Volkswagen TRANSPORTER 1.9TDI SWB RANGE
Its The Models At The Budget End Of Volkswagens Transporter Range That Sell In The Biggest Numbers. Steve Walker Takes A Look
In the same way that high-performance derivatives create a halo effect over a passenger car range, the existence of a 2.5-litre 174bhp TDI engine option for Volkswagens Transporter van has done much to raise its profile with commercial vehicle buyers. Just as with the quickest hot hatchbacks or super saloons, however, the most power-packed Transporter is not the one that sells most prolifically. Many van buyers will roll up to the showroom, their hearts set on driving away the UKs most powerful panel van but when cold, hard financial reality dawns, the majority will shrink back and settle for something a little more prosaic.
Something like a 1.9-litre TDI short wheelbase model perhaps.
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The Transporters 2.5-litre engines are superb. With their huge torque swell arriving low down in the rev-range, the amount of gearchanging required is dramatically cut and you can waft around serenely even with a big payload on board. The 1.
9-litre units are none too shabby either, however, and they command price tags of a considerably more manageable nature. A decision to plump for the entry-level 85bhp 1.9-litre engine instead of the ultimate 174bhp 2.5-litre will result saving of over £3,000 and even the 104bhp 1.
9-litre engine is over £2,300 less costly than the range topper. Unless you really are going to load your Transporter to the gunwales, utilising its payload capacity to the maximum on a regular basis, the abundant power of the 2.5-litre engine options isnt really necessary. Its good fun but not necessary.
Many drivers doing light cargo, short trip work, who dont harbour a secret desire to be the commercial vehicle Michael Schumacher will settle for a 1.9-litre unit and pocket the difference. Here, were looking at the
Volkswagen Transporter 1.9-litre TDI short wheelbase range.
These are the least expensive Transporters and that ones that will sell in the most significant numbers. The 1.9-litre TDI engine has an 8-valve 4-cylinder configuration and is available in 85 or 104PS guises. Volkswagens Pump Duse technology is used instead of the common-rail injection set-up favoured by most competitors.
Its a direct injection system using a separate injection pump for each cylinder, less advanced technologically than the latest common-rail diesels but offering some distinct advantages. Where other manufacturers abandoned direct injection to jump on the common-rail bandwagon, Volkswagen persevered and have been able to achieve an extremely compact and lightweight engine design with higher injection pressure than the best common-rail units can currently muster. This means, the fuel is burned cleaner and more efficiently producing the maximum power and fuel economy, the only area where common-rail engines tend to trump Volkswagens TDI is that of refinement.
"on actually analysing what your van will be used for, you may well conclude that a 1.9TDI short wheelbase will do the job."
The 85bhp 1.9-litre engine produces 148lb/ft maximum torque at only 2,000rpm. It takes a lengthy 23.6s to reach 60mph from standstill but the lurch up to 30mph fells much sprightlier.
Combined fuel consumption is measured at 36.7mpg and CO2 emissions at 208g/km. The 104bhp alternative offers identical fuel economy and emissions but markedly better performance. 0-60mph in 18.
4s is much more like it (only 6 seconds slower than the 174bhp model) while torque of 184lb/ft at 2,000rpm makes the Transporter even more spirited and flexible at low speeds. Both engines are fitted with the 5-speed gearbox found in the old T4 Transporter but the dash-mounted lever is nicely weighted and allows quick, fluent changes. The short wheelbase models might be the shortest in the current T5 Transporter line-up but theyre still plenty longer than the old T4, and taller, and wider for that matter. Overall, this short wheelbase Transporter is 18cm longer than the equivalent T4, plus its also 6cm wider and 3cm higher.
All of which would be completely useless if the vehicle was no bigger on the inside but, fortunately, the T5 boasts a 0.4m3 increase in cubic capacity and a noticeably more spacious cab area. Gross vehicle weights vary from 2,600kg in the T26 through 2,800kg and 3,000kg up to 3,200kg, although the largest T32 is only offered with the 104bhp 1.9-litre engine.
There are also two roof heights available with the short wheelbase: standard, which creates a 5.8m3 load volume, and the medium roof which increases capacity to 6.7m3. On every Transporter model, theres standard equipment including remote central locking, a height and reach adjustable steering wheel, a height, and lumbar adjustable drivers
seat, drivers airbag and ABS brakes.
Naturally, theres a host of other extras you can specify at additional cost, including a full bulkhead with or without a window, but that basic spec is very generous with all the key features for comfort, safety and security present and correct. The Transporters outward appearance isnt particularly inspiring but its neat and tidy in the best Volkswagen traditions and inside theres a real touch of class about the place. Drivers will be pleased to find a raft of storage options for odds or ends, including a lockable glovebox, and the whole ambience has that distinct air of Volkswagen quality. The gearstick sprouts from the centre console, as is the fashion at the moment, and it falls nicely to hand.
As do the controls on the gently sloping facia which are simple to pick out and manipulate without diverting attention from the road ahead. You could easily be in a people carrier from the top of the Volkswagen passenger car range, such is the refinement and measured simplicity of the cabin. Good though the Volkswagen Transporters interior is, the crowning glory in this vans make-up has to be its performance on the road. Even without a load onboard to appease the heavy-duty suspension, the ride is exemplary and the steering is perfectly weighted.
The squeaks, creaks, rattles or hums that seem to creep into commercial vehicles have been successfully banished and the engine noise is noticeably well suppressed. Theres a solidity about the T5 Transporter suggesting that, like its predecessor, this model will run and run. The 1.9-litre short wheelbase models might cost less but they share many key qualities with more expensive variants from higher up the range.
Appealing though the prospect of a 174bhp panel van will undoubtedly be to many people, on actually analysing what your van will be used for, you may well conclude that a 1.9TDI short wheelbase will do the job.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
VAN: Volkswagen Transporter 1.9TDI SWB range
PRICES: (panel vans) £11,990-£14,220 basic ENGINES: 1.9-litre TDI PD (85 or 104PS) LOAD VOLUME: 5.8m3 6.7m3
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