Spec sheet

Gross vehicle weight (kg): 2,700
Power (bhp/rpm): 114/3,500
Torque (Nm/rpm): 250/1,500-2,500
Load volume (cu m): 5.8
Loadspace length (mm): 2,570
Loadspace width (mm): 1,692
Loadspace height (mm): 1,410
Payload (kg): 906
Comb fuel economy (mpg): 48.7
CO2 emission (g/km): 153
Basic price (ex-VAT): £19,245

VW Transporter Bluemotion

What’s hot

• To be honest just about everything we get from Volkswagen is pretty hot. The Germans, as we all know, are in a world of their own when it comes to building cars, vans, motorcycles and trucks and VW’s offering fits in nicely with this ethos. It’s superbly built and even the doors feel like luxury car ones when they snick shut.

• The Transporter has some of the best seats in the business. They are hard and upright but offer plenty of lumbar support to ensure there will be no back twinges on long journeys. The steering wheel and driver’s seat adjust in all directions, so thin, tall, short and fat drivers should all find a comfortable position.

• Power outputs for the Transporter go from 88bhp to 180bhp, so our test model is at the lower end of the spectrum. But having said that, there is plenty of torque so with lots of grunt low down the rev range, the engine feels sportier than it really is. We certainly didn’t feel we needed any more during our test week, although to be fair we didn’t carry any really heavy loads or try and scale Ben Nevis.

• The official fuel economy figure is certainly not to be sneezed at – a creditable 48.7mpg. It wasn’t that long ago when vans of this size offered about 30mpg if you were lucky. Of course, as we always point out, this figure is calibrated indoors on a rolling road so you are unlikely to actually get 48.7 in real life. Having said that, this van comes with standard stop-start so if the user mainly travels on urban routes, somewhere akin to that figure could be achievable with a featherlight right foot. Those who mainly use motorways are more likely to see a figure in the low 40s.

• On the road the Transporter really is superb to drive. It cruises along as if on rails and cornering is pin sharp. If the worst comes to the worst, it is liberally loaded down with enough safety systems to sink a battleship.

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