Thanks, Wahine! You have good hearing.

The Transit Connect comes with only two seats, so getting four people in would not be needed. We kept the two back seats of our Element in our garage almost all the time, so it would be a similar deal. We don't have kids, so it's not a problem. We just drive separately if socializing with another couple, or sometimes they are kind enough to give us a lift.

I know the Sprinter comes in several sizes, but it is out of our price range. And we'd read some information online stating that it can be hard to get service for the diesel engine as it is very specialized, and that service is expensive as well. It's a beaut, but there were just too many strikes against it for us as we're on a fairly frugal "early retirement" budget. No complaints, just have to pick our splurges carefully!

We read some really awful reviews of the Transit Connect today, so we may have to move on from it -- or wait until fall if we can swing it somehow, when the new model is introduced. Supposedly it addresses some of the issues in the current model (underpowered engine and others).

Here are the reviews if anyone else is interested. Really depressing -- but I am glad we found them.

http://www.cars.com/ford/transit-con...sumer-reviews/