Volkswagen Transporter Review & Prices

The Volkswagen Transporter used to be the van you bought if you didn’t want a Ford Transit Custom. Well, that’s not really the case anymore - because thanks to an agreement between the two companies, the new VW Transporter is now the same van as the Transit Custom but with a slightly different grille and a different badge.

Though Ford and Volkswagen say that the two vans were co-developed, it feels very much like a Geography project where Ford’s coloured in the entire map, made a model of a weir and given a presentation on longshore drift - and Volkswagen’s stuck its name in the corner right at the end.

Badge-engineering is nothing new in the world of mid-sized panel vans, of course - just look at the near-identical quadruplets the Peugeot Expert, Citroen Dispatch, Vauxhall Vivaro and Fiat Scudo that constitute the Transporter’s main alternatives. You might also look at the Renault Trafic, Mercedes Vito or Toyota Proace.

The Transit Custom is a great place to start when you’re building a new panel van. It’s the Carwow Van of the Year, and the Transporter being virtually identical to it means you get all of the Transit’s good points.

Chief among that is the way it drives. The previous Transporter wasn’t bad, but this new model feels more car-like than ever. The diesel engines are strong, both the automatic and manual gearboxes are excellent and the steering feels really natural. It’s nimble, comfortable, and in the right circumstances even a bit fun.

For now, there’s significantly less choice in the Transporter range than there is in the Transit Custom. In terms of body styles, you can have a panel van in two sizes, but there’s currently no crew cab, passenger shuttle or the equivalent of the Transit Custom’s Multicab.

There are three diesel engines to choose from, though, as well as a plug-in hybrid petrol arriving soon or the all-electric e-Transporter.

The cab is a nice place to sit - Volkswagen’s made a few tweaks to the dash layout, but fundamentally it’s much the same. Though the infotainment system and driver display run Ford software, it’s been re-skinned with VW fonts, and there’s a Volkswagen steering wheel too - though sadly that means it doesn’t get the clever flip-up aspect of the Transit Custom.

Payloads and loading in the Transporter are almost as good as in the Transit. Maximum payload tops out at around 100kg less, which puts it more middle-of-the-pack than a class leader - but you still get a big, square loading area with good access.

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The Transporter range starts at about £1,000 less than the entry-level Ford Transit Custom, at just under £31,000 ex. VAT. While that means it’s still a lot of money compared to a Citroen Dispatch or other Stellantis group medium vans, it’s cheaper than its main alternative and on par with a Mercedes Vito.

And though Commerce models do look basic with steel wheels and black plastic bumpers, they do get full LED headlights, air-conditioning, a pair of massive screens inside and rear parking sensors, all of which is pretty impressive. You can step up to Commerce Plus for body-coloured bumpers and door handles, front parking sensors, a rear-view camera, leather steering wheel and crucially an alarm.

Top-spec trim at the moment is Commerce Pro, which gets alloy wheels, heated seats, climate control, wireless phone charging and a heated windscreen. At present there’s no replacement for the old Transporter’s popular Sportline trim, and all three variants are clearly marketed towards businesses.

Strong diesel engines, good gearboxes and accurate steering - the VW Transporter is great to drive

Engines in the Volkswagen Transporter are the same as in the Ford Transit Custom and consist of a 2.0-litre diesel in three power outputs. A plug-in hybrid is on the way soon, and there’s also a fully electric Volkswagen e-Transporter.

The base engine is a 110hp version that comes with a six-speed manual gearbox only - this has quite a springy action but is otherwise reasonably nice to use. The middle-tier is a 150hp unit with either the six-speed manual or an excellent eight-speed automatic - which thanks to its column shifter actually improves space in the cab, too.

The top-end model gets 170hp and the eight-speed auto as standard. There’s also four-wheel drive available as an option, with automatic versions of the 150hp engine - though it’s a bit of a shame you can’t have the most powerful engine with four-wheel drive. And don’t be fooled by the VW-style ‘TDI’ badging, as the Transporter uses Ford engines.

The engines aren’t the quietest but feel peppy enough, though VW doesn’t offer the 136hp version that was our pick of the Transit Custom range. For those wanting to electrify their van fleet but without the capacity to go fully electric, there’ll soon be a plug-in hybrid Transporter which has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and around 30 miles of all-electric range.

Whichever engine you choose, the VW Transporter is great to drive. It feels more like a passenger car than it does a van - the driving position is excellent, the steering is accurate and light enough to make town driving a doddle and it’s also really comfortable and refined on the motorway.

Poorer payloads than the Transit Custom and less choice of bodywork, but still pretty good for loading

The Volkswagen Transporter has grown a bit since the previous model, and it’s now capable of carrying three Euro pallets or a full 8x4 ply board, making it a better bet for tradespeople. The large, square cargo area is available with wood or composite linings, and a variety of rail and racking systems. You can also choose a tailgate or barn doors.

At present, there are only two bodies available with the Transporter - a panel van in SWB or LWB forms. There’s no high roof, crew van or shuttle bus, nor is there a version of Ford’s clever Multicab with its L-shaped bulkhead.

