Last year’s IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany, saw Volkswagen unveil the seventh iteration of the Transporter.
Sharing a platform with Ford’s Transit Custom – its key rival so far as UK van customers are concerned – it’s up for grabs with a 2.0-litre diesel at 110hp, 150hp or 170hp, and in electric guise with either a 136hp or a 218hp motor. Both electric motors are fed by a 65kWh lithium-ion battery and a 232hp plug-in hybrid is in the pipeline.
Cargo volumes range from 5.8m3 (short-wheelbase, standard roof) to 9m3 (long-wheelbase, high roof) and you can order your Transporter in Commerce, Commerce Plus or Commerce Pro trim. The high roof is set to appear later this year and a variety of other derivatives are being rolled out, including a crew-van Kombi, a passenger-carrying Shuttle and double-cab chassis models.
Diesel aficionados will find that the two least-powerful engines come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard while the most-powerful is matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The latter can also be paired with the 150hp engine and the 150hp auto is further available in 4Motion 4×4 guise.
The latest Transporter offers more cargo space than previous models and van gross payloads are over a tonne in all cases, says VW.
Fearful of hefty government fines if they fail to hit ever more demanding zero-emission targets, light commercial manufacturers are practically tumbling over themselves to promote the virtues of electric vans. But we’re unabashed mavericks, so we decided to sample a short-wheelbase 5.8m3 150hp diesel automatic built to Commerce Pro specifications for the purposes of this exercise instead.
All Transporters boast a 12in digital driver’s display, a 13in touchscreen with a DAB radio and Wireless App Connect, and keyless starting.
VW has always strongly stressed the importance of onboard safety systems,
and electronic stability control, lane assist, front collision warning with braking, and dynamic road sign display feature on all models. So do rear parking sensors and cruise control with a predictive speed limiter.
Step up from Commerce to Commerce Plus and you get a reversing camera,
front parking sensors and (glory of glories) a full-size spare wheel, among other embellishments. Bear in mind that we’re talking about diesel models here – the specifications for their electric stable-mates are a little different.
Exterior prettification includes body-coloured bumpers, door handles and mirror housings.
Splash out on a Commerce Pro model and you’ll enjoy all the aforementioned features and more.
The package includes 16in alloy wheels, heated seats and automatic air-conditioning, not to mention wireless phone charging and three additional USB-C ports.
Safety features get a fillip too, what with blind spot assist, traffic jam assist if you are driving an automatic and cross traffic assist.
Loading and interior
Access to the cargo area of the Transporter we sampled (illuminated by three bright LED lights on Commerce Pro models) is by means of twin rear doors (you can opt for a single hatch-style door instead) plus a sliding nearside door.
Take a look inside and you will spot six load tie-down points plus a full-height steel bulkhead which should stop unsecured cargo from hurtling forwards into the three-seater cab. A flip-up hatch in the bulkhead enables extra-long items to be slid forwards under the passenger seats, extending the load bed by 448mm.
The three-seater cab is comfortable enough, and while legroom for the middle passenger is restricted, it’s better than what is available in many vans of similar size we’ve encountered. Drivers should find that storage space for all the items they have to carry around with them is sufficient, but there are no shelves above the windscreen.
Performance and drive
So what’s this Transporter like to drive? It handles well, showing no tendency to break away when you push it through bends unless you do something really silly, and the suspension copes well with most road surfaces.
The touchscreen lets you choose from five different drive modes; Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Tow.
We stayed with Normal for the majority of the time. It delivers brisk acceleration all the way up through the rev range under most circumstances, with a transmission and an engine that are clearly well-matched to one another.
Of the other two settings we tried, Eco restricts your on-highway performance in a bid to reduce fuel usage, but not unduly so. Choose Sport and you’ll fly along – just remember that speed cameras lie in wait for the unwary.
The steering column stalk that controls the automatic gearbox allows you to switch to manual by pressing a button, then you twist the stalk to go up and down the gears. We tried this approach briefly, didn’t see the point, and went back to letting the transmission handle the gear-changing for us without further intervention.
Put your foot down and you have to put up with a harsh, jarring exhaust note. Other sources of noise are kept well under control, although the body squeaked and groaned a little; not what you would expect from a van bearing a VW badge.
In a bid to give the newcomer an edge over its rivals VW is supplying the Transporter with a praiseworthy 5+ Promise aftersales package; one that competitors would do well to emulate. It includes five services, three MoT tests and a five-year/124,000-mile warranty with roadside assistance for the duration.
Never forget that second-hand Transporters are always in demand, so you won’t suffer when you come to dispose of yours second-hand. Even high-mileage examples seem to do well if they are accompanied by a full service history – something that 5+ Promise is well-placed to deliver.
| Model | Volkswagen Transporter T32 Commerce Pro SWB 2.0 TDI 150 8sp automatic |
| Price (ex VAT) | £38,595 |
| Price range (ex VAT) | £30,995-£48,705 |
| Warranty | 5yrs/125,000 miles |
| Service intervals | 2yrs/25,000 miles |
| Load length | 2,602mm |
| Load width (min/max) | 1,392mm/1,777mm |
| Load bay height | 1,441mm |
| Gross payload | 1,276kg |
| Load volume | 5.8m3 |
| Engine size/power | 1,996cc/150hp at 3,500rpm |
| Combined fuel economy | 39.2mpg |
| CO2 | 190g/km |
| On sale | March 2025 |
| Key rival | Ford Transit Custom |
| Verdict | A sensible vehicle that is unlikely to disappoint, and the 5+ Promise aftersales package wins top marks. |
| Score | 8/10 |
