Volkswagen T6.1 Transporter Review

The Transporter is likely to appeal to those who are after a van that is more than a pure tool. The comfortable cabin, high level of equipment, excellent technology and refined drive mean that it will appeal to small businesses that want a smart working vehicle with some creature comforts.

It doesn’t offer the biggest out-and-out payload or load-carrying capacity in its class though – the likes of the Transit Custom and Renault Trafic offer more if you simply want to cram as much in the loading bay as possible – but it has enough in the way of versions that it will still beat many when it comes to the practicality element.

It’s not quite a car, but it is the medium van that goes the furthest towards providing a car-like experience. That technology will take the stress out of driving a van for those that are not used to driving a commercial vehicle, too.

The Transporter’s strength is in its comfort and cabin, which only really shines on the higher trim level. The Highline trim comes with adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, climatic air conditioning and automatic headlights.

The best engines are the two middle ones – the 110PS and 150PS – with your choice coming down to what kind of driving you are going to do. Those who are going to spend more time around town, or carrying lighter loads, will be more than happy with the lower powered version. However, the extra power and performance of the 150PS will help with bigger payloads and the sixth gear will make sitting on the motorway much more relaxing.

The big competitor in the medium-van sector is the Ford Transit Custom, which is one of the few other vans to offer a similarly wide range of body shapes and sizes. It is also one of the few that provides an interior that close to the Volkswagen’s, although it doesn’t match the quality of cabin on the top models and the level of tech. The other classy van is of course the Mercedes Vito.

For all-out payload, the Fiat Talento and Renault Trafic are worth looking at, too. If electric is what you’re after, then Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall and Toyota will all have a battery powered version in the Transporter’s class before long.

Both in terms of design and appearance the Transporter’s cabin has a smart and quality feel to it. The materials, while not quite as luxurious as the passenger car range, are soft to the touch in quite a few key areas. The main dashboard, door panels and touch points like the steering wheel and gear lever all come with a reassuring amount of give. The steering wheel is finished in leather, even on the entry-level Startline model.

Both versions get cloth upholstery, but there is a difference between the two trims, with a little more detail on the seats on the Highline model. There are extra touches that you can add to up the quality, like heated seats, but they are optional on all models.

Despite the quality materials, the finish is reassuring solid, with the Transporter still feeling like it will take the rigours of working life. The floors are covered with rubber mats, for example, so will be easily washed out if needs be. 

The infotainment system was one element that was comprehensively updated for the 2019 facelift. There are actually two systems, the Composition Colour and the Discover Media. The former comes with a 6.5-inch colour touch screen and gives DAB digital radio, Bluetooth and app connect that allows you to display several of your phone’s apps on the screen, including any satellite navigation ones you may have.

However, if you want in-built navigation then the optional Discover Media provides it via the eight-inch screen, with free over-the-air updates. It also comes with the proximity sensor that is a feature on cars like the Golf, which brings the ‘buttons’ on the screen into view when your hand gets close to it.

Both come with USB ports, and they are as modern as the rest of the system, which will be good for some and less so for others – they are USB C inputs, which many phones don’t use as yet.

The system is slick and easy to work out, with a handy section of physical buttons to get to the main elements of the menu so you can move around the different elements while on the move.

You get three seats across the front of the Transporter as standard, with the two passengers sat together on a bench seat. The outer passenger gets the better deal of the two, as the middle seat gets slightly reduced legroom and a higher, harder seat to sit on. This is nothing hugely different to most vans of this size, though. Kombi models only get two seats across the front, with a big space between the two allowing enough room to squeeze through to the back row if needs be.

The biggest downside in terms of front space is down in the footwell, where there is a lack of room to the left of the clutch, meaning that your left foot will either have to hover over the pedal or be tucked further back with bended knee.

The space in the rest of the cabin is good for passengers, though, with three full-sized seats across the back in the second row of the Kombi model. The two outer seats come with Isofix, and the high seating position of the Transporter makes it really easy to get children in and out. However, you only get one sliding door as standard, so if you are planning on using both Isofix points then a second sliding door is a worthwhile option box to tick, as it’s really tricky to lean over the cabin to get a younger child in on the side away from the door.

