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The oily bus mess
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Five generations on, the VW Transporter is still bettering the family pedigree. The T5 may not
look so different from the outside—except for a bigger nose—but its power is the best yet. Colin Barnett meets a thoroughly modern veteran.
• In a life that has so far spanned a mere 54 years, Volkswagen's Transporter is set to move into its fifth generation. For this latest incarnation, the Transporter's changes are considerably less revolutionary than the current model, which in 1990 completely turned its driveline around. In fact, unless you see the T4 and T5 together, its not immediately obvious which is which.
But it seems that each successive generation's nose has got slightly more pronounced, and that is definitely the case this time around.
By the time you read this, the first right-hand-drive examples will have come off the production line ready for UK sales to commence in September.
The final UK spec Is still being decided, although the discussion is now down to such decisions as the type of audio equipment to be included, so any details here refer to the wider European market, with not all variations being guaranteed to cross the Channel.
Whatever happens, though, the range should be considerably wider than at present. Two wheelbases, three van roof heights and gross weights from 2,600kg to 3,200kg, and a 3,400kg version due to follow next year, should give permutations to cover most needs. Chassis cabs will be available in single and double-cab versions.
Add in the wide choice of engines and the options list becomes really long. On the diesel front, two iron-blocked 1.9-lithe four-cylinder units and two alloy-blocked 2.5-litre fives—all with VW's PD unit-injection system—range from 84 to 172hp. The fours get a five-speed transmission, and the fives get a six.
The petrol engines are a 114hp 2.0-litre four, and a 232hp V6 displacing 3.2-litres. While the driving wheels remain at the front as standard, all-wheel drive will eventually be available under the 4-Motion name.
Inside, the most fundamental change is the dash-mounted gear-shift. The familiar feeling is reinforced by the seat material which looks unchanged from the T4, but the seats themselves are well-shaped with plenty of adjustability.
Head-on photographs don't do justice to the new dashboard, which is curved in two dimensions, with the top sloping away towards the screen and the central section wrapping around into the curved-top binnacle.
There are numerous storage sites, including the lockable glovebox with its damped action lid, multiple door pockets and the obligatory pop-out cup-holders. On top of the dash is a useful multi-compartment storage tray, complete with phone-sized bin and a document clip, while the lower dash area in front of the passenger's knees houses a wide elasticated net. Despite the apparent lack of increased glass area in the cab, visibility presents no problem.
On the rood
CM travelled to Volkswagen's newly-refurbished and expanded plant at Poznan in Poland to try out the full range of 15 commercials. Poznan produces T5 window vans and all of the chassis-cab variants, and is also gearing up for production of the Caddy replacement towards the end of this year. Given that some of the T5 Transporter passenger versions were criticised at their Spanish launch event (CM 27 Feb-5 March) for some aspects of their suspension behaviour, especially their roll, Volkswagen was brave to choose the Polish countryside to demonstrate the commercial versions.
In most of the villages, only the main thoroughfare was asphalt, with minor roads still having unsealed surfaces—and where there was blacktop, it was in pretty poor condition.
But the German engineers must have been listening and have obviously been working hard in the intervening months, for it was the suspension that was the most immediately noticeable improvement.
The first vehicle we sampled was a crew-cab dropside, fitted with the monstrously torquey 172hp five-cylinder. Although only about half-laden, there was an inevitable amount of bounce as we leapt from one pothole to the next, but although every bump was noticeable, the suspension absorbed the harsh edge of each one.
Attempts to deliberately provoke the 15 through the twistier bits of road only revealed that any roll problem has been fully overcome.
As you might expect, performance with 400Nm on tap is more than adequate. In fact, it's quite difficult to imagine what you might need that much grunt for, unless you intend to relocate the Isle of Wight.
More sensible was our next drive, a short wheelbase, medium high roof panel van, with the more modest 129hp version of the in-line five—however, this Is still at the top end of the power range for this sector and its performance is more than adequate.
One of the less visible changes from T4 to 15 is the 280mm increase in track width, which gives the Transporter a well-planted feeling on the road. Although we didn't have the opportunity to try it on fast and well-surfaced roads, it still gave the impression that it could handle brisk cross-country journeys with ease.
For a sample of the four-cylinder models, we drove a Kombi, the window van with the lower-level trim such as fibreboard material in the rear. This had the 103hp engine, which may well be the biggest seller on the UK market.
Still with plenty of performance available, the most noticeable thing missing was trademark five-cylinder sound associated with the current Transporter's engine. VW's controls were never wanting and remain largely unchanged, although the indicators have gained the fashionable electronic operation with one flick giving three flashes.
The dash-mounted gear lever is easily reached, and on the five-speeder fitted to the smaller engines, the shift is precise but very closely spaced.
This example only served to confirm that Volkswagen's new T5 range is a far greater advance than first appearances would suggest. With it's arch-competitor, the Mercedes-Benz Vito, set to be totally renewed in the coming months, the battle for supremacy in the 2.8-3.0tonne van sector promises to be some fight, with van buyers and drivers being the biggest winners.