Editor's view: Vauxhall Vivaro

Vauxhall Vivaro – proud to be British.

WHICHEVER way you cut it, the new Vauxhall Vivaro requires your attention.

It’s great to drive: I’ve driven the new 1.6 CDTI BiTurbo engine with 120PS. There’s plenty of low down torque and engine flexibility, so even when you’re carrying a load you’ll still be able to bowl along the road.

Push the ‘eco’ button on the dash when you’re on an A road or motorway and you’ll see the instant mpg jump. So you can save money as you drive. On the new 90PS model Vauxhall reckons you can save 25% on fuel compared to the old 90PS model.

It carries more: the ingenious cat flap under the bulkhead means long loads of just over 4m can be carried; and now an 8 by 4 panel will fit inside the Vivaro’s load bay.

It’s built in Britain. That’s not an idle call to buy British – although it will help the economy.

But the quality is better. Mike Wright, the plant director at the Luton factory, told me: “We beat every quality metric of the the Renault built van from the Spanish Nissan plant.”

The Vauxhall plant also has a BiQ Level 4: that didn’t mean much to me either until Mike said: “It’s the highest quality level you can achieve – we’re only the third GM plant globally to achieve this.”

And finally, the clever interior touches – from the tablet holder, the simple blind spot mirror on the passenger sun visor, to the comfortable driving position – make the Vivaro a welcoming place to carry out your work, whether that’s simply driving, or using it as a mobile office.

It all adds up to an impressive panel van – check it out to see if it suits your business.