Video courtesy of Youtube and credit to the author: Vanarama
Following the launch of the T6.1 VW Transporter, we decided to review the previous model… the VW Transporter T6 T28 Panel van Startline LWB EU6 102 PS 2.0 TDI BMT 5sp Manual. The basic end of the Transporter range is still considered by thousands of users to be one of the most user-friendly vans to drive, and it didn’t disappoint! We want our channel to be the most comprehensive place on YouTube for van reviews, so it’s here for completionists.
When you think about VW vans, I’d be surprised if one of the first things that popped into your head WASN’T the camper vans. But those that know, they know that all of those couldn’t exist without an excellent platform to build them on… so say hello to the VW Transporter T6 medium panel van.
Volkswagen calls this version of the Transporter “the latest edition of an icon”. & that’s one of the best ways to describe this excellent medium van, because it is an icon – as iconic as the VW brand itself. With icon status comes an instantly recognisable front end. The Transporter has killer looks – very professional with an edge of SUV styling you’d expect would be more at home on a pickup truck.
The grille is wide & sweeping with a big VW badge sat dead centre on top of this silver line that draws your eyes out to the sides & onto the new-look headlights. Framing the front end at the bottom is this big black plastic panel that runs under the registration plate to the other side. On the top, the bonnet panel has these sharp lines either side that pull your eyes up to the windscreen. Under the hood is a powerful 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine – I’ll talk about that more a bit later when we get it on the road. Follow me round the side – check out the 16-inch steel wheels – very tough, & notice how the panelling has been designed with all these lines that follow the shape of the body all the way around to the back end.
There are a range of doors available for the back end, ranging from standard twin panel doors, panel doors with glass inlays & the iconic hatch.
• 1.4m high
• 1.9m long
The shorter models are 50mm longer than a SWB Ford Transit Custom, while the longest versions are 50mm shorter than a LWB Transit Custom – so it works out in the wash between those two vans. Across the range, payloads vary from well under a tonne at 745kg to well over a tonne at 1221kg. So, there’s the practical end of the vehicle.
The VW Transporter is an icon. Comfortable, clean, practical, easy to drive/use/pack. In the medium van sector, it carries a certain mystique because of its premium feel even at the lower trim levels. Think about it, you’ve got the Ford Transit Custom hoovering up sales left right & centre, you’ve got PSA Group accounting for a third of the core market & then you’ve got the Transporter – a medium van built on a platform that’s as at home on the site packed with tools & materials as it is on the beach with a rock n roll bed.
It’s a van that I’ve made no secret of calling my personal favourite & hopefully you now understand why I feel that way! What do you think?
2020-04-14