventually the crankshaft. When the crankshaft spins as a result of the energy generated by the rolling of the vehicle, the motor is cranked over. This simulates what the starter is intended for and operates in a similar way to crank handles on very old cars from the early 20th century, with

7992-456: The engine speed within the optimal power band for all typical road speeds. Operating such transmissions often uses the same pattern of shifter movement with a single or multiple switches to engage the next sequence of gears. Many of the first automobiles were rear-engined, with a simple belt-drive functioning as a single-speed transmission. The 1891 Panhard et Levassor is considered a significant advance in automotive transmissions since it used

8103-399: The fifth selector on the main shaft. This means that when the vehicle is stopped and idling in neutral with the clutch engaged and the input shaft spinning, the third-, fourth-, and fifth-gear pairs do not rotate. When neutral is selected, none of the gears on the output shaft are locked to the shaft, allowing the input and output shafts to rotate independently. For reverse gear, an idler gear

8214-526: The first-gen Fiat Ducato . Many European cars had manual column shifts and the Renault 16TX had a 5 speed. Column shifters are mechanically similar to floor shifters, although shifting occurs in a vertical plane instead of a horizontal one. Because the shifter is further away from the transmission, and the movements at the shifter and at the transmission are in different planes, column shifters require more complicated linkage than floor shifters. Advantages of

8325-442: The forces required or provide a faster shift time . The first car to use a manual transmission with synchromesh was the 1929 Cadillac . Most North American marques had adopted synchronized manual transmissions, usually for second and high gears, by the mid-1930s. In 1947, Porsche patented the split ring synchromesh system. The 1952 Porsche 356 was the first car to use a transmission with synchromesh on all forward gears. In

8436-401: The forward gears. These devices automatically match the speed of the input shaft with that of the gear being selected, thus removing the need for the driver to use techniques such as double-clutching . The synchromesh transmission was invented in 1919 by Earl Avery Thompson and first used on production cars by Cadillac in 1928. The need for synchromesh in a constant-mesh transmission is that

8547-418: The front-wheel-drive transaxle's ring gear. This allows for a narrower transmission since the length of each countershaft is halved compared with one that contains four gears and two shifters. The fixed and free gears can be mounted on either the input or output shaft or both. For example, a five-speed transmission might have the first-to-second selectors on the countershaft, but the third-to-fourth selector and

8658-437: The gear shift in comparison to the column shifter makes console shifters easier to operate than column shifters. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, fuel-efficient highway cruising with low engine speed was in some cases enabled on vehicles equipped with 3- or 4-speed transmissions by means of a separate overdrive unit in or behind the rear housing of the transmission. This was actuated either manually while in high gear by throwing

8769-449: The gears by operating a gear stick and clutch (which is usually a foot pedal for cars or a hand lever for motorcycles). Early automobiles used sliding-mesh manual transmissions with up to three forward gear ratios. Since the 1950s, constant-mesh manual transmissions have become increasingly commonplace, and the number of forward ratios has increased to 5-speed and 6-speed manual transmissions for current vehicles. The alternative to

8880-410: The gearshift lever into reverse results in gears moving to mesh together. Another unique aspect of the reverse gear is that it consists of two gears—an idler gear on the countershaft and another gear on the output shaft—and both of these are directly fixed to the shaft (i.e. they are always rotating at the same speed as the shaft). These gears are usually spur gears with straight-cut teeth which—unlike

8991-410: The helical teeth used for forward gear—results in a whining sound as the vehicle moves in reverse. When reverse gear is selected, the idler gear is physically moved to mesh with the corresponding gears on the input and output shafts. To avoid grinding as the gears begin to the mesh, they need to be stationary. Since the input shaft is often still spinning due to momentum (even after the car has stopped),

9102-645: The late 1930s and became common during the 1940s and 1950s. If a U.S. vehicle was equipped with overdrive , it was very likely to be a Borg-Warner type, operated by briefly backing off the accelerator pedal when above 28 mph (45 km/h) to enable, and momentarily flooring the same pedal to return to normal gear. The control simply disables overdrive for such situations as parking on a hill or preventing unwanted shifting into overdrive. [REDACTED] Later, European and Japanese models began to have 4-speed column shifters with this shift pattern: [REDACTED] A majority of North American-spec vehicles sold in

9213-643: The late 1940s prototypes of economy cars, including the Chevrolet Cadet and the Ford Light Car. Neither car reached production in the U.S., however Ford SAF in France bought the plans of the "small Ford" and produced the Ford Vedette . The first U.S.-produced postwar compact car was the 1950 Nash Rambler . It was built on a 100-inch (2,540 mm) wheelbase, which was nonetheless still

9324-399: The latter usually reserved for high-performance transmissions due to their high cost). Mechanical wear of the synchronizer rings and sleeves can cause the synchromesh system to become ineffective over time. These rings and sleeves have to overcome the momentum of the entire input shaft and clutch disk during each gearshift (and also the momentum and power of the engine, if the driver attempts

