Volkswagen Transporter Panel Van (2024 - ) review

The Transporter’s load space lives up to its name by offering strong payloads and good load volume. The Commerce Plus model we drove was capable of carrying up to 1080kg for a load volume of nearly six cubic metres, but payloads can vary in range from 767kg to nearly 1300kg. The roof height is fixed to just the one height option until 2026, but it’s low enough to get into most car parks with restricted openings. That means the only changes to the cargo hold dimensions is with vehicle lengths. The short wheelbase models offer 1.3m of height, 1.3m between the arches, 1.7m max load width and 2.6m max load length for a max load volume of 5.8 cubic metres. In the long wheelbase versions the only stats that change are the length to just over 3m and volume to 6.9 cubic metres. Access to the cargo area is provided by two rear doors and one nearside side door with a black scuff plate in its step. The metal bulkhead behind the cabin also features a load-through hatch to allow longer items to be poked into the cabin under the passenger bench. There are plenty of lashing points throughout the cargo area and LED lighting (now no longer hidden behind a paid options wall from the middle trim level up) hugely improves visibility in low-light conditions.

Let’s start with really the only negative, the cabin feels a bit cramped in ways the Ford Transit Custom’s does not. It took a while to find a comfortable seating position, moving the seat back and forward until we found a compromise, which is not a problem we encountered with its sibling. That said, it’s still a nice place to spend time and drive. The model we drove featured a two-seater bench and six-way adjustable driver's seat - both very comfortable - with the bench featuring a load-through and folding table. The seat fabrics are the usual tough and durable materials covered in nice trim and a not-too-garish striped pattern. The floor is also flat allowing some space for feet to move around and convenient storage of additional items. We’re big fans of the leatherette-wrapped multi-function steering wheel covered with controls, and enjoyed that it matched the similarly-wrapped gear stick. The dashboard features a useful narrow centre console with cup holders and a sizable compartment below the gear stick for a mobile phone. Speaking of storage, you get a standard glovebox and a pop-top box on top of the dashboard, ample door storage but no overhead storage compartment. Behind the steering wheel is a clear 12-inch digital drivers display and to the left of that is a great 13-inch touchscreen infotainment display (angled usefully towards the driver) with wireless app connect and DAB radio, which is incredibly intuitive to use. The integrated infotainment system’s software is essentially a reskinned version of Ford’s, which is probably why it’s so easy to use. The sound system is a notable highlight providing good treble and base response from the four speakers (two in the dashboard, two in the doors) and we used it to blast some tunes on the 30-mile test loop. USB ports are also plentiful with two in the dashboard and a USB-C and USB-A pairing in the centre console. Volkswagen redesigned the top half of the dashboard to make it feel more streamlined. Overall, it’s a perfectly functional cabin, different enough from the Transit Custom to feel, well, different enough.

Acquisition costs start at the RRP of just £30,995 ex VAT for the entry-level diesel Transporters in comparison to a few thousand more for the entry-level diesel Transit Custom. The convincing acquisition costs can be further broken down on finance or a good lease deal. Considering how well-equipped the entry-level models are, the lower RRP of the Transporter might give it an edge over the Transit Custom, but only if good stock levels of the right specification become available in significant numbers. Fuel efficiency is officially quoted at 40mpg, although we hit around 38mpg with the 110hp unit.

The new Transporter is a Volkswagen commercial vehicle built in partnership with Ford, so reliability shouldn’t be too much of an issue aside from well-known and often-reported issues with the wet belt. That’s why Volkswagen is confident enough to offer its ‘5+ Promise’ package on the vehicle, which includes five services and three MOTs over the course of a five-year/124,000-mile warranty. That’s one of the best warranties available in the light commercial vehicle sector and could be a solid reason to consider the Transporter over the Transit Custom. It gets five out of five for the 5+ Promise.

The Transporter performs exactly as you’d expect a van that platform shares with the excellent Ford Transit Custom to perform. It’s easy to load, pleasant to drive (pedal slips aside), and looks really nice (more so at the higher trim levels with the body-coloured panels). There’s little to separate the Transporter from the Ford van, and performance is one of the areas they align on pretty strongly.

A range of three 2.0-litre TDI Diesel units are on offer, marketed as 110hp, 150hp and 170hp units. The engine fitted to our loan van was the 110hp unit mated to a manual gearbox and it was perfectly fine, capable of carrying around 200kg of weight made up of book shelves, garden pots and tools. As always, it was a more springy ride when empty and stiffened up nicely with some weight over the rear suspension. It’s easy to manoeuvre, like the Transit Custom, with a low turning circle capable of pulling the vehicle around tight corners with little issue or kerb bumps. The only issue we experienced was the clutch pedal, which is very resistant and a bit clunky (something we hadn’t experienced in the Transit Custom). A couple of times our feet also slipped off the rubber pedal surfaces, but that may be down to shoe choice so it’s hard to penalise it too harshly for this.

Safety equipment levels are generous with systems including an anti-theft alarm system, interior monitoring, backup horn, towing protection, cruise control system with predictive speed limiter, double-sound horn, eCall emergency call system, electronic engine immobiliser, ESC, collision warning, keyless start, lane assist, parking sensors at the front and rear, lane assist, road sign display and a rear camera all available. A lot of these are ‘to be expected’, with a few additions added offering real peace of mind. You’ll have to check the specifications on whichever model you choose, as some are only available on the higher trim levels.

The Volkswagen Transporter’s equipment list is split across three trim levels: Commerce, Commerce Plus and Commerce Pro. Starting with Commerce at the entry level you get 16-inch steel wheels with Goodyear summer tyres, a black radiator grille and front and rear bumpers, powered and heated door mirrors, manual air con, a two-seater passenger bench seat with load-through hatch, two arm rests on driver’s seat, and a six-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support. Moving up to Commerce Plus adds body-coloured exterior surfaces, a leatherette steering wheel and gear lever, keyless start and a rear-view camera. Finally, Commerce Pro adds alloy wheels, a laminated and heated front windscreen, heated front seats, automatic air con, LED lighting in the cargo area (although this can be added to lower trims), and wireless phone charging. You also get access to the useful VW Connect and VW Connect Plus 5G modem, which allows for emergency contact and over-the-air updates. It’s a stacked list, for sure.

The medium van sector is dominated by the Ford Transit Custom, but that Volkswagen’s new Transporter performs just as well does put an interesting cat amongst the pigeons. It’s slightly cheaper at entry level and only really suffers from a slightly smaller cabin environment. If you’re a Volkswagen lover, you’ll choose this, if not you’ll compare and contrast the two siblings until you’re blue in the face and eventually choose the one you can find the right specification on for the best price. Simple as that.