Volkswagen Transporter internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions (SWB/LWB)

Exterior length: 5,050mm/5,450mm
Exterior width with mirrors: 2,275mm
Exterior width without mirrors: 2,032mm
Exterior height: 1,968mm

Interior load length (SWB/LWB)

Panel van
To bulkhead: 2,602mm/3,002mm
With passthrough: 3,050mm/3,450mm

Interior loading width

Panel van
Max: 1,777mm
Between wheel arches: 1,392mm

Interior loading height

Max height: 1,322mm

Rear door aperture height/width

All versions: 1,316mm/1,400mm

Side door aperture height/width

All versions: 1,301mm/1,030mm

Towing capacity

All diesel versions of the Volkswagen Transporter can tow at least 2,000kg, while the best model tops out at 2,800kg - a helpful figure that should cover most use cases.

Payload

The Transporter’s payload tops out around 100kg less than the equivalent Ford Transit Custom - the best model can carry 1,276kg. That’s more middle-of-the-pack than it is class-leading, as the best Stellantis Group vans can carry more than 1,400kg - but it’s an improvement on the posh Mercedes Vito.

High-tech dashboard, but not the easiest to use on the go

The VW Transporter’s cab is different to the Ford Transit Custom’s in a few minimal ways - the dash top has been changed, with re-sited cupholders and a covered glovebox. You also get VW fonts in the two screens - though they’re running atop Ford software - and a Volkswagen steering wheel.

However, for the most part it’s the same as the Transit Custom, and that’s a really good thing. The totally flat floor is a feature you won’t realise you appreciate until you have it - it makes the cab floor easier to clean, and it’s much easier to slide across the vehicle to exit from the passenger door if necessary.

Automatic models have a dash-mounted gear selector that improves legroom for the central passenger, but manual models do still get a protruding pod for the gear lever. It’s not too intrusive, though.

The driving position is excellent, though the seat doesn’t go quite far enough back for very tall drivers - it’s fine in the automatic but it does make the clutch quite awkward on manual models if you're well over six feet.

The top of the dash is dominated by a pair of huge screens, which look really high-tech and are a world away from the simple interior of the previous Transporter. There’s an 8.0-inch readout for driver information, and a huge 13.0-inch central display for infotainment. This middle screen also controls the air-conditioning, as well as things like driving modes. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard.

Volkswagen has put its own skin over the interface but that doesn’t change where everything is - in fact it makes it a little less intuitive than the equivalent Ford. It’s also not the easiest to use if you have big hands, and you can’t use it at all when wearing gloves.

The new steering wheel has advantages and disadvantages - it’s round, rather than the awkward square one you get on a Transit Custom, but that does mean you don’t get the super-cool flip-up table accessory you can specify in the Ford.

For storage, you get two gloveboxes - a shallow but long compartment up top and a good-sized lower one, plus multi-level door bins with plenty of stowage. It feels built to last, too, but not quite as plush as the old Transporter did.

The Transporter should provide very similar fuel economy and running costs to the equivalent Ford Transit. We achieved around 40mpg with a lightly loaded van and that’s similar to the official figure for all three power outputs - expect slightly less when laden, and corresponding decreases if you opt for the larger LWB model. You can also expect a slight dip if you choose a four-wheel drive model.

Automatic models have lower official mpg but if you’re doing lots of motorway miles you’ll probably find they’re slightly more efficient - they have a much longer top gear so the engine isn’t revving so hard at a cruise. The flip side of that is slightly lower economy around town.

All VW Transporters get a large 21-litre Adblue tank.

The plug-in hybrid, which will arrive later, is an interesting option. Official fuel economy is close to 200mpg - a pipe dream - but with around 30 miles of all-electric range you could do most of your work in-town on battery power alone and save the petrol engine for longer trips. It’s pricey, though.

Euro NCAP doesn’t crash test vans like it does cars, but it does evaluate their assisted driving tech. The Transporter scored five stars in these tests, with an 80% score for safe driving and post crash safety and an impressive 93% score for crash avoidance.

All models come with loads of safety kit including cruise control, lane-keeping aids and the usual speed limiter and autonomous emergency braking functions. A rear-view camera comes standard on the mid-spec trim, and bright LED headlights improve safety at night.

An alarm comes as standard from the mid-spec Commerce Plus model, which is a useful extra. You can also add keyless access or a speed limiter.

The new Transporter bears no resemblance mechanically to the previous model so it’s hard to predict its reliability based on that. Ford’s reliability record for the Transit Custom is hard to gauge, as while there are lots of issues reported it is worth remembering the number of them sold is vast.

All Transporters come with VW’s ‘5+’ promise - giving five services, three MOTs, five years of roadside assistance and a five-year, 124,000-mile warranty. That’s an impressive level of coverage and beats Ford’s three-year/60,000-mile cover, though Ford does have a wider dealer network and free telematics software to intelligently predict breakdowns.

Those service intervals are carried out every two years or 25,000 miles - whichever comes first.