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SPOILT FOR CHOICE
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Before buying a light commercial, you've got to know what you need it for, and what different models can offer. We've broken down the different types into categories to help you make the right choice.
Between 1978 and 1988, the number of light vans on our roads rose by 46% to 1.9 million, although the annual distance covered by each van fell by 6.1% to 16,000 miles in the same 10 years.
Various theories have been raised for the reasons behind this sharp increase. It seems to be a combination of factors, including the growth in the services and small businesses sectors, the increase in economic activity that occurs naturally, and the congestion in our urban areas which has encouraged the use of smaller CVs.
If the number of vans have risen so sharply, can we be sure that all the new van owners are happy with their purchases? Are all those vans doing sterling service, and earning their owners a packet? Unlikely, we feel.
There is a great deal of confusion when choosing the right type of small commercial suitable for particular operations. Transit seems to be an overused generic term for any sort of van, from a tracked all-terrain vehicle, to a high-roof turbocharged road-burning 3.5-tonner.
Getting back to basics, there are two kinds of van, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT): those under 1.8 tonnes, and those between 1.8 and 3.5 tonnes. Anything above 3.5 tonnes does not "pass Go", and is not a light commercial — more about that in a minute. To continue along SMMT's line of thought, there are many manufacturers competing in each of the two market sectors, but only a few really matter. The first is Ford, because it has a 33.9% share of the lighter market, and a stonking 50.8% share of the larger (SMMT's January registration figures).
After that the situation becomes very confused with Leyland Daf, Renault, Bedford, Nissan and a host of others fighting to get behind Ford in the market share stakes.
All this doesn't help you choose a van, but it does explain why literature is often confusing on the subject. Market share figures have nothing to do with the right choice, although they always creep in somewhere. Just because everyone else has chosen a particular van, doesn't mean it is right for you.
Pros and cons The questions you should ask yourself before buying a light commercial are dealt with on page 26. The purpose of this article is to highlight the kind of vehicles around, and the pros and cons of choosing a particular model.
Dividing the light commercial world into sections isn't easy, but there are roughly five different generic types of vehicle. Firstly, there are the carderived vans (CDVs), which divide into the super-mini-based hatchback vans, estate-based vans and the purposebuilt vans. In opposition to these vehicles are the ubiquitous microvans, of which there are three different marques sold in the UK.
Then there are panel vans, which divide roughly into the one-tonne payload class, and the heavier type up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight. Many panel vans are also offered as a chassis, or a chassis crew cab option, which can be fitted with a variety of bodies.
Starting at the bottom with the supermini CDVs, we can safely say that their time is running out. Typified by the Austin Rover Metro vans, these vehicles have a very limited payload, and even more limited load volume. They are expensive to produce, and a price comparison with the purpose-built type CDV puts the hatchback van to shame. Ford is already debating the wisdom of offering its recently revamped Fiesta van in this form, and Renault has withdrawn its Renault 5 van to concentrate on the Extra purpose-built CDV, which is Europe's most popular light van.
The maximum payload of these little vehicles is not much more than 320kg, and the load volume will be just over 1.1m3. Engines will either be one-litre high-revving petrol units, or over-sized diesel engines from the larger vans.
Similarly, the estate-based CDVs like the Bedford Astravan, Ford Escort Combi, Peugeot 305 and the Fiat Citivan, while still popular with the television repair trade, offer not much more in the way of payload or loadspace. Their main advantage is their long internal length (1,670mm on the Citivan, and 1,810mm on the 305).
In competition with these vehicles are the microvans from Bedford, Suzuki (these two vans are the same vehicle, built at Bedford's Luton plant, but badged differently), and Subaru. Subaru is the only one which offers four wheel
drive, and a larger than one-litre petrol engine. tvlicrovans have a large load volume (typically over 2.5m3), a middling payload (around 600kg), and excellent access to the loadspace through rear and side doors.
They are a Japanese invention, reflecting the country's massive traffic problems, (a bit like London), where a small van can often get through when larger vehicles get stuck (very much like London). On the minus side, the diminutive vans have those small highrevving petrol engines, are very cramped and therefore tiring to drive, and there is a bit of a question mark over their safety in terms of frontal impact.We are still awaiting the Transport Road Research Laboratory's official judgement. The purpose-built CDV comes in two basic forms: the Renault Extra, Citroen C15 Visa, Fiat Fiorino-type big box bodyshell, or the smoother Austin Maestro, Bedford Astramax, Ford Escort-type bodyshell. The first looks silly, which is bad, but it holds more, which is good. The latter looks better and is just as comfortable as a car to drive, which is good, but it is frequently more expensive, and has a somewhat smaller load volume, which is bad. You pays your money and takes your choice. However, the distinctions have been blurred lately with the arrival of the high-roof Ford Escort vans, converted by Motor Panels of Wigan, and sold through the Ford dealerships.
