Ford put two shortwheel-base Transits together and the result is the creation of the longest and most comfortable version yet.

To celebrate the model's status as International Van of the Year, Ford have built a stretched version of the famous van for luxury travel. It is called, not surprisingly, the XXL Transit and can carry the driver and seven passengers in first-class comfort.

Outside, the colour is frozen white with privacy glass on the windows.

Inside, every passenger has a leather 'captain's seat' which is adjustable, heated and features lumbar adjustment. The leg and shoulder room is extensive.

There are four sliding doors - two on either side - and Sat/Nav, Bluetooth, TV and DVD. Naturally, with a stretched vehicle that is 7.4 metres long, there are rear parking sensors.

No prices yet but forget about your SSIAs, this will cost serious Lotto money.

And on a lesser scale, Ford has introduced a workhorse with the arrival of the Tourneo Connect, another derivative, this time of the smaller Transit Connect van. It gives the vehicle a new dual-use option - a van during the week, and a recreational vehicle for the family at weekends. It is a full fiveseater with all the comfort and features of a mini people carrier. Just fold down the rear seats and the space of a commercial vehicle is available.

The styling has been smartened up and there are two options for the 1.8 TDCi common rail diesel engine, which makes it an economical but tough van/people carrier.

There is also an eightseat-long wheelbase version which has three rows of seats. This should prove popular with the taxi and tourist sectors as it allows disabled access.

Based on the Transit, it has reliability built-in and a flexible and practical interior which make it a really convincing crossover package.

Flexibility is the key feature of the interior and there is a split rear seat.

The changes include new wheel arches, new grille and front bumper. There are two sliding doors, electric windows and the choice of two versions of the 1.8-litre Duratorq diesel engine.

The SWB 75 PS output version costs Euro22,070, with the SWB 90 PS version costing Euro23,075. The LWB with the 90 PS output