9435-439: The launch of the model facelift, a 1.5L EcoBlue diesel engine was announced; both engines were paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. In July 2019, after several delays, production of the diesel Transit Connect was abandoned for North America. For 2020 production, Ford ended production of the short-wheelbase Transit Connect passenger van, solely offering the three-row body style. The 2014–2021 Ford Transit Connect with

9546-705: The long-term success of the Rambler. Other early compact cars included the Kaiser-Frazer Henry J (also re-badged as the Allstate ), the Willys Aero and the Hudson Jet . In 1954, 64,500 cars sold in the U.S. were imports or small American cars, out of a total market of five million cars. Market research indicated that five percent of those surveyed said they would consider a small car, suggesting

9657-462: The nickname "crash" because the difficulty in changing gears can lead to gear shifts accompanied by crashing/crunching noises. Vehicles with manual transmissions use a clutch to manage the linkage between the engine and the transmission, and decouple the transmission from the engine during gearshifts and when the vehicle is stationary. Without a clutch, the engine would stall any time the vehicle stopped, and changing gears would be difficult (deselecting

9768-502: The option of twin sliding side load doors as well as rear doors or a tailgate, whereas neither of its main competitors have this option. The Connect's design emphasizes Ford's ideal that the vehicle be multipurpose. Ford presented the Ford Tourneo Connect battery electric concept vehicle at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show . It features a 21 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack, a 50 kW permanent magnet motor , and

9879-406: The other shaft, with a bearing located between the two shafts. In a transmission for transverse engined vehicles (e.g., front-wheel-drive cars), there are usually only two shafts: input and countershaft (sometimes called input and output). The input shaft runs the whole length of the gearbox, and there is no separate input pinion. These transmissions also have an integral differential unit, which

9990-489: The output shaft gears are able to rotate independently of the output shaft itself (through the use of bearings located between the gears and the shaft). Through the use of collars (operated using the shift rods ), the speed of the output shaft becomes temporarily locked to the speed of the selected gear. Some transmission designs—such as in the Volvo 850 and S70—have two countershafts, both driving an output pinion meshing with

10101-401: The output shaft inside the transmission. This is a fundamental difference compared with a typical hydraulic automatic transmission , which uses an epicyclic (planetary) design, and a hydraulic torque converter . An automatic transmission that allows the driver to control the gear selection (such as shift paddles or "+/-" positions on the gear selector) is called a manumatic transmission, and

10212-424: The output shaft. When the driver selects a gear, the dog clutch for that gear is engaged (via the gear selector rods), locking the transmission's output shaft to a particular gear set. This means the output shaft rotates at the same speed as the selected gear, thus determining the gear ratio of the transmission. The dog clutch is a sliding selector mechanism that sits around the output shaft. It has teeth to fit into

10323-635: The passenger and cargo compartments were introduced in the late 1970s. In the early 1970s, the domestic automakers introduced even smaller subcompact cars that included the AMC Gremlin , Chevrolet Vega , and Ford Pinto . In 1973, the Energy Crisis started, which made small fuel-efficient cars more desirable, and the North American driver began exchanging their large cars for the smaller, imported compacts that cost less to fill up and were inexpensive to maintain. The 1977 model year marked

10434-561: The practice. On 7 June 2019, the United States won its appeal in the Federal Appellate Court. The court determined that the Ford Transit Connect was a vehicle for the transportation of cargo. Since 2019 production, the conversion process of Transit Connects has undergone major revision. While all vehicles are still imported from Spain as passenger vehicles and converted to cargo vans (a process that happens to approximately 85% of Transit Connects imported to North America),

10545-444: The pressure plate ( clutch engaged – the clutch pedal is not being pressed) or not connected to the engine ( clutch disengaged – the clutch pedal is being pressed down). When the engine is running and the clutch is engaged (i.e., clutch pedal up), the flywheel spins the clutch pressure plate and hence the transmission. The design of most manual transmissions for cars is that gear ratios are selected by locking selected gear pairs to

10656-615: The production vehicle. The Ford Tourneo Connect is a leisure activity vehicle produced by Ford , which was first put into production in 2002 to the British market. Much like the Tourneo is a passenger version of the Transit, the Tourneo Connect was designed with rear windows and seats. Principally termed a commercial vehicle, Ford predicted relatively low sales of between 800 and 1000 mainly to taxi operators, due to its given status as

10767-401: The same axis, since this reduces the torsional forces to which the transmission casing must withstand. The assembly consisting of both the input and output shafts is referred to as the main shaft (although sometimes this term refers to just the input shaft or output shaft). Independent rotation of the input and output shafts is made possible by one shaft being located inside the hollow bore of

10878-441: The same speed when engaged; otherwise, the teeth would refuse to mesh. This was difficult to achieve, so gear changes were often accompanied by grinding or crunching sounds, resulting in the gearboxes being nicknamed "crash boxes". Even after passenger cars had switched to synchronous transmissions (i.e. with synchronizers), many transmissions for heavy trucks, motorcycles and racing cars remained non-synchronous, in order to withstand

