Vauxhall Vivaro Doublecab Van Range
Vans arent usually too good at carrying passengers. Most offer just the two seats up front and those that stretch their capacity to three abreast tend to leave the middleman feeling like the meat in a particularly sweaty sandwich. No, unless your co-workers are built like Ronnie Corbett, most vans are best used as two-seaters, the exception being genuine double cab models. These add a second row of seats in the rear, leaving the space behind that free for cargo.
Vauxhalls Vivaro Doublecab is just such a vehicle, a panel van with the facility, its claimed, to seat six.
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All that said, the Vivaro definitely can seat five in comfort - the rear bench being more than adequate for three with passenger car quality three-point seatbelts as standard. Even with the extra seating, load space is impressive. The area out back measures in at 3.3m3 in the short wheelbase model and 4.
2m3 in long wheelbase form. If you need to get a handle on that, remember that the Vauxhall Combo van offers space equalling between 2.8m3 and 3.2m3 while the Astravan can only come up with 1.
6m3. So who would buy the Vauxhall Vivaro? If were looking for the obvious answer, its businesses who need to transport a team of five, six at a push, along with all their equipment. Whats less immediately apparent is that a Vivaro Doublecab could actually also serve as practical family transportation. A van for work during the week, the vehicle has the potential to accommodate the whole family Plus bikes, pushchairs, micro-scooters and whatever else the kids want to take with them on a weekend day out.
You wont even need a bout of chin-stroking to work out how youll fit all the paraphernalia in as you would with an estate or an MPV. Unless your kids really do want to take the kitchen sink, and a lot more besides, it should all stack neatly in the Vivaros cavernous rear. Even problems surrounding the sixth seat are negated if the Vivaro is put to family use. A 6ft labourer who packs away one too many Sausage n Egg McMuffins of a morning is going to be severely restricted in that middle seat but a small to medium child would be perfectly at home.
"What the Doublecab does is bring more versatility to the Vivaro package."
What the Doublecab does is bring more versatility to the Vivaro package. There must be thousands of tradesmen and businesses out there running panel vans that are never used to their full capacity. The idea of sacrificing some of that space for an extra row of seating is one that must appeal to some of them. With the standard SWB Vauxhall Vivaro panel van, theres 5.
3m3 on offer and a load length of 2,415mm. Compare that to the LWB Doublecab, you only lose 10cm in load length and 1.1m3 in cubic capacity. Payloads for both the SWB and LWB Doublecab Vivaros are in excess of one tonne.
Access to the rear seats in the Viraro Doublecab is through the twin sliding side doors while the load space can be got at through the rear doors. There are windows running the full length of the side doors, comfortable seats and generous amounts of legroom, so sitting in the back is an experience equivalent to riding in an MPV or minibus. The load area remains unglazed for security and theres the option of a full-length roof rack and ladder for anyone worried about the loss of capacity but other than that, the set-up remains much as youd find in a standard Vivaro panel van. Vauxhall have made two diesel engine options available to power the Vivaro Doublecab and both are advanced CDTi common-rail units.
Refinement and economy are as good as youll find in other class-leading medium panel vans like the Volkswagen Transporter and the Mercedes Vito but where the two Germans respectively offer 174bhp and 150bhp Range-topping powerplants, the Vivaro buyer must make do with 133bhp from the 2.5-litre CDTi engine. Still, this is still a decent output and the 310Nm of torque that courses through the wheels at 2,000rpm makes for a brisk pick-up and plenty of in-gear flexibility. The 1.
9-litre engine is less muscular but, offered in 81bhp or 99bhp form, its still a respectable performer. Torque figures of 190Nm at 2,000rpm and 240Nm at 2,000rpm across the two versions means they dont get unduly flustered by the rigours of everyday driving. The Vivaro doesnt quite have the interior quality of the Transporter or the Vito but the light grey plastics do a good job of hiding the dust and grime that can quickly build up in a commercial vehicle and they seem hardwearing. The dash is a more stylish design than those found in the German competitors too with the centre modules bulging form proving particularly easy on the eye.
The dash-mounted gear lever lets you punch briskly through the cogs with a metallic clunk accompanying each change and the driving position with its six-way adjustability is flexible enough to fit most frames. Highlights of the standard equipment list also include ABS brakes with EBD, a drivers airbag, some extremely large door pockets, remote central locking and a radio-cassette player. The Vauxhall Vivaro Doublecab costs between £15,209 and £17,949 excluding VAT, positioning it at around £1,650 more expensive than equivalent panel van models. The extra functionality it offers both as a multi-person commercial vehicle or as a part-van/part-MPV multi-purpose vehicle would seem to justify the extra outlay.
Business people or company car drivers wishing to use the Doublecab as family transport on weekends can also benefit from its commercial vehicle tax status making the figures stack-up even more favourably.
Facts At A Glance VAN: Vauxhall Vivaro Doublecab van Range
PRICES: £15,209 - £17,949 ENGINES: 1.9CDTi 81bhp / 1.9CDTi 99bhp / 2.5CDTi 133bhp CARGO VOLUME: 3.3m3 4.2m3
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [LWB] Length/Width/Heightmm 5182/1904/1960mm
