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

Efficient engines and an innovative cabin designed to be used as a mobile workspace are two of the headline features of the new Renault Trafic and its UK-built sibling, Vauxhall Vivaro.

As with the previous partnership between Renault and the GM-owned Vauxhall and its European arm Opel, the main difference between the sister vans is the nose, with Vauxhall and Renault both employing the family face already seen on various models. That’s probably more the case with the Trafic, which takes the bold Renault badge-dominated nose, as previously seen on the passenger car Clio, Captur and revised Megane models.

Available as a panel van, combi, double-cab or platform cab, the new vans go on sale in the UK this autumn, and a new 1.6-litre engine will boast what the partner firms claim is best-in-class fuel economy. Available in single-turbo 90 and 115hp form, or with 120 and 140hp as a twin-turbo unit, the latter alternative will prove most efficient with an official consumption figure of 49.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 149g/km. The Twin Turbo, as Renault calls it, or Bi-Turbo in Vauxhall parlance, is also designed to provide peak torque low-down the rev range, giving good performance without having to hold onto gears. The unit is 25kg lighter than the 2.0-litre diesel it replaces, which helps both efficiency and payload.

The cabin contains some clever new innovations, though it’s not yet clear how many of these will be optional extras, as well as a claimed 90 litres of storage space across 14 different compartments and cubbyholes, almost than half of which is the 42 litres of space underneath the passenger seat. There are also spaces for 1.5-litre and 500ml drinks bottles, and optional dashboard mountings for phone and tablet devices, as well as a centre passenger seat that folds down to provide a secure clipboard angles at either driver or passenger. The mirrors have been redesigned to provide greater visibility, and there is the addition of a reversing camera with screen either in the optional satnav screen or mounted in the rear-view mirror.

Other technology available for the first time includes keyless entry, and a Renault spokeswoman said detailed surveys of customers found they were always on the road and always wanted to be connected.

A particularly simple and clever addition is that the passenger’s sun visor mirror has a concave element to it that allows the driver to see into the blind-spot created by not being able to look over-the-shoulder at angled junctions.