Volkswagen’s seventh-generation Transporter landed earlier this year, complete with a platform shared with the Ford Transit Custom, along with BEV and diesel drivetrains and a forthcoming PHEV. Al
Volkswagen’s seventh-generation Transporter landed earlier this year, complete with a platform shared with the Ford Transit Custom, along with BEV and diesel drivetrains and a forthcoming PHEV. Al Suttie tests it out for a week.
List price: £42,820 Economy: 200 miles Test efficiency: 160 miles
The Volkswagen Transporter is as much a commercial vehicle institution as the Ford Transit. Handy, then, the VW shares almost all of its components with the latest Transit as part of the two companies’ joint venture. There is just enough VW-ness, however, for this electric Transporter to stand on its own four wheels, and I don’t mean the VW badge on the bonnet.
Space in the load area of the new Transporter is up to 5.8m3 for this short wheelbase model with a low roof. It’s also longer than before and wider between the wheelarches than its predecessor, so there’s no problem shoving heavier items in on a pallet. The painted metal floor that is standard would benefit from a lining if you’re going to be doing this sort of thing regularly, of course.
Volkswagen has exerted enough of its influence in the e-Transporter’s cabin to set it apart from the Transit while retaining all the good bits of its close cousin. The main infotainment screen owes more to Ford than VW, which is a relief, while the main dash display is more VW than Ford. It’s a blend that works well and there’s a permanent bar along the bottom of the screen for the ventilation controls, so no faffing with multiple screens to change the fan speed.
It’s taken a while to finesse the VW’s driving position to my liking, which is something I’ve also found in the Transit. At first, it felt like I was sitting too low when the steering wheel seemed at the right height. However, turns out it’s best with the seat raised up more than was initially expected. Result? All-day comfort and an excellent view all-round, helped by standard reverse parking sensors in this Commerce Plus version.
The e-Transporter I have to try is the 136hp model, which is the less powerful of the two options available. It is quiet, refined and smooth in action, as you’d expect of an EV drivetrain, but acceleration is adequate rather than impressive, and that’s without any heavy loads in the back of the VW. The most I’ve filled it up with is several mountain bikes, which it deals with easily.
The simplicity of the VW’s cabin belies its ease of use. It did take a couple of days to get into the swing of the column stalk controls, which put the gear selector on the right-hand stalk, with all of the usual stuff then crammed on to the left-hand one. A few false prods for the wipers later and my brain has assimilated. Luckily, it didn’t take long to get used to the VW’s easy-going driving manners in town or on faster routes.
Volkswagen claims a 200-mile range for this version of the e-Transporter on a full charge. However, with 99% showing on the dash, it was reading 160 miles to empty when the van arrived a week ago. That seems borne out after using it on a variety of roads, albeit only every lightly loaded, which makes the VW ideal for short-hop jobs. Longer stints might prove more of a chore where charge drops more rapidly, though.