So, on to the big vans. Before looking at the types on offer it is as well to say a few words about servicing with the larger vans. Not all dealerships will sell this sort of van, and certainly only a proportion of dealers will be able to service them properly. Some manufacturers dealers offer benefits such as 24hour servicing arrangements, and special van centres, where the staff are especially knowledgable about the ins and outs of van operation. Renault was one of the first manufacturers to offer this sort of service in the UK, and a measure of its success is that Volkswagen has just announced a network of 90 van centres around the country.
At the lightest end of the van market, there are Japanese "compact" vans. These are narrow, low-roofed vans like the Mitsubishi L300, the Toyota Lite Ace, or the Nissan Vanette. The next step up in terms of Japanese vans is the Toyota Hi Ace and Nissan Urvan. Where once these vans were seen as a bit of a joke by the industry, they are now more serious competitors. While their loadspace is limited by the roof, and the narrow body (a legal stipulation from Japan), they are packed with excellent features, and are keenly priced.
-Compact" vans are not at their best in fleet work, however, or where the prime reason for the van is haulage. Larger loads, in the region of 1,300kg, or tougher work, need a more European-type van, like a Leyland Daf 200 Series, a Renault Trafic, or a smaller Ford Transit. Vehicles like these are often "down-sized" versions of bigger vans, and they are available with a wide variety of options like high roofs, or extra loading doors. Buying a van like this will cost more money, but the vehicle can be specified to suit the job, and the drivelines are built to take the punishment inflicted by a number of different drivers.
Further up the weight range the choice gets narrower by manufacturer, but bigger by specification choice. Everyone talks of the Ford Transit when speaking about 3.5-tonne vans, but there are other choices on the market.
Front-wheel drive Sevel-built vans are sold by Fiat as the Ducato, Peugeot Talbot as the Express, and Citroen as the C25. The vans are built at the jointly-owned Fiat/Peugeot Citroen (PSA) plant in Val di Sangro, Italy. They are reasonably priced compared to a Leyland Daf 400 Series, a Ford Transit 190, a Mercedes-Benz 308, or a Volkswagen LT. There have been some problems with supply in the UK, but with three sets of dealers it shouldn't take the sleuthing power of Sherlock Holmes to track one down.
Another unlikely contender is the Renault Master series of vans. These have always been seen as typically French: idiosyncratic, and not always reliable, but new engines (especially the Sofim turbo-diesel version, which won Commercial Motor magazine's Tester's Choice this year), and a revamped Renault dealer network has changed all that, and the Master's low load height wins it plenty of friends.
Market trends
It has to be said that when the tough jobs are needed to be done, there are few vans that compare on price, reliability and specification to the Ford Transit. The vans are easy to drive and, while Ford is slow to catch up with the market trends, it still produces an excellent product from its Southampton plant. Leyland Daf's 400 Series is also a favourite fleet van and, while its naturallyaspirated diesel engines are a little pedestrian, the rear air-sprung, turbodiesel 400 is a good tool.
All the large vans are available in a chassis-cab form, and here a good dealer is essential. Take good advice before buying a tipper/Luton/boxvan, as there is a wide variety of different types and specifications on the market. The wrong choice can be heart and pocketbreaking. The best people to speak to are those operators in your line of business. Find out where they had their bodies built, and what works.
The one category which isn't so easy to pigeon-hole is pickups. There are a number on sale which offer payloads of around 500kg, like the Hyundai Pony or VW Caddy to the Sierra-based Ford P100 which comes with the option of a turbocharged diesel and a one-tonneplus freight capacity.
After years of domination by the Japanese, the UK one-tonne pickup market is now led by the P100. The one advantage of the pickup is that it provides excellent loading flexibility, You just dump the cargo in and you're away. And if you do want to cover it up, you can either use a tonneau, or invest in a removable fibreglass cover.
If you want a vehicle capable of carrying more than 1,800kg, and with a load volume of more than 13m3, then you're really talking about moving into the haulage market good and proper. Any person running a commercial vehicle above 3.5 tonnes gross weight (that's the total weight of the vehicle with a payload and a driver on board) must have an Operators Licence, which usually means also having a Certificate of Professional Competence, and operate the vehicle to strict drivers' hours laws complete with tachographs.
For those who can go above 3.5 tonnes the choice is fortunately a lot smaller, being restricted to big-volume integral vans, and downplated truck chassis. The former is best exemplified by the lveco Ford Turbo Daily and Zeta models, Mercedes-Benz T2 range, Renaut Truck Industries 50 Series (which will soon be joined by the new B2 range) and the bigger VW LT models.
The Turbo Daily, Zeta, T2, LT and 50 Series are all available as a big-volume van, with certain models actually offered at 7.5 tonnes, with payloads of up to four tonnes and load volumes as high as 18m3. The Turbo Daily, T2, 50 Series and LT can also be bought as a chassis cab. Downplated "big trucks" available below 7.5 tonnes include the AWD TL, Iveco Ford Cargo, Leyland Daf Roadrunner, MAN VW G90 and the latest Renault Midliner.
It is a bit confusing to start with, but once you know what you want to carry, and where you want to carry it, there should be little problem in finding the right light commercial for the job.