Space and versatility is a great Combo

Van-based Vauxhall fills Zafira-sized gap

A MATE of mine has done extremely well in life and owns a classic car collection that numbers over 20 vehicles.

He’s also got several houses, one in France, one near London and another in Scotland. At each of them he keeps one of his favourite cars – all the same make and model. A Porsche 911 you ask?

No, all three are Renault Kangoos that are over a decade old. He loves these boxy French runarounds. They’re spacious, have flexible interiors and can carry a lot of luggage.

I know he’d like this week’s road test car – a Vauxhall Combo Life. Like the Renault it is extremely unsexy but very practical. Our test car is the standard Combo with five seats but you can get it with seven. There’s also an XL version with a longer wheelbase. The standard Combo offers 2,126 litres of luggage space with its seats folded down but the XL will hold a massive 2,700 litres.

Vauxhall, as you know, is now part of the PSA Group alongside

Peugeot and Citroen. Those two companies both offer an alternative to the Combo with the Rifter and Berlingo respectively – all three of them based on vans.

Our test car is powered by a 99bhp 1.5-litre diesel that is provided by Peugeot/Citroen. There’s a 128bhp version of the engine but this lower-powered one is adequate so long as you don’t regularly fill your Combo

Big glass area and a great view make up for any lack of sophistication

Life up with people and gear – if you do we’d recommend the more powerful unit.

Vauxhall claims 67mpg for this engine and 111g/km of CO2 which makes it the least thirsty and cleanest version of the car.

Our car is in Energy trim which is one up from the entry level Design. You can’t get the seven seat option in the Design, plus in the posher one you get soft touch trim on the dashboard which removes some of the van feeling. On the road price for this model without any options is £21,540. Extras on ours include £450 worth of navigation system, a head-up display for £355 and a spare wheel at £110.

I’d have the wheel but not bother with the nav because the car comes with phone mirroring as standard so you can use your mobile’s navigation app. It’ll be better anyway.

You’re buying this car for its interior space and, as mentioned, there’s lots of it. It’ll seat five adults in comfort and all three back seats are fitted with ISOFIX mountings so you can line up three small sprogs in a row.

There are plenty of storage spaces including deep door bins but if you want the really clever bits, such as a big airliner-like luggage bin that goes in the back, and roof storage, you have to buy them as extras.

The Combo Life handles and rides well enough. The suspension at the front comes from Peugeot’s 3008 but at the rear there’s a more simple beam axle arrangement to save space. It works well enough. The engine is quiet at speed and on motorways wind noise – a consequence of the van-like shape – will drown out most of the engine’s contribution.

A big glass area and a great view out will make up for any lack of sophistication due to the Combo’s van origins.

With the Zafira Tourer already out of production, loyal Vauxhall customers who want a spacious and practical family car should look to the new Combo Life.

So should my mate when his Kangoos finally get towed away to the scrap yard.