10989-411: The second generation of the model line, Ford shifted production of the model line from Turkey to Spain, but continued to rely on imported production as a source for the Transit Connect in North America. In 2013, US Customs told Ford that they must stop this practice of importing vans disguised as passenger cars. As of July 2018, Ford continued to employ the loophole but remained continuously in court over

11100-422: The selector forks within the transmission. Motorcycles typically employ sequential manual transmissions , although the shift pattern is modified slightly for safety reasons. Gear selection is usually via the left-foot (or, on older motorcycles; right-foot) shift lever with a layout of 1–N–2–3–4–5–6. During the period when U.S. vehicles usually had only three forward speeds, the most common gear-shifter location

11211-842: The time, while the Datsun was an all-new vehicle. These vehicles were followed by the Hino Contessa in 1961, the Isuzu Bellett , Daihatsu Compagno and Mazda Familia in 1963, the Mitsubishi Colt in 1965, and the Nissan Sunny , Subaru 1000 , and Toyota Corolla in 1966. Honda introduced its first four-door sedan in 1969, called the Honda 1300 . In North America, these cars were classified as subcompact cars . By 1970, Nissan released its first front-wheel-drive car which

11322-484: The transmission. FF (front-engined, front-wheel drive) vehicles, RR (rear-engined, rear-wheel drive) vehicles and front-engined vehicles with rear-mounted gearboxes often require a mechanical linkage to connect the shifter to the transmission. Some vehicles have a gear lever mounted on the steering column. A 3-speed column shifter, which came to be popularly known as a "three on the tree", began appearing in America in

11433-481: The vans carried on for another two years), whilst the Fiesta Courier was also planned to be discontinued when the fifth generation Fiesta entered production in 2002. Ford elected not to develop a direct sedan delivery version of the Focus, instead pursuing a purpose-built design. Sharing few components with the much larger Transit , the Transit Connect was built on a dedicated commercial vehicle platform C170 similar to

11544-399: The vehicle be able to maintain a maximum speed over 100 km/h (62 mph), weigh below 400 kg (882 lbs), fuel consumption at 30 km/L (85 mpg ‑imp ; 71 mpg ‑US ) or more, at an average speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) on a level road, and not require maintenance or significant service for at least 100,000 km (62,000 mi). This established

11655-448: The vehicle from commercial vehicle status. While the conversion cost Ford hundreds of dollars per vehicle, the company saved thousands of dollars over paying the tariff. To streamline the process, Ford only exported the long-wheelbase, high-roof Transit Connect to North America. With a height of 79 inches, the model line was only an inch lower than the lowest-height E-Series van, precluding its access to lower-height parking garages. For

11766-467: The vehicle's transmission in much the same way a floor-mounted shifter can. However, because of the location of the gear shifter in comparison to the locations of the column shifter and the floor shifter, as well as the positioning of the shifter to the rest of the controls on the panel often require that the gearshift be mounted in a space that does not feature a lot of controls integral to the vehicle's operation, or frequently used controls, such as those for

11877-450: Was available in three models, which are XL, XLT, and Titanium. For the 2019 model year, the Transit Connect underwent a mid-life update, receiving updates to the front fascia, with the interior receiving a redesigned dashboard. Retaining the multiple wheelbases and body heights from its 2014 launch, the facelifted model replaces the 2.5L engine with a 2.0L direct-injection I4 (the 2.5-litre engine remains an option for LPG/CNG conversion). At

11988-466: Was introduced in the 2012 Porsche 911 (991) . In 2008, 75.2% of vehicles produced in Western Europe were equipped with manual transmission, versus 16.1% with automatic and 8.7% with other. A manual transmission has several shafts with various gears and other components attached to them. Most modern passenger cars use 'constant-mesh' transmissions consisting of three shafts: an input shaft ,

12099-461: Was on the steering column, a layout that was sometimes called "three on the tree". By contrast, high-performance cars, and European vehicles in general, mostly used a four-speed transmission with floor-mounted shifters. That layout was referred to as "four on the floor". Most FR (front-engined, rear-wheel drive) vehicles have a transmission that sits between the driver and the front passenger seat. Floor-mounted shifters are often connected directly to

12210-556: Was originally developed by Prince Motor Company which had merged with Nissan in 1966. This was introduced in 1970 as the Nissan Cherry . In 1972, the Honda Civic appeared with the CVCC engine that was able to meet California emission standards without the use of a catalytic converter . In Pakistan, the concept of compact cars is significant. The most common cars tend to be Kei cars . Popular compact cars in recent times are

12321-579: Was to become an engine plant only), so a new production facility was needed. The Transit Connect was assembled by Otosan in an all-new production facility at Gölcük , near Kocaeli , Turkey. In its first year on the North American market, the Transit Connect was awarded "North American Truck of the Year 2010" at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Since mid-2009, the Transit Connect has been imported to

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