Vauxhall Corsavan 1.3CDTi - Tested June 2007

Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Access to Corsavan's 0.9m3 cargo bay — slightly less space than was available in the previous Corsavan — is by means of a top-hinged rear door complete with a heated window fitted with a wash/wipe system. It opens to reveal a load area that's 1,257mm long, an improvement on the old model, and 924mm high, again more than the previous model could muster.

Maximum width is 1,264mm, narrowing to 969mm between the wheel boxes; less than provided by old Corsavan in both cases. At 691mm, maximum loading height is down although there's still a lip over which cargo has to be manoeuvred.

The tailgate aperture is 980mm wide (narrower than before) and 650mm high (higher than before).

Good to see that the interior is so well defended against minor scratches and scrapes. Plastic panels protect the sides to half their height and neatly encase the wheel boxes while an extra £75 buys you a tailored rubber mat that covers the purpose-built load bed. All prices quoted here exclude VAT.

Four floor-mounted load tie-down points are provided and our demonstrator boasted a half-height steel bulkhead to stop unsecured items sliding forwards into the cab. It was additionally equipped with a £75 four-piece removable cargo cover to frustrate prying eyes.

The full size spare wheel sits in a well beneath the floor. While that's good news from the security viewpoint, it also means that you'll have to unload your vehicle to get at it if you have a flat tyre; and you can guarantee it will be raining.

Cab Comfort

There's only a limited amount of oddment storage space in Corsavan's roomier-than-you-might-expect cab.

Each of the doors boasts a two-tier bin, with the bottom lid playing host to a moulding that will accommodate a cup or a can. You'll find two more cup-holders in front of the gearstick — one of which plays host to the removable and soon-to-be-made-redundant ash tray — another one to the rear of the handbrake lever and yet another on the inner face of the glovebox lid. Maybe Vauxhall thinks that Corsavan drivers are tea addicts.

The glovebox, incidentally, is so miniscule that it's barely worth bothering with, but at least the inside of the lid also features trays for your pens.

Don't forget that there's a storage tray under the passenger seat and a document pocket in the driver's sun visor.

You pay extra to be able to adjust the height of the seat and the steering column, which seems a bit mean. Both facilities are included in a £85 Plus Pack and help you achieve one of the most comfortable driving positions you're ever going to enjoy in a vehicle of this size.

Electrically adjustable exterior mirrors come as standard — with ours heated for an extra £75 — but it seems odd in this day and age to be charged £85 extra for electric windows.

It's not so surprising to be charged extra for air conditioning on a van, although we suspect it will become a standard feature at some point during the next few years. It's an extra £555 and money well spent with the weather getting delightfully warmer.

The van's base price includes a radio/CD player and a driver's airbag; the passenger airbag is a £285 extra. It also includes a fancy gold-coloured surround for the controls on the centre of the dashboard that produces an irritating reflection in the windscreen.

In a neat touch, the driver can set a speed above which an audible warning sounds. Every van on the market should have this praiseworthy device.

On the Road

There's no lack of performance from Vauxhall's diesel and the gearchange is glitch-free. The little van hums along fairly quietly and rides well too for a vehicle of its size.

We can't learn to love the electric power steering, however. So far as we're concerned it does the handling no favours at all, leaving the driver feeling disconnected from the road.

The net result is either too much steering input when you're heading into a bend, or too little.

What we can learn to love is the vehicle's amazing fuel economy. We averaged an impressively frugal 56.0mpg.

Remote central locking with deadlocks comes as standard and Corsavan is protected from minor exterior damage by side-rubbing strips. Reversing sensors (£225) stopped us backing into anything and damaging the metallic paint (£285) along with the bodywork.

A three year/60,000 mile warranty is included in the price, with no mileage limit in the first year. You get a roadside rescue and recovery package for the first 12 months too.

The body is covered by a six year anti-perforation warranty and service intervals are set at 20,000 miles.

VERDICT

Well put-together and astonishingly frugal, Vauxhall's Corsavan is a useful little package. It doesn't lack performance, offers a decent ride and gearchange, and the roomy cab isn't a bad place to spend the working day. While it's not designed to shift large quantities of cargo, it's surprising just how much you can cram into the load area. On the downside electric power assistance — something we're all going to have to learn to live with, alas — rather spoils the handling and the cab suffers from one or two limitations. Being asked to pay extra just so you can adjust the height of the seat is ridiculous in today's market. Corsavan's fuel economy more than outweighs such drawbacks, however, and that makes Vauxhall's new baby a winner.