NEW versions of the babies of the Ford Transit line up will be on the road by the middle of next year as the company goes about revamping its entire commercial vehicle range.

Hot on the heels of the new Transit Custom, Ford has now announced revisions to the Transit Connect and the Transit Courier.

New petrol and diesel engines will be fitted in the shape of the latest 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel and the award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost three cylinder petrol unit first used in the Fiesta.

The two will also come with Ford's advanced SYNC 3 connectivity system mated to a six-inch tablet-style display screen which is part of a new look interior.

Both models have new look fronts with a more pronounced grille while the cabins have been completely revised with more user-friendly dashboards and instrument panels.

Six speed manual transmissions are standard while an eight speed auto will be an option on the Transit Connect.

Extra safety kit includes pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking while a speed limiter can also be fitted to help economy.

To help keep running costs low, service intervals on the manual models have been extended up to a class leading two years or 25,000 miles.

The Transit Connect will be available in short and long wheelbase configurations with a variety of bodystyles including van, kombi and double-cab-in-van and payload capacity is unchanged ranging from 520 to 890kg with load volumes of up to 3.6 cubic metres.

The smaller Courier has a payload capacity ranging from 500-590 kg and load volumes up to 2.4 cubic metres.

It will be available with a choice of either van or kombi bodystyles and a new Limited model is being added to the range which Ford says is an alternative to the current range topping Sport version.

Prices and further specification will be announced closer to the on-sale date.