The landscape was ripe for change when the Ford Transit Connect cargo van first hit our shores in 2010. While the ubiquitous Ford Econoline held a whopping share of the conventional cargo van market for decades, it didn't fit with then-CEO Allan Mullally's One Ford world vision. The Euro Transit Connect was somewhat exotic at the time, with its closest competition being the Dodge Caravan C/V, and its arrival kicked off the small commercial van revolution in America.
Flash forward half a decade or so and it's clear that conventional American cargo vans will soon be a thing of the past. The Econoline cargo van is gone, replaced by the Transit Connect and its big brother, the jumbo-sized Ford Transit. The Transit is the top dog among large vans, while the Transit Connect rules the small van playing field, competing with the RAM ProMaster City, Nissan NV200, and Chevrolet City Express (a rebadged Nissan NV200).
If you want an old-school cargo van, the Chevrolet Express is your only choice, but the Mercedes-Benz Metris seeks its own niche with dimensions that fall between large and small.