Vauxhall Corsa Van
The car-derived van sector is an interesting one. Unlike with larger purpose-built commercial vehicles, we usually have a reasonably accurate picture of how each new entrant into this market is going to turn out. After all, its arrival will usually have been clearly heralded many months beforehand by the emergence of the passenger car on which it is based. Its a state of affairs that begs the key question: do the same qualities that make a good passenger car also make a good car-derived van? If the answer is yes, then it all bodes rather well for Vauxhalls latest Corsavan.
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The Corsavan utilises the body shape of the three-door Corsa supermini with the roof and window lines parting company at the B-pillars and falling away separately towards the tailgate. The Corsavans rear windows are panelled over, of course, but the curve of the passenger cars glasshouse remains clearly visible and the arched roofline adds to the coupe-like tension in the styling. The five-door Corsas higher roof would have boosted the space available inside the Corsavan but theres still 0.92m3 of volume back there and operators who find this models capacity on the lower limits of what they can get away with would be better advised to go for a larger model anyway Vauxhalls own Astravan or Combo perhaps.
This load volume is actually 0.2m3 smaller than what was available in the rear of the pervious generation Corsavan but the 550kg maximum payload is an impressive 85kg improvement and looks competitive next to rival models.
"Another Vauxhall van comes in well above par"
Vauxhall have done a thorough job on the load area itself, commendably resisting the financial pressures that might have led them down the crude chop out the rear seats, chuck in a load mat route thats sometimes followed in car-derived commercials. The Corsavan does suffer from significant intrusion into the load area at the sides but the space is lined with tough grooved plastic up to the window line so theres nothing to catch your cargo on as its slid inside. The protection offered by this plastic lining against knocks and scrapes to the van or what its carrying is first class and theres a full-height mesh bulkhead that combines decent rear visibility with further protection - this time for the backs of the driver and passengers heads. The Corsa supermini set new standards for interior build quality and the front of the Corsavan shares this class-leading cabin design that feels all the more superior in a commercial vehicle.
Operators harbouring concerns about the kind of soft touch materials and fancy design features that manufacturers include to titillate supermini buyers coming off second best following a few years of hard commercial usage can relax. The Corsa is a sturdily-built customer with chunky controls and durable materials that should cope with all the dust, dirt, rough treatment and spilt tea that your drivers can dish out. All Corsavan models feature a CD stereo, central locking, electric mirrors and tinted tailgate glass, while space for driver and passenger is generous and theres a reasonable amount of storage space for a supermini-derived model. The nations van drivers can harass their fleet managers as much as they like but no amount of bribery or blackmail is going to land them a Corsavan with the 190bhp 1.
6-litre turbocharged engine from the Corsa VXR hothatch. Vauxhall, quite sensibly, wont be offering it. Parsimony not pace, is the name of the game where small vans are concerned, hence the 1.2-litre petrol (79bhp) and 1.
3-litre CDTi diesel (74bhp) units that Corsavan customers can select from. Theres a £400 premium for the diesel model and this will be worth paying if your Corsavan will be covering high mileages. Operators can expect around 48mpg from the petrol but over 60mpg is well within the realms of possibility if you select the oil-burner. The diesel feels quicker too with 170Nm of torque available from 1,750rpm compared to 110Nm at 4,000rpm in the petrol.
The CDTi powerplant is noisier, however, with the petrol unit only sounding harsh when you enter the upper limits of the rev-Range something youll be forced to do quite regularly given the modest pulling power. The Corsa rides and steers very adroitly. The suspension does a superb job of soaking up bumps on the flat and dispatches speed humps with suitable distain. Its not the sharpest handling supermini platform youll encounter but its close enough for that exemplary ride comfort to give it an overall edge.
Visibility is also very good, aided by the small windows cut in below the A pillars which help minimise the blind spot on roundabouts. You sit a long way back from the base of the sharply raked windscreen and without practice, it can be a little difficult to pinpoint where the front of the car actually is but a tight turning circle and light steering help to simplify tricky parking tasks. If were talking about compact dimensions, affordable running costs, manoeuvrability and pugnacious good looks, then the characteristics that constitute a successful supermini transfer very nicely into the car-derived van arena. The Corsavan displays the lot with the twin added benefits of impressive comfort and a high quality construction.
Just as rival superminis have struggled to match it in the passenger car arena, rival car-derived vans have themselves a tough act to follow. Another Vauxhall van comes in well above par.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
VAN: Vauxhall Corsavan ENGINES: 1.2-litre 79bhp petrol / 1.3-litre CDTi 74bhp diesel MAXIMUM PAYLOAD: 550kg LOAD VOLUME: 0.92m3 LOAD LENGTH: 1,257mm
