How do I say this?

My first reaction to the Ford Transit Connect van in my driveway was – confusion.

As I walked toward the van, I wondered, “Is someone delivering something? Is someone going to clean my carpets! Has Ken called some kind of repairman for something?”

Then I remembered my car woman telling me this week’s test vehicle was “interesting,” and I realized this was no delivery van - this was mine for the week.

Immediately I set about trying to figure out what it was exactly.

It’s a van. A very flexible and multifunctional van.

I test drove the 2011 Ford Transit Connect Wagon XLT with a bench seat in the back, making it kind of like a hybrid of a Honda Element and a minivan. There was the utilitarian vinyl flooring and hose-it-out kind of interior, but it had the sliding doors of a minivan. So right off the bat, I checked it off as viable for hauling my kids around for the week. In fact, after looking at the $23,000 price tag I think this would be a viable inexpensive minivan option – with the (unlikely) condition you didn’t need a third row.

The Transit Connect is most used as a work vehicle. Its compact exterior dimensions, fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine and large cargo area with a tall roof and low load floor make it a useful cargo van. And you can outfit your Transit Connect with all types of cargo-carrying type bins and shelves.

You can get a Transit Connect without a back seat and those prices start at $21,290. If you don’t need the room of a larger cargo vehicle – this is your van.