- Further 4.25t electric van rule changes under consideration
- Arval research uncovers van fleet optimism
- Pre-orders open for new Nissan Interstar
- More than half of UK van drivers now believe EVs more cost effective than ICE, VW finds
- Public EV charging costs preventing adoption for some fleets, AFP says
- Ford Ranger Tremor review
- Inseego awarded Crown Commercial Service framework status
- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Electrify and optimise: Digital solutions at the forefront of decarbonisation
- Fleets being pushed to take electric vans due to ZEV mandate, AFP reports
- Buying a used... Citroen Relay (2019)
The What Van? Road Test: Vauxhall Vivaro Electric
Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Interior and equipment
Keyless opening and starting is fitted, which means you can unlock the doors and start the engine simply by having the key fob in your pocket. Also present are an electric parking brake, cruise control, front fog lights, driver and passenger airbags, electric windows, and electrically-adjusted and heated exterior mirrors that fold inwards automatically.
You use a switch on a moulding which curves outwards from the dashboard, and steals some of the middle passenger’s leg space, to select D for Drive, R for reverse or N for Neutral.
You can also opt for the B for Brake setting. Using it recoups energy which would otherwise be wasted when the van decelerates – when it is descending a steep hill for instance – and pumps it into the battery.
An adjacent switch allows you to select from three (self-explanatory) drive modes; Eco, Normal or Power.
A – by today’s standards, rather too small – 7in touchscreen sits in the centre of the fascia and controls many – though thankfully, not all – of the in-cab functions.
Conventional knobs are used to operate the heating, ventilation and climate control systems, turn the DAB radio on and off, and raise and lower its volume. The air-con is impressively effective, but of course sucks juice out of the battery.
Satellite navigation forms part of the package, as does voice control along with Bluetooth audio streaming and a Bluetooth mobile phone portal. The dashboard plays host to a USB port and a 12V power socket and you can gain access to a variety of connected services courtesy of Vauxhall Connect.
The digital instrument cluster in front of the driver shows useful data such as the remaining range and the level of charge in the battery. You can even make use of a compass.
Boasting lumbar adjustment and an armrest, the driver’s seat is height-adjustable. So is the leather-trimmed steering wheel, which accommodates remote controls for the radio plus phone controls.
The seats are trimmed in leather too, complete with fancy red stitching.
In-cab storage facilities include a roomy but not lockable glove box, a cubbyhole below it with a second 12V socket, a lidded compartment on top of the dashboard, a big bin and a small bin in both doors, and a shelf in the middle of the fascia. You will find top-mounted cupholders at each end of the dashboard.
Pull the centre seat’s cushion up, and you will discover a hidden compartment that you can use to conceal your smartphone and other valuable items you would rather not lose. Pull the centre section of the seat’s back down, and it becomes a handy little desk with an elasticated band to help keep your paperwork tidy; assuming you still use paperwork.
Front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera offer an invaluable bird’s-eye view of nearby hazards, and are included in the deal. So is a comprehensive portfolio of on-board safety gizmos, including blind spot detection, forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking, hill start assist and driver drowsiness alert as well as ABS and electronic stability programme with traction control.
Lane departure warning forms part of the safety offer, too. We eventually switched it off, however, because it proved to be overly-eager, beeping annoyingly every time we strayed more than a millimetre over the white lines that mark the centre of at least some of Britain’s narrow and fast-crumbling rural roads.
Far less annoying – and a licence preserver – was an icon on the instrument panel which tells you what the speed limit is on the road you are travelling along; and reminds you not to break it.
Raindrops on the windscreen trigger the wipers and the lights come on automatically at dusk.
Our Vivaro’s alloys were shod with Nankang Passion CW-20 225/50 R18C tyres.
Nankang? No, we’d never heard of the company either, but it is based in Taiwan and been going since the late 1950s – and most importantly appears to produce decent-quality products.
View The WhatVan Digital Edition
