The Volkswagen Transporter Sportline is the ultimate dad-wagon… I don’t even have kids and I want one

I don’t have kids. My hobbies don’t involve bikes, surfing, climbing, quadbiking, or gardening. Yet after driving the Volkswagen Transporter Sportline Kombi, a five-seat crew van that can easily claim to be one of the best family cars on sale today, all I want is to pop out some children and pitch up at the coast with surfboards on the roof and a coolbox full of sandwiches in the cavernous boot.

Forget your BMWs or Land Rovers – cool parents at the school gates drive vans. Specifically, they drive Kombi or crew cab panel vans, vehicles with five seats up front and enough space to stage a rave in the rear. And the coolest of the lot drive VWs.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used van right here on Carwow. And you can sell your van, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your journey.

The new Transporter may be a Ford Transit Custom under the skin, but the Sportline model continues a lineage that started back in 2006 with the T5 Transporter. Since then it’s been hugely popular, especially in the UK, with people who want the boxy practicality and usability of a van without the delivery-driver image. Want a vivid demonstration – just look at the prices they command on the used market.

To that end, you get a serious styling update that makes the Ford-based Transporter feel much more VW. The red stripe over the grille is pinched straight from the GTI car range, and the chunky body kit is much more classy and subtle than Ford’s efforts with the similarly-positioned MS-RT Transit Custom.

Inside, you get quilted upholstery and a high-spec cab. The panel van model gets a double front passenger seat for three people overall, while Kombi (crew cab) versions have individual front seats with separate armrests, storage in the centre console, and three individual chairs in the back.

Those rear seats make it superbly flexible – most crew vans have a single-piece rear bench that, although it can technically be removed, weighs a ton and needs storing somewhere. Having three separate seats is a big upgrade. This way, you can temporarily remove just one seat if you need to carry something long, without giving yourself a hernia in the process. Remove all three seats and you’re back to a full-sized van – albeit one with a carpeted floor.

You can even choose from diesel, plug-in hybrid or fully electric power, all with an automatic transmission – so it’s an absolute doddle to drive. VW’s also installed sportier suspension and lowered it, making it look even more purposeful.

There’s no denying it – I’m smitten. It’s big, looks cool, and drives just like a Ford Transit Custom – that is to say, extremely nicely.

The catch – if there has to be one – is the price. Inclusive of VAT, which you’ll need to pay if you’re getting the Sportline Kombi as a ‘car’ and not buying it for business purposes, it costs from £65,000. Even ex-VAT it’s well over £50,000, a whopping £20,000 over the base Transporter. That’s tough to justify for what amounts to a visual makeover and a high-spec cab.

But it’s only what you’d pay for a posh SUV these days – and the Transporter Sportline is vastly more useful, admittedly within the scope of having just five seats. If you’ve outgrown a typical family car, then this makes a shocking amount of sense. Plus, it’s unbelievably cool.

Change your van with Carwow

Time to trade in your van? With Carwow you can sell your old van quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a van brand new, are after something used or you want to explore van leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for van changing.

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