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BEST OF THE BEST!
Page 38
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We test more CVs than anyone else, so when it came to picking our favourite vehicles from the 2003 crop we were spoiled for choice...
SMALL VANS
TESTER'S CHOICE: FORDTRANSF CONNECT Highly Commended: Vauxhall Combo 2000 Shortlisted:Citroen Berlingo 2.0 HDI, Rover CommereeTD
Creating a shortlist saw us dispensing with some good vehicles straight off The Vauxhall Astravan is still a capable product, especially with its latest common-rail engines, but it's too easy to overload, both overall and on axles, for it to he the serious load carrier it could be.
A pair of Citroens, the Xsara and the Berlingo Electrique, while good vehicles, were dismissed as having limited appeal in the current market: they're going to have to create their own niche to succeed.
This might sound a little patronising, but the Rover Commerce made it into the final group because it was much better than expected. As well as being fun to drive, at 55.1mpg it was also exceptionally economical,partieulady given the relatively 'mature' spec of its engine. But a hatchvan with around 400kg of payload is just a bit too lightweight to make it as a class winner.
Choosing between the remaining three, all high-cube vans but with quite different characters, was the most difficult part of this exercise.
The latest ver sions of the Citroen Berlingo and the Vauxhall Combo are both extremely competent products, and it wouldn't take too much of a shift in your own priorities to come up with a different result to us. It was only the Vauxhall's slightly better fuel consumption on the day that earned it a Highly Commended certificate.
In the end our selection, by the narrowest of margins, was the FordTransit Connect. Ford has the traditional virtue of coming late to the party so its creators know what they have to beat.
We like the way that with only the wheelbase and roof changed. one model effectively fills the gap between car-derived hatch-vans and the lower end full-size panel vans. However, one downside of this policy though is its weight: even the smaller version breaks the 2,000kg barrier, putting a new tranche of drivers in potential conflict with speeding laws. This is all the more risky because its exceptionally well-sorted chassis and comfortable interior allows it to be driven like a car. But make no mistake; it is still a vehicle capable of working for its living. •