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he "half-ton" van has provided for the staple transport needs
Page 26
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of the British tradesman for generations. But with the Ford Escort recently ousted in favour of the clean-sheet Transit Connect, Vauxhall's Astravan is the last remaining example of the traditional carderived van bridging the gap from the smallest hatch-vans to the purpose-built highcubes. Only Citroen's five-door Xsara Enterprise comes close, and the jury is still out on how the UK van buyer will accept a concept already widespread on that large island across the Channel.
PRODUCT PROFILE
It's not a particularly well-kept secret that the replacement for the Astra car is not very far away. As is usual in the automotive world, though, the van will probably be the last variant to arrive on the scene. You've probably got time to buy the current Astravan and get a couple of years out of it before it gets superseded. So while this Sportive is the ultimate Astravan so far, who knows what the future has in store?
The Sportive started off as a limited-edition model in any colour you like as long as it's silver metallic. It was obviously successful enough to earn a semi-permanent place in the line-up above the entry-level Envoy and the LS, and you can now have red, white or pearlescent black paint as well. Engine options comprise a pair of r6-valve chargecooled diesels, a 1.7-litre twin-cam producing 74hp and our 2.o-litre single-cam unit producing 99hp. Although not available with Sportive trim level, a spark-ignited 1.6 can be fuelled by petrol or petrol and LPG dual-fuel.
The ultimate Astravan? Well, compared with the up-market LS version, the Sportive comes with "extras" that include alloy wheels, air conditioning, sports seats, front fog lights, multi-function steering wheel and colourcoded mirrors for the same cost, although at the expense of a passenger airbag and adjustable steering column. All a bit rich for the bottom line-driven fleet operator, maybe, but then this version is aimed more at the owner-driver who uses the van as a car, as well as more image-conscious companies. The other significant change to the Astravan range since the departure of the long-term test van we ran a couple of years back is the power output. The 16-valve engine now pumps out 99hp and 230 Nm of torque.
PRODUCTIVITY
Let's start with the bad news. In the unlikely event that you need to use every last kilo of payload potential, the latest version still suffers from the traditional Astravan inability to handle a full payload in comfort. With the load evenly distributed throughout the loadspace. the rear axle rating is likely to be breached. And even with the load relocated far enough forward to keep within the law, the tail-down attitude is enough to need to reset the door mirrors as well as making it hard to see the front of the van from the low-mounted driving seat. The /145 option of manuallyadjusted rear suspension levelling, although not available on the Sportive, should help the tail-down effect on lesser models but obviously won't improve the rear axle loading. Fortunately, the type of operator who constantly runs at maximum weight is unlikely to consider the Astravan, its potential buyers being more likely to want to carry a couple of Sharp printers than half a tonne of sharp sand.
The lift-up tailgate opens into a 1.6m3 loadspace with sides trimmed up to waist level but with no floor covering. Load security is aided by a standard half-height solid bulkhead, an upper mesh section being an option, and a half-dozen tiedown rings. Remote central locking is controlled direct from the ignition key.
If the payload portion of the productivity equation is limited, then the fuel consumption more than makes up for it. Recording a round 52mpg unladen, this figure only dips to 48.7mpg at full weight, figures that reflect the negligible effect that extra load has on a lightly stressed but generously powered and efficient engine.
Running costs are relatively frugal, with service intervals at 20,000 miles or annually, a total of three years or 6o,000 miles warranty, unlimited mileage in