The What Van? Road Test: Volkswagen Transporter (2020)

Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2020 | Author: Steve Banner

Cab

Interior and equipment

The Transporter’s dashboard changes are evolutionary rather than groundbreaking, which is what one would expect from VW. Some of the technology it delivers is a little more exciting.

Our van was equipped with an optional Discover Media DAB+ satellite navigation system with an 8in colour touchscreen, 32GB of media storage, voice control, and free map updates via the internet.

Also included are mobile online services courtesy of VW’s We Connect Plus, wireless App-Connect and an integrated eSIM. Free of charge for the first year, the package keeps you connected with your van via your smartphone, warning you, for example, if it is the subject of an attempted theft.

A DAB radio with remote controls on the steering wheel is standard on all T6.1s, as is Bluetooth connectivity.

Air-conditioning is fitted to Highlines along with electric windows and electrically adjustable and foldable heated exterior mirrors – shame they come without a separate wide-angle section. Like the door handles and bumpers, the mirror casings are colour-coded so that they match the rest of the body.

Storage facilities in the three-seater cab include two bins in each of the doors and a smallish, lockable, glovebox with two shelves above it – one big, one small. Two more shelves are set into the top of the dashboard, one of which plays host to a 12V power point.

A small shelf protruding from the dashboard accommodates a pair of USB sockets and steals a bit of the centre passenger’s legroom. It accommodates a cupholder too. Cupholders are also to be found at either end of the fascia, making three in all.

Suitable for installation in one of the door pockets is a waste bin – just the place to put discarded sweet wrappers.

Driver and passenger airbags are provided, and grab handles on the A-pillars make cab entry just that little bit easier.

The leather-trimmed steering wheel can be adjusted for reach and height. The height of the driver’s seat, which features lumbar adjustment plus an armrest, can be altered too.

As indicated earlier, safety features abound. The T6.1 boasts automatic post-collision braking system. It applies the brakes after a smash with the aim of preventing a second impact.

Other safety devices include ABS, electronic stabilisation programme, brake assist, and hill start assist.

A traction control system is installed, and can be switched off if necessary, and the Transporter comes with an electronic diff lock. If a wheel starts to spin on a slippery or loose surface then it will be braked, and power directed to a wheel with more grip.

Especially worthy of note is the provision of adaptive cruise control with front assist and city emergency braking system – standard on Highline models. The package ensures you automatically stay back from vehicles in front of you on dual-carriageways and motorways in line with a preset distance of up to 120m. In urban areas it warns of hazardous situations and triggers emergency braking at speeds of up to 18mph.

It has been upgraded so that it detects the presence of cyclists and pedestrians as well as vehicles.

Highline derivatives also boast front and rear parking sensors. Front fog lights with a cornering function further enhance safety, and a rain sensor for the heated windscreen’s wipers ensure they come on automatically in a downpour.

High beam assist – an option – dips the headlights automatically whenever necessary; when a car is coming towards you at night, for example.

Turning to the suspension, McPherson-type struts help support the front while an independent set-up with coil springs and load-sensitive shock absorbers does the job at the rear. Our test Volkswagen Transporter sat on 16in alloy wheels shod with 205/65 R16C Bridgestone Duravis R660 Eco tyres.

Power-assisted steering delivers a 13.2m turning circle between walls shrinking to 11.9m between kerbs.

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