.40 single passenger seat and driver's seat with armrests; load-floor mat; and a stereo radio/cassette player.
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This lot would normally add around £1,000 to the £9,995 of the base-model Transporter, but the Special comes in at £10,180. This compares well with the Transit 80, particularly in Custom form, though it's a little more than the Sevel equivalents and a fair jump from Leyland Daf Vans' bargain 200 Club diesel (at 18,345) or Renault's Trafic Prima.
PRODUCTIVITY The 800 Special may be cheap for a Transporter but it's far from being the cheapest panel van, so VW ought to come up with low running costs. Our fuel figures (round the Kent test route) are excellent, and are matched by good average speeds, but the van is undoubtedly happiest when running lightly laden.
It's nice to see a manufacturer being honest about a product's payload: assuming that the driver is the European standard weight (laden and fully fuelled) of 75kg, the Special will carry a true 800kg payload. But this is significantly less than its front-wheeldrive competitors can manage— Renault's Trafic Prima can lug 1,085kg—so VW has clearly not built this as a heavyweight. In fact the diesel chassis seems to be &rated: the 2,320kg GVW is usually reserved for the lightest petrol-engined models. This may indicate that the 800 is not meant to compete with other panel vans but with the heavier end of the high-cube van sector.
What the Transporter lacks in payload it makes up for in ease of loading: the full-width tailgate lifts high out of the way and has a useful "Duchess handle" to grab; Sevel, please note. Wheelarch intrusion is minimal, though the jack is inexplicably tucked just behind the nearside arch. The maximum loading height of 515mm is very good (though it can't match the Trafic's 474mm) and the side door has a useful step.
Loadspace dimensions are middling, the loadspace being tall but narrow, with a decent volume of 5.4m3. The load area has a plastic lining which is said to be non-slip but lacks load eyes or other tie-down points. Still, the half-height bulkhead should prevent most loads making an unwelcome visit to the cab; it is very sturdy and well secured to the sidewalls, unlike the rattly affairs fitted to some vans. This may contribute to the excellent torsional stiffness of the Transpc.xter's bodyshell.
ON THE ROAD The 800 Special retains all the virtues of the Transporter range: sharp steering, admirable ride laden or unladen, good levels of grip and utterly predictable road manners. This last attribute is the most important as it allows the driver to keep up a formidable speed on twisty roads; the excellent averages on both test runs bear this out.
Predictability is also the strongest point of the Transporter's behaviour on the motorway. Lane changes, crosswinds and passing trucks do not