2010 VW Transporter 2.0 Litre TDi 140HP

The New VW Transporter will go on sale in early 2010, with Sportline versions currently planned to be on offer from next March. In addition to the internally and externally restyled Panel Van the range will include a five or six-seat Kombi Van and a Window Van with up to nine-seats, perfect for our marketplace for minibus hire in Leeds

A range of new common rail TDi diesel power plants are available offering 84hp, 102hp, 140hp or 180hp from the 2.0 litre, four cylinder engine with an optional seven speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) available on the two most powerful vans replacing the automatic box previously offered the overdrive top gear for  economical, high speed motorway cruising. Peak torque ranges from 220Nm to a generous 400Nm in the twin turbo member of the family.

Taking to the road in a 140hp high roof van on behalf of Arrow Van Hire Leeds, I was impressed initially with the firm but comfortable ride and both the handling and ample feedback through the redesigned steering and comfortable three spoke steering wheel. The gear change on the test models six speed box was slick and performance was pretty impressive. One thing to raise as a bonus was the noise level, both engine and ambient - VW claims a 5dB reduction in engine noise from the Transporters predecessor and I can confirm that, on longer journeys, it really does make a difference.


Build quality is typically VW standard with no real squeaks or rattles, with a well thought out interior. Comfortable seats and commanding driving position is supported by well positioned and easy to understand instrument cluster. With white back-lighting they are among the clearest I have seen. There is also a display suggesting the optimum gear for fuel saving - it would be interesting to test the fuel consumption following this advice versus ignoring it!

Radio and air conditioning controls are well positioned and the sat nav system fitted as an option was pretty straightforward too.

One design flaw did however leap to mind - with the radio, mobile and GPS antennae housed in the (albeit) aerodynamically designed wing mirrors, I suspect quite a few drivers new to driving light commercial vehicles will be losing their communication systems with the incidence of mirror bashing being quite high even amongst the best of us. Not the smartest idea from VW!

A range of safety options were fitted to the test vehicle including:

• Side Assist - A radar system constantly scans the vans back and sides to alert the driver, through LEDs on the appropriate wing mirror, to the presence of a vehicle in the blind spot when changing lanes
• Rear Assist - always useful, a reversing camera really does help
• Static Turning Light - Activated by indicator or steering wheel movement, the front fog lights illuminate the area into which the driver is turning at an angle of 35º at speeds below 25 mph when the driving lights are on
• Emergency Brake Lights - should the driver have to slam on the brakes, the brake lights flash rapidly to alert following traffic to the hazard, changing to flashing hazard lights automatically once the van comes to a halt

All of these are really useful although thankfully, I didnt have to test the latter for real!
 
All in all, I found the new VW Transporter a solid improvement over the already superb current model range. Fuel economy is improved as are noise levels with the tested 140hp power plant ideal for those inter urban jobs. If you need more torque then the 180hp is for you. For rural delivery or urban stop start then maybe try the 102hp.

Comfortable, well thought out and safe, it makes the job of driving a commercial vehicle that bit less stressful and tiring and all importantly safe. . With C02 and servicing cost reductions claimed by VW, cost of ownership will undoubtedly be reduced unless, of course, you are careless with your high tech wing mirrors!