TESTERS' CHOICE Volkswagen VW Transporter 800
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PANEL VANS WERE well-represented in 1996. There was an influx of new models and a total of six were tested.
A vogue for people-carriers (or MPVs) in the car market was responsible for a new range of "mini-Sevels" from Citroen, Fiat and Peugeot. These have a GVW of 2.2 tonnes and are aimed at car drivers wanting to progress to a van. We also tested the mould-breaking Hiace from Toyota, a couple of Sprinters, a big-volume variant of Ford's Transit and an old favourite, the VW Transporter. Fiat's Scud°, related to the Ulysse people-carrier, fulfils its promise of being car-like to drive. Fuel economy is fine and with double side-doors and twin rear doors, access to the load area is excellent. Its main stumbling point is that it offers less payload and load volume than, say, a Transporter or Vanette Cargo, for more money. The Transit High Cube 230 is the biggest member of the Transit clan. Its load-carrying ability is certainly a strong point although it is let down by poor fuel economy and some unnerving characteristics on the road. Toyota veered away from the traditional Japanese forward-control layout with the Powervan. It's most noticeable for the stonking payload of 1,225kg on a GVW of 2.8 tonnes. Handling is also good thanks to independent suspension. Fuel economy, although a bit poor when we originally tested it, has proved OK since it's been on long-term test. On the flipside it has been called "too noisy" and "uncomfortable". Of the two Sprinters tested, the 212D is by far the superior. It's fast, a pleasure to drive and has an impressive load area. It would have been testers' choice but with a list price of £16,430 and only an 850kg payload on offer, it's going to have to be filed under "niche market". The 308D is similarly a niche vehicle. Mercedes sells 50% more of its more powerful 312D brother. Although it's a good all-round van, the engine works too hard when fully laden and economy and performance suffer. If we were to subdivide the category further we could come up with a range of winners: the 212D is the fastest, the Hiace has the best relative payload, but what we're looking for is all-round competence. And the Transporter 800 meets that criterion. Driveability, productivity, load area and price are all admirable. In fact it can hardly be faulted. Oh yes, the bulkhead could be better.