GROUPTEST VANS
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Access to the loadbed is good on all three, with the Escort having the edge on capacity and protection for the load area.
In truth, however, operators who would consistently need to run close to the gross weight would be well advised to consider a small panel van.
The tyres on both the Ford and the Vauxhall look distinctly unhappy when fully laden, while the Maestro fouled its wheel arches. The tail-down/nose-up attitude of all three vans helps neither traction nor handling.
Our feeling on this is reinforced by the difficulty of remaining within the legal axle weights when loading. The Astral-flax allows a modest 45kg tolerance; the Maestro has only 20kg; and the Escort
none at all, which we regard as totally inappropriate for this kind of van. Even though we ensured that the bulk of our test load was forward for the rear axle line, we still exceeded the axle's plated weight.
Since the Escort inherited its powertrain from the previous model, all three of our vans have a familiar and well-proven drivefine consisting of a transverse diesel engine driving the front wheels via a fivespeed gearbox.
Technically the most interesting is the Maestro's 1,994cc l'erkins Prima unit, which has built a reputation for considerable economy thanks to its use of direct injection. It is the biggest, most torquey engine in the group, with a maximum of 119Nm (881hft) at 2,500rpm, and the lowest revving, with peak power of 44kW (601)p) at only 4,500rpm.
The Escort and the Maestro follow a more conventional route, both employing indirect-injection diesels, both of which began life as 1.6-litre units, and both of which have expanded in recent years to meet the call for more urge.
The Astramax engine is the smaller, at 1,699cc, so not surprisingly it is the least powerful of our trio, producing 42kW (57hp) at 4,600rpm and 105Nm (771b1t) at 2,400rpm. The larger 1,753cc motor in the Escort equals the Maestro for power (peaking 300rpm higher) but not for torque, generating 110N (811bft) at 2, 50Orpm. All of these vans will get you where you want to go when you want to get there, and they are perfectly capable of keeping up with fast-moving traffic even when laden, but the manner in which they deliver their performance varies considerably.
Taking the liveliest first, the Astramax not only has the benefit of being the lightest and the lowest geared, but it also has the most eager diesel. Revving with an enthusiasm and a smoothness reminiscent of a petrol engine, the Astramax belies its modest power output by going about its business in a way which not only feels quicker but is quicker.
By contrast the Maestro has a diesel which feels like a diesel. But while it never seems like it's in a hurry its torquey delivery can provide a surprising turn of speed as well as a relaxing drive.
Slowest of the group, somewhat to our surprise, was the Escort, whose engine had neither the energy and refinement of a petrol nor the appealing flexibility of a diesel. Lightly laden this was less evident, but with a load it seemed to be struggling against gearing which was a touch high.
With their saloon car driving environment one expects these vans to cruise in blissful silence. In fact all three are boisterous at speed, with the noise echoing around the load area being the chief culprit. In this context the Rover's hard-edged combustion noise, the Ford's roughness at certain engine speeds, and the roar from all three diesels during hard acceleration, becomes easier to tolerate. We felt beforehand that fuel consumption was one area in which the rather matronly Maestro might show its worth against superficially more attractive rivals, and to an extent this proved the case.
Running fully laden the Rover returned an excellent 6,1lit/100km (46.6mpg) around our Kent economy route, backed up by 5.91it/100km (48.1mpg) without a load: figures which the Astramax certainly couldn't improve on.
The Escort, on the other hand, could. With a large section of motorway and some faster cross-country elements, our circuit demonstrated the effectiveness of its high gearing combined with a shape clearly used to sniffing smoke trails in a wind tunnel.