• ON THE ROAD For such a large van, the
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big Relay is surprisingly easy to drive. Sevel vans have always had good handling, roadholding and ride; front-wheel drive still promises predictable handling and the fat 75-profile tyres afford good grip, but the rigid beam rear axle has been rather outmoded by the fully independent setup of Volkswagen's Transporter. The Relay's ride is a little jiggly when it's unladen, but smoothes out with a load on board.
Most importantly, the van always feels stable: it has a broad track, roll is well controlled and front-wheel drive leads to progressive understeer at the limits of grip. The long wheelbase and good aerodynamics prevent nasty surprises at speed on the motorway.
However, that long wheelbase leads to the odd surprise in town. Despite reasonable lock the turning circle is nothing to write home about. Fortunately the power-assisted steering cuts down on wheel-twirling, and it's a wellweighted system that is acceptable at speed.
The front ventilated disc brakes feel powerful and progressive; our measured retardation results were nothing exceptional, but it was easy to avoid locking the wheels—arguably the most important attribute.
Unfortunately, we can't be as enthusiastic about the handbrake: mounted on the offside in time-honoured Sevel fashion and the lever is mounted too low (again, this is traditional). Despite an almighty heave, and miles of travel, the brake would not hold on the 1-in4 test hill either up or down.
The new engine offers no real surprises: it is smooth, with a mild whoosh of power as the turbocharger comes in; the multi-valve setup might be expected to lead to a peaky response, but this was by no al gearbox is conventional in every way except for the lever; as with the other new Sevels it has a stubby, dash-mounted stick that operates the box via cables. The short stick needs a pretty firm hand, but it may get a little looser with time. On the whole the system works well: it leaves plenty of room for a middle passenger and—to use that rnadtesters' cliche—the controls fall readily to hand. In town, particularly, it is a boon.
The gear ratios are fairly wide spaced, but third gear ran out at an indicated 851(m/h—actually 79km/h—so our 0-80km/h acceleration times suffered accordingly; the two-way average was 21.7 seconds, compared with 18.7 seconds for the Sofim-powered Fiat Ducato Maxi Turbo D (the old-shape Sevel, tested in CM 6-12 January), which was able to make the run in three gears. Still, this time is more than respectable, and as usual a good indication of usable power is given by the van's time on the CM Kent route's test hills. The Relay tackled the M20 stretch fully laden in 2 minutes 54 seconds; a tidy 16 seconds faster than the Ducato. The new engine responds well to revs up to the sharp cut-off point, so even the most mechanically sympathetic driver can happily drive in fourth at the motorway speed limit.
The Relay has a good functional cab, but it retains some of the eccentricities of the old Sevel: the driving position is very upright and affords a commanding forward view, but there is little rearward travel for the seat, so taller drivers should try before they buy. The nearside door mirror is still mounted too far forward, so it is obscured by the door frame—and though this is a completely new van, the mirror looks like the old model.
There is some good news, though: where the previous Severs accelerator pedal was mounted in mid-air, and led to many a strained leg muscle, the new model has a much more tolerable setup and long-distance driving is no hardship. The seats are good, but not standard-setting.
Stowage space is plentiful and noise levels are about as low as can be expected of a panel van without a bulkhead. Wind noise is particularly unobtrusive.
Overall, the cab is accommodating and well thought out, but it lacks the car-like comforts of for example, the latest Transit.
A previous new-model Sevel van driven by CM betrayed slightly disappointing build quality in that the passenger door failed to seal properly; this example seemed to be fine.
A one-word summing up of the big Relay would be "functional". The colossal loadspace and good payload should swing many buyers, the engine is more than competent and the van is easy to drive. The price is competitive, and it would take an unreasonable dose of prejudice not to consider this van if you're in the market for a big 3.5-tonner. If you want the last ounce of refinement a Transit might be preferable but one would have to sacrifice the Relay's ease of loading (and its imposing appearance).
The last time we tested a big-volume Sevel—the old model—we wondered if the joint venture could produce a van that needed no excuses. The Relay has a lot to offer: it could be that van.
CI by Toby Clark