Vauxhall Movano 4×4 van review – off-road with a full load

It’s noisier inside with 4×4 selected, and the ride is on the firm side, but that all fits the macho feel of the thing

Behind the wheel

You, the vehicle buying public, will have to wait a month or two before ordering one of these vehicles but we, the press and guardians of your best interests, managed a sneak preview of a pre-production van in L3H2 format at a green lane site near the village of North Kilworth in Leicestershire.

And while it wasn’t exactly a scary pukka off-road course, we managed to traverse green lanes, deep rutted tracks and lots of sloppy mud without ever feeling the van wouldn’t get through.

On the road up to the green lanes, the Movano revealed quite a bit of cab noise thanks to all the extra four-wheel drive transmission components underneath. It was a bit noisy but we forgave the Movano as, to be fair, it was never intended to be a smooth operator on A roads, was it?

The suspension is also rock hard, which can make the van rather uncomfortable on all but smooth surfaces.

Turning off the metalled road we jabbed the button on the dash to engage four-wheel drive (still moving) and suddenly the van was transformed from pussy cat to tiger, with lots of macho growling coming from the business end.

The growling was fine but we soon got pretty fed up with the little warning beep that happens every three seconds or so to alert you to the fact that ESP has been disengaged.

We know it’s probably a good ides in these days of overbearing health and safety rules but even so, most drivers will probably be tearing their hair out after a while – it’s rather like the Chinese water torture.

There are three grab handles in the roof and they came in pretty useful as my co-pilot was thrown about from one side to another. Spotting a ploughed field, I couldn’t resist trying to get across and so nudged the van into 4wd low and gritted my teeth. Even here, the Movano just plugged on regardless.

It’s already the most powerful engine in the range but it feels even more mighty thanks to the fact that maximum torque comes right down at 1250rpm – in other words almost at idling speed.

No compromise in here with the same generous loadspace as any other Vauxhall Movano

What’s hot

• Great off-road capability. Unless you happen to operate in the jungles of Borneo, the Movano is most unlikely to end up getting stuck.
• Safety. Unlike front-wheel drive versions of the Movano, this van comes with ESP as standard. It’s something we bang on about a lot here at Business Vans but we really do think it’s that important. ESP helps stop sideways skids and is reckoned to save about 4000 lives per year across Europe. Who wouldn’t want that?

What’s not

• Rather noisy on the road.
• Annoying beep when ESP is switched off in four-wheel drive modes.