Review
By now most readers should know that I’m pretty impressed with the van on test here, the Volkswagen Transporter T5.
It’s been with us for five months now and during that time I have described is as probably the best light commercial vehicle ever built, an accolade which pretty obviously I don’t bestow lightly.
I’ve been struggling to pick a few faults with the T5, just so as not to make it look as though I’m being paid by the manufacturer to talk it up.
But even my earlier complaint that the seatbelt cut into my partner’s neck on the passenger side proved to be unfounded as we later discovered the belt actually does have a height adjustment. Oops!
I was slighty disappointed with our fuel consumption, which weighed in at 33.4 mpg at first, but since then I’ve been making a conscious effort to drive more carefully and cost-effectively, with the result that this figure has now risen to 37.3mpg – a much more satisfactory state of affairs.
This vehicle may be classed as a medium panel van, but as a long wheelbase variety there is nothing medium about the amount of load space in the rear.
This van will swallow loads up to 2950mm – that’s nine-and-a-half feet to us old ’uns.
One of the great options Volkswagen provided us with is a complete set of ply-lining at £282 inc VAT.
It’s a small price to pay for having a van that’s in pristine condition at the rear when you come to sell it – and will more than pay for itself at that time.
I’ve managed to add more than a few large gouges in the wood during the van’s tenure here at Fleet Towers and, of course, those gouges will completely disappear when the lining is removed.
On the minus side, I could do with a reversing sensor, which unfortunately Volkswagen didn’t provide.
Once you get used to vehicles that beep when you get too close to objects, you don’t ever want to drive ones that don’t any more.
