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The What Van? Road Test: Vauxhall Vivaro Electric
Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Load bay
Twin rear doors plus a sliding door on both the nearside and offside provide access to the cargo area. The back doors can be swung through 90°, and through 180° if you release the user-friendly door stays, and the inside edge of the nearside door pillar features a 12V power point.
The full-height solid steel bulkhead accommodates a hatch close to the floor which provides a load-through facility under the FlexCargo banner. It means that extra-long items can be slid under the passenger seat rather than left to stick out through the rear doors.
Simply opening the hatch gives you an additional 432mm.
Going further and folding the outboard passenger seat upwards and backwards against the bulkhead as well lengthens the load floor by a generous 1,162mm, to 3,674mm. It allows you to push pipes and planks all the way into the passenger footwell.
Half-a-dozen floor-mounted cargo tie-down points are fitted in the load area, and the cargo bed is protected by a tailored wooden cover. Protective panels provide the doors and sides with some defence against scratches and scrapes but the (admittedly slim) wheel boxes look vulnerable, and the entire cargo area would benefit from being timbered out.
Good to see that the Vivaro Electric boasts a braked towing weight of up to 1,000kg – but remember that towing can rapidly reduce your range. The equivalent GS diesel can tow 2,500kg and its gross payload is more than 400kg higher.
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