What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide

The Peugeot Boxer can trace its history back to the then new generation of Sevel vans in 1994. Sevel is the joint-venture between PSA – Peugeot and Citroen – on the one hand and Fiat on the other. It created two distinct van families in 1994: the larger vans of the Fiat Ducato, Citroen Relay and Peugeot Boxer, with the understudies of the Fiat Scudo, Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. The separation in the large van family came down
to engines, with Fiat using its own Sofim unit also found in the Iveco Turbo Daily, while PSA first used its ageing 1.9-litre unit and then, latterly, the excellent HDi common- rail engine.

The joint operation proved effective with the family of vans being the leading large LCV in Europe with a total market share in excess of 25%.

Although the basic shape, capacious as it is, has remained largely unchanged, constant upgrades to the cab interior and kit levels have allowed the Boxer and its seconds to take the fight to the Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter.

Launched in November 2006, and only just replaced, this generation of Boxer has load volumes up the 17m3 and long maintenance intervals. It was aimed more squarely at the fleet operator then ever before, which is good news for the used buyer.

It also ushered in suspension changes aimed at improving ride and handling, with standard equipment levels including driver’s airbag, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, and ESP depending on model. A new technology for this Boxer was pneumatic rear suspension, which can be lowered to facilitate easier loading.

Powered by the common-rail direct-injection HDi diesel engines with a capacity of either 2.2 or 3.0 litres, the engines provide torque figures of between 250Nm and 400Nm and are combined with either a five- or six-speed gearbox. Compared with the previous-generation HDi diesel engines, to reduce running costs fuel consumption was cut by nearly 10%, while the time between maintenance checks was increased by 30%, which was welcomed by small business users and major fleets alike.

The payload was increased compared with the previous Boxer range, with the introduction of a new range of vehicles, with GVW up from 3.5 to 4.0 tonnes, allowing a payload of up to 2.0 tonnes.

The Boxer has been subject to a few recalls. One issued in February 2007 has VOSA stating that the handbrake assembly may be insecure, March 2008 saw a recall for stiff steering,
and June of the same year for possible failure of the indicator repeaters. June 2011 saw a recall for the spare wheel becoming detached on vehicles with VIN VF3*******1100 0648 through to VF3 *******11572688. January 2013 saw a recall for incorrect handbrake operation on vehicles from VIN VF3YCTMFC 12233693.

Otherwise, typical used Boxer traits are a slightly sloppy gear change action and rather high clutch engagement point.

Second-hand buys

With lots a of Boxers to choose from, here is a cross-section of those on the WhatVan.co.uk used van locator. A nice low-mileage 2013 (63 plate) medium wheelbase can be had for £13,999, while there’s
a 2.2 HDi high roof with 6400
miles on since September 2012
at £13,495. There’s also a less common 3.0 HDi long wheelbase with 60,000 miles under its belt from early 2011 on a 60-plate
for under £11,000, and finally a 2010 2.2 HDi long wheelbase with 50,000 miles on it at £7995.