VW Transporter Bluemotion: Time to go to work

Volkswagen putting its BlueMotion technology in to a van that weighs less than 3 tonnes made it something to experience.

The Transporter T27 BlueMotion SWB 2.0‑litre TDI 114PS is a 5-speed panel van where the German marque has tried to recreate the comfort and surroundings of a Golf for the benefit of Van Man. And they’ve done it. Almost.

As I glance around the cab, I’m suitably impressed, and if I didn’t know better I would think I was in a car. The array of knobs, button, switches, etc, is not what you would expect to find in a workhorse like this. Fantastic. Volkswagen have obviously thought about the amount of time a van driver spends behind the wheel and have tried to make it as pleasurable an experience as possible.

HILL HOLD ASSIST WORKS WELL
Let’s go through this. As you would expect, it comes with remote central locking, with deadlocks and internal locking control. There’s an airbag for both the driver and the passenger(s), seatbelt alert and daytime running lights. So it’s a safe old beast. Add the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), the Brake Assist System (BAS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and hill hold assist (what, no acronym?), and you can see that the boffins in Germany have really come up with a van that will protect at all times. I must also pick up on the hill hold assist – what a great addition. I felt the benefits of this technology over the week, and I can imagine that with a full payload, it’s an even better addition.

All the usual suspects are there, from the nicely presented CD stereo system, to the air recirculation and heating system. All superbly presented, easily accessible and, again, not what I expected in a van. Plenty of storage too, with compartments and cubby‑holes all over, for Van Man’s paperwork and packed lunch. And as you would expect, the model I was driving had the extra bells and whistles too, such as Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors (a lifesaver) and a leather multifunction steering wheel.

SPACIAL GRUMBLE
You may well have heard Ray Winstone’s ‘Let’s go to work’ voiceover on the Volkswagen vans adverts on the radio. He builds this picture of a big, burly guy climbing in to his Transporter and setting off on his days work. Regular readers of my reviews will know by now that I’m bigger than the average bear. I have squeezed my over 6ft frame in to many a vehicle, some with ease, and others with varied success. Bearing in mind that this is the biggest vehicle I have ever driven, I could not believe the leg room I didn’t have. I climbed in to the cab, tried to readjust the seat, but failed. It wouldn’t budge because of the bulkhead behind, and obviously that doesn’t shift. So, there I was with my knees up alongside either side of the steering wheel. My feet easily reached the pedals, but I was having to use them vertically, which is not very comfortable at all.

Putting my height/length issues aside, this drives like a dream. The gearstick is mounted high for comfort and convenience, and the change is smooth and seamless. The 5-speed van does not struggle, no matter what terrain I tried, and we also had some pretty horrible weather conditions too in test drive week.

The 2.0-litre engine delivers 114PS (112bhp)at 3500rpm and the maximum torque is 250lb ft, at 1500-2500rpm, but is surprisingly quiet, and will, apparently, reach 102mph. But, the name of the game here is economy, and not speed. And I must say, congratulations Volkswagen, because this is where I believe they have produced a class winner.

IMPRESSIVE ECONOMY
We have all heard of the BlueMotion Golf and its impressive mpg and CO2 stats. In something this size, I certainly did not expect 166g/km, and almost 50mpg. But, as far as the fuel economy goes, it delivers. I tried this van around town, on the country roads and on dual carriageways and the motorway, and each time it performed handsomely. It handles well, manoeuvres great and when you do get it up to 55mph plus, it sits there and will chug along all day. Engage the cruise control, and it will easily hit the 48.5mpg I managed to extract. And at today’s diesel prices, that can mean huge savings for fleets. Even at 2,700kg in weight, the 80-litre tank will allow this van to go on and on.

Payload-wise, it’s what you would expect. I loaded up the 7-odd cubic metres of space with plenty of bits and pieces, including plenty of heavy panes of glass, and this meant nothing in terms of affecting the performance or driveability. The rubber floor covering that overlays the back, as well as the cabin, is also a great feature.  
 
THE VERDICT
How would I sum this van up? On the ‘looks’ front, it’s great. The body-coloured bumpers and wing mirrors lend an almost custom feel to it. And apart from the lack of room (for me personally) in my opinion, this is the best medium panel van on the road, and with the BlueMotion technology, it has got even better. Fleets will be making considerable savings with the more fuel-efficient BlueMotion engines, so overall, it’s a big winner.

DETAILS
GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT: 2,700kg
LOAD VOLUME: 6.7m3
POWER: 112bhp @ 3,500rpm
TORQUE: 250lb ft @ 500-2,500rpm
CO2: 166g/km
MPG (combined): 44.8
PRICE (ex-VAT): £19,742 (standard model, £22,042 with extras)