Volkswagen’s Transporter – a van with the home comforts of a car

By Gerry Murphy

Living with a van is seismically different to owning a car and since the very first one, the T1, Volkswagen’s Transporter has been a firm favourite with fleet buyers and thousands of one-man van owners.

Drivers often spend more time in their vans than the average car driver spends in their cars. They double up as a mobile office as much as being a mode of transporting goods and tools.

Van makers have been working hard in recent years to make vans more like cars to drive and all have a firm goal in making them easier to live with, a quest that has been more successful for some over others. Volkswagen is one such manufacturer and the new, sixth generation of the popular Transporter is testament to that.

Indeed, the interior is a mirror image of what they do in their passenger cars with a few more cubby holes thrown in for easy in-cabin storage and document filing. Bigger door pockets, well-placed cup holders, storage under the passenger seats and A4 size document clips give it the workplace and live-in details that the busy van driver needs on a daily basis.

Recently, the new Volkswagen Transporter won the 2016 International Van of the Year Award, the most coveted accolade in the Light Commercial Vehicle industry in Europe. That accolade is well deserved and while the competition is fierce in the segment, the Transporter came out on top of the voting which is carried out be leading commercial vehicle journalists all over Europe.

“The award acknowledges the Light Commercial Vehicle that makes a major contribution to raising the standards of efficiency and the sustainability of transport with respect to the environment and safety of people, and the Volkswagen T6 is deemed to have made this impact this year,” says the IVOTY Chairman, Ireland’s Jarlath Sweeney.

I have been driving the 190 hp version of the 2.0-litre driven van and it is clear what the judges of the competition saw when choosing it as the winner. Power is on tap whether full or empty and on the road you get a real confidence from how it handles in both scenarios.

The spacious, well-designed load area is well lit, comes with plenty of load anchor points and easily accessed through a selection of door formations. My test model came with a large tailgate and one sliding side door. However, buyers can choose split rear doors and a second skidding door if required. Gross vehicle weight is 3,000kg with a payload of 926kg.

In the cabin, the driving position gives the user a commanding seat with all controls within easy access and good visibility. The large door mirrors which are electrically adjustable – and heated in this case – are a must in vans as it helps the user negotiate tight spaces and makes parking simpler. I applaud this because not all manufacturers supply electric mirrors as standard which means that the drivers must leave his seat to make manual adjustment to the off-side mirror.

In this version standard features include: air conditioning, anti-theft alarm system, cruise control, bluetooth connectivity (phone & audio streaming), multi-function leather steering wheel, discover media navigation system, cloth upholstery multifunctional display “Plus” with driver alert system and auxiliary input with USB.

Noise and comfort levels in the cabin were enhanced by a solid bulkhead and driver armrests while the image of the van was improved with the fitting of front fog lamps and painted bumpers and mirror. 18” alloy wheels and some other extras in the test van gave it an overall price of €43,981 with VAT making up €7,407 0f that price and VRT of €200. However, the Transporter is available with a starting price of €19,817 excluding taxes.

Vans are a special mode of transport and are required to do a wide range of activities. We normally find that individual owners are normally very loyal to a specific brand and model. This is true for the Transporter, too, and for Volkswagen, this van has been a vital cog in their sales success for many years. This one is a clever extension of their pedigree for producing sturdy, driveable load carriers.