Imagine you have a large and growing family, but when you have to whisk all of them to somewhere, what’s going to carry all of you and your luggage safely and comfortably? The likely answer that most will not readily think of is a minibus like our long-term test car, the Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0 SiT Sport.A mate with a wife, two grown teens and a set of twins on the way is facing this predicament. I recently transported seven passengers with all of their luggage for a 600km round trip in the big Ford. His premium sedan and mid-size SUV have no hope of matching this functionality.A pair of Transit Custom panel vans and three passenger-focused Tourneo Custom models are on sale in South Africa. Tourneo Custom trims start with the long-wheelbase (LWB) entry-level Trend model, and short-wheelbase (SWB) Sport and high-end Titanium X trims. It’s the mid-tier Sport variant priced at R1,232,000 that we are living with and costing. The body stripes may not be your thing, but they are a defining and standard feature that we like very much. The Sport is not as opulent as the range-topping Tourneo Custom Titanium but has features such as powered sliding doors with remote opening, and a seating configuration that allows passengers to face each other.The lounge seat mode has been a crowd favourite. (PHUTI MPYANE) There’s much more to the Tourneo Sport than being a luxury shuttle, though. Functionality is a major plus, and we also used the MPV as a workhorse to cart large and odd-shaped cargo that an SUV cannot tackle. The rear seats can be removed with ease to create van-like loading space. If more space is required, an optional roof-rack system can carry an extra 40kg. Going on to other aspects of life with our Tourneo Sport, the 125kW and 390Nm 2.0l diesel engine is a good fit, though it sounds a little agricultural. There’s enough power, and it was tested when loaded with a full quota of passengers. The bus was able to climb steep roads with little struggle. This is also where we were introduced to a new safety feature. A brake heat warning light came on after allowing the vehicle’s standard active cruise control to do all of the autonomous throttling and braking on a hilly road, resulting in the vehicle advising the driver to take control as the brakes needed cooling. The stoppers have a generally good performance, though.In terms of running costs, the Tourneo Custom Sport is returning 7.2l/100km, even better than the manufacturer’s claimed 7.4l/100km. It’s the cost of filling the 80l tank with diesel that is an eye-opener. Expect to part with R2,450 for a fill-up, with regular top-ups of the 20l AdBlue tank also needing to be budgeted for. Small bottles of the fluid that reduces harmful emissions cost R300 and are good to cover just 2,000km. If the Adblue tank is empty, the Tourneo Sport is prevented from starting up. Fuel consumption is impressively low but Adblue liquid needs to be added regularly. (PHUTI MPYANE) Parking this behemoth inside mall parking spots is a verified frustration despite cameras, acoustic alerts and folding wing mirrors to assist. You also need to be extra careful to make wider arcs when turning lest you sideswipe kerbs.Overall, the Ford Tourneo Sport is proving a cool and useful life partner. It’s an easy steer outside parking lots, with a driver’s seat position and damping quality that’s designed for long- and short-distance comfort. The digital tools are tech-friendly, with many USB ports, and it’s holding up well with no quality issues to report on.