VW Transporter
Lockdown life shows big van is loads better after facelift
“SO, what did you do during lockdown?” That’s something a lot of people are going to ask once everybody starts meeting up again. Me? Well, rather than learn to play a musical instrument or restore my old radio-controlled cars, I did a spot of juggling. Not with balls, but with motors.
That’s because I had two vehicles when lockdown hit, so as well as a Nissan Navara pick-up (Issue 1,630), I was also looking after this Volkswagen Transporter. The juggling I did was to ensure neither vehicle spent too long stood still, so their batteries didn’t go flat. And I’m glad to say that I was successful.
I’m not about to ask for sympathy for my predicament, because it’s no hardship, as anybody who has driven a current van or pick-up can confirm. In fact, alternating between the Nissan and VW for my trips to the supermarket even revealed that the newer van had the edge over the pick-up for tech, which was a bit of a surprise.
The Transporter was given a facelift in 2019 from T6 to T6.1, and with it came a bump up in quality, tech and comfort.
A bigger grille was added up front, along with cleaner diesel engines, but of greater
Running costs 30.7-34.9mpg (off icial) £78 fill-up, £265 road tax
note is the inclusion of technology from VW ’s passenger cars that has given the Transporter more appeal.
Our van featured the £1,338 Discover Media eight-inch sat-nav system, which is the same as you’ll find in a Golf Mk7.5, and comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and a year’s subscription to VW’s We Connect Plus live services. This app-based tech allows you to connect to your van via a smartphone app and access services that will help you keep your machine on the road. This sort of connectivity is forging ahead in the van world, because it’s used not only by sole traders, but by fleet operators to keep an eye on their vans in real-time.
Other highlights included a couple of USB-C sockets on the dash, while our top-spec Highline van featured adaptive cruise control with autonomous braking, as well as front and rear parking sensors. It also had a few choice options, including active lane and side assist.
The latter function is very handy. You sit high up in the van’s cab, but the lack of wide-angle mirrors means you’re left with blind spots low down and to the sides of the
Practicality Cargo volume/payload 5.8m3/836kg
van. Side assist works in conjunction with the parking systems to warn you of objects in this area, and will help to prevent any unfortunate scrapes when manoeuvring.
I was also impressed by the way the Transporter drives. With a 148bhp 2.0 TDI diesel, there’s plenty of punch; and although the seven-speed DSG gearbox does slip a little when pulling away, once up to speed, the box is a slick shifter. Plus the Transporter is comfortable even when unladen, which it was for the majority of its time with me.
So what about downsides? Well, the optional Ravenna Blue paint looks great, but it seems out of place on a van, especially when it’s the colour of the load area floor. It’s too nice to be a victim of scratches and scrapes when loading items, so I stuck a ground sheet in the back to keep it nice. We’d love to see a plastic floor covering fitted as standard.
Getting a puncture wasn’t great, either. Fortunately, the optional tyre pressure warning system alerted me to it, and the full-size spare under the rear of the van meant I could change it and keep driving.
It was great to use the Transporter for a prolonged period, and it did help me to gain one new skill: the art of guerilla photography. With no snapper to rely on (thanks to coronavirus precautions), it was down to me, a camera, some empty boxes and the use of a locked-down industrial estate to get some shots of me looking busy. I’m just glad the sun was out to do the van’s paintwork justice!
“The addition of tech from VW’s passenger cars has given the Transporter more appeal”
On fleet:
Price new:
Engine:
CO2/tax: 158g/km/£265 Options*: Ravenna Blue metallic paint (£762), active lane assist with side assist (£1,212), Discover Media eight-inch sat-nav with We Connect Plus (1yr) (£1,338), front and rear parking sensors with Park Assist (£342), tailgate without window (£0), traffic sign recognition (£282), tyre pressure monitors (£162)
Mileage/mpg:
Any problems?
Mar-May 2020 £37,532 (inc VAT) 2.0-litre diesel, 148bhp
N/A/34.2mpg
Puncture *All prices quoted are inclusive of VAT