By every definition that is practical, the 2014 Ford Transit Connect station wagon is a minivan. It is a van. It is not large. Ergo, it is a minivan. Duh.

Yet by indicating the Transit Connect station wagon is something it is not or, more precisely, saying it isn't something it's, Ford is muddling what makes the vehicle unique. It is a delightfully clear-cut, fuel-saving, and space efficient minibus that is comparatively low on frills but quite high on utility. It's compact car and identical components utility van. Therefore, it stands in marked comparison to the heavy, distended road whales now being promoted under that modern misnomer of "minivan." Okay, we assume, in that respect, it's truly the "unminivan."

Advertising bluster aside, the Transit Connect is usually not fairly unlikable. Because of its unique suspension tuning in contrast to the cargo van, completely lined walls and ceiling, and added sound insulation, it's significantly more quiet in relation to the freight version with -sided highly stylized dash, body, and fuel-saving powertrains.

Most Transit Connect station wagon customers will be satisfied with only satisfactory performance; for them, the skill to take stuff and people is much more significant. Egress and ingress are a cinch--there is no rise to the driver's seat, you just open the tall door and slide in sideways. The back seats are set low in the construction, amplifying the feeling of Notre Dame-like headroom, although taller passengers might be considering the tops of the knees. Forget placing the remaining basketball squad in the far back--that space is just for children. Also, the second-row seats are quite cumbersome to fold level or obtain use of the third row.

External vision is definitely better in relation to the freight version's out the back and is amazing to the front and side. The ergonomics of the cottage will not be unfamiliar to anyone who is driven other Ford automobiles that are recent. The devices are placed in a hexagonal bunch, and ancillaries are shown within a cowl-covered tips display (with accessible MyFord Touch and Sync) perched above banks of stylized sound and climate controls. As in the freight variant, the Transit Connect station wagon features a full-width, aircraft-design ledge above the front visors for little things like, say, an iPad to show pictures to the children, since the Transit Connect will not offer a back-seat entertainment system. And, needless to say, all in freight space (104.2 cubic feet of it in the long-wheelbase variant) is quite unbelievable. Thanks, flat-folding seats, T-square walls that are, and sky high roof.

Then there is the issue of cost. The most economical short-wheelbase, five-passenger wagon costs nearly as much as a jam-packed Mazda 5 Grand C-Max Touring or foundation hybrid vehicle, the latter reaching approximately 17 more mpg A completely dressed seven-passenger version with MyFord Touch, leather seats, and a frozen-glass sunroof can surpass $34,000, at which stage any amount of "appropriate" minivans, to say nothing of the V 6 powered, seven-passenger Flex, signify exceptionally appealing options.

If there's a sweet spot for the Transit Connect station wagon, it'd be in two-row, short-wheelbase kind with EcoBoost and Sync. because five-seat guise, this station wagon does not take itself overly seriously, with favorable dynamics, fuel efficiency, and breadbox utility. Anything else, and it is attempting to be a minivan that is genuine.