Volkswagen Transporter (03-09) - Review

The Transporter range of vans has been around since the 1950s and has evolved into a highly competent line-up of commercial vehicles. In that time, more than 8.5 million have rolled off the production line. This version of Volkswagen's Ford Transit and Vauxhall Vivaro rival was launched in 2003, and is bigger, more powerful, and better equipped than the model it replaced. Two diese engines are on offer, with several outputs, ranging from a 85bhp 1.9 TDI to the 174bhp 2.5 TDI.

The fascia looks smart with many switches and buttons carried over from VW's passengers cars, which are well placed and easy to operate. The instruments are clear and easy to read and get soothing blue backlighting; the gearstick is in the centre of the dash, rather than fixed to the floor and is easy to operate. It's a big van and can feel rather cumbersome around town, although no more so than other vans in this class. A few little luxuries, like air conditioning, a large glovebox and oversized cup holders help make life on board much more comfortable.

Two familiar direct injection (named Pumpe Düse by VW) engines are on offer for the Transporter. The 1.9 TDI has either 85bhp or 104bhp, while the 2.5 TDI gets 130bhp or 174bhp. Both engines are punchy and powerful, though the 2.5 TDI is recommended for more heavy duty work. It's a large van, so some bodyroll is to be expected. However, it isn't excessive and, overall, Transporter handles with confidence. Models with 4MOTION four-wheel-drive have a six-speed gearbox and there's also a tiptronic-style semi-auto on offer too. Extra effort has gone into engineering a ride that's comfortable and keeps vibrations to a minimum and this is the case on most surfaces.