Vauxhall Combo crew Van Range
People carrying isnt the average vans forte. Some manage to squeeze in three seating positions across the cabs width but with smaller vans especially, two passengers is really the best you can hope for. If you need to carry more, there are plenty of cars to choose from but what if a car cant cut it? You need space for five passengers and a whole bundle of equipment. You need a vehicle thats tough and able handle years of sustained mistreatment at the hands of your workforce.
You need a crew van, a vehicle thats part van, part people carrier. Something like Vauxhalls Combo Crew van perhaps?
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Most van manufacturers offer crew van versions of some or all of their commercial vehicles but theyre not usually promoted with the same vigour thats reserved for the standard load-carrying models. Theres no doubting, though, that a crew van can do more than a standard van or a standard car. Vauxhalls Combo-based model, for example, can seat five and still offer a substantial load area over their shoulders. Alternatively, the 60/40 split rear bench can be folded down level with the floor to give a load volume thats almost equivalent to that of the standard Combo van.
"the Combo Crew van is a vehicle with considerably more potential than the standard Combo van"
Externally, theres no indication that what youre looking at is a Combo Crew van as opposed to a Combo van. Where vans that have been converted into MPVs for sale to the general public have their rear panelling replaced with windows, the Combo Crew Van doesnt. It brings a whole new meaning to the term, keeping your workmates in the dark. Access to the rear seating is via a pair of sliding side doors on the vehicles flanks.
Close these up and take a peek over your shoulder from the drivers seat and it looks awfully dingy back there. The only daylight shines backwards from the windscreen and front windows or forwards from the glazed side-hinged rear doors. When the extra seating behind driver and passenger is not required, the Combo Crew van can be returned to van mode. The seat bottoms flip forward and the backs fold down to create a flat load area.
The space achieved after this comparatively simple procedure is only marginally smaller than whats available in a Combo van. Although, it must be said, the cloth inserts on the Crew vans doors and the gaps between the folded seat sections do make the load bay a little less practical. The Crew van comes as standard with a roller-blind-style cover that extends from the rear seat backs to the rear doors to shield the cargo from prying eyes. There are two 3-point seatbelts for the rear seats with a lap belt for the centre occupant and net pockets are mounted at roof level for extra storage.
An optional extra that many will specify is a mesh load restrain that separates the front of the cab from the seating/load carrying behaviour behind. It should prove handy for keeping unruly cargo in check but your rear passengers are already in the dark with no windows to look out of. Putting them behind what amounts to a cage in addition may prove a bridge too far for some. Away from areas relating to the rear seating, the Combo Crew van offers the same qualities as the standard van version.
Its available with two diesel engines, 1.3-litre and 1.7-litre CDTi ECOTEC-4 units which are ideal for commercial vehicle usage. Those with economy as their ultimate priority will choose the 1.
3-litre powerplant which is capable of returning 55.4mpg but the more expensive 1.7-litre CDTi is only fractionally less fuel efficient thanks to its 54mpg average. Performance wise, neither unit should disappoint, the smaller of the two produces 69bhp and 170Nm of torque while the 98bhp 1.
7-litre unit churns out an impressive 240Nm. The extra power of the 1.7 is well worth paying for if you plan on carrying larger payloads or you just like your small vans with that bit more urge. The Combo is a smooth and quiet cruiser thats comfortable to drive around town.
This comfort does come at the expense some driver involvement (with the steering offering little feedback and feeling less accurate than in some rivals) but in a commercial vehicle, the comfort factor is usually the telling one. The driving position is lower and less upright than youll find in some small vans. This makes for better comfort on longer journeys but can make multi-drop work more of a chore because of the repeated entries and exits. Inside, the design mirrors that of the exterior.
The Combo is neat, tidy and functional but does little to excite visually. The optional integrated satellite navigation and digital radio system is well executed and the interior seems to be of generally good quality. The Vauxhall Combo Crew van is an option that few will have considered but when you look at its capabilities, theres a lot to be said for it. There must be so many small vans travelling the UK road network which never utilise their payload capacity to anything approaching its potential.
Crew vans take this oft redundant space and adapt it for the practical purpose of carrying extra passengers. With the option of folding the rear seats down when theyre not in use for additional cargo capacity, the Combo Crew van is a vehicle with considerably more potential than the standard Combo van.
Facts At A Glance VAN: Vauxhall Combo Crew van Range ENGINES: 1.3CDTi, 1.7CDTi. SAFETY FEATURES: Twin Front Airbags, ABS, seatbelt pretensioners LOAD LENGTH: 1,980mm (seats folded) / 980mm (seats up)