The loading space is good rather than class leading, with several rivals able to beat the Transporter for both room and payload. In its favour, it has one of the wider ranges of bodystyles, with two lengths and two heights, but the Transit Custom has it beaten on overall carrying ability by around 100kg.

The load-through hatch helps with longer loads – it can take up to 3300mm – and it will take up to three Euro pallets in the panel van and two in the Kombi.

The mainstays of the Transporter engine range are all 2.0-litre diesels, with a choice of four power outputs. These range from 90PS for the entry-level model through 110PS, 150PS and up to 199PS for the top-of-the-range Biturbo model.

The pick of the bunch for the majority of users is the 110PS model. It offers 250Nm of torque, which means it can accelerate through the gears with a good amount of strength for overtaking and nipping past slower traffic. The downside is that it only has five of those gears, so it is less suited for longer motorway drives, so if you plan on doing lots of those then the 150PS model with its slight extra oomph and six-speed manual gearbox as standard will be a better bet.

Most drivers won’t see a need for the range-topping model and its 199PS output. This version only comes with a seven-speed DSG gearbox, which is a smooth system when it comes to changing between gears, even if it feels marginally slower to do so than the equivalent setup in Volkswagen’s passenger cars.

Volkswagen has briefly offered a pair of petrol Transporters, which were quiet and wonderfully smooth but only offered for a short period of time due to a lack of demand.

The Transporter has always been a relaxed van to drive, and this is no different with the latest versions. There is a notable lack of noise from the engines, the road or from the wind thanks to relatively small door mirrors among other elements.

The large amounts of low-down torque are one of the reasons for the relaxed and refined nature of the Transporter – you simply don’t need to floor the accelerator and build up the revs and therefore the noise. If you do push on then there is some gruffness from the engines, with there being marginally more on the 150PS than on the 110PS version oddly.

The short-lived petrol engines were supremely quiet and relaxed, though, and the electric model takes that even further. 

From 2019 onwards, there are a whole range of new safety systems available on the Transporter. Even the standard offering is excellent, with the basic model coming with the crosswind assist, post-collision braking system, cruise control with a speed limiter and an eCall emergency alert system. Unusually for a van it also has two front airbags, with the passenger getting one as standard.

The only notable addition to the standard kit on the Highline trim is adaptive cruise control with city emergency braking, but there are several extra, desirable, systems on the options list.

The trailer assist will help you reverse while you are towing and is a real bonus for occasional towers or those lacking in confidence, while the rear traffic alert that sounds a warning if there are cars approaching when you are reversing out of a parking space. Both are well worth considering.

The EV version of the Transporter is not the bespoke electric vehicle that some rivals will be – it was created by a partner company using the existing vehicle. It’s perhaps not the biggest surprise that the range isn’t that long at just 82 miles. This range is calculated on the newer, more stringent, WLTP testing so it is likely that this is achievable. Expect it to struggle to provide that if it has a full payload though.

Insurance groups for the Transporter are all relatively similar, and range from 6 to 10. The cheaper the model you go for, with fewer bells and whistles, the cheaper it will be to insure, so a basic Startline is your best bet to keep costs down. That said, the higher models shouldn’t cost huge amounts more so insurance isn’t a reason to discount them.

The Transporter panel van qualifies for the commercial vehicle VED rate, which means you pay the same low rate whichever version you go for and there is no showroom tax to pay. This also means that benefit in kind is calculated on a flat rate, with CO2 emissions not a factor. 

While the basic model gets a great level of equipment, to really get the best out of the Transporter’s plush cabin and stylish looks the Highline model is the one to go for. The colour coded bumpers alone make the most of the front-end looks, while the excellent and large infotainment system is a great upgrade. 

The 110PS diesel is a brilliant all-rounder and will suit all but those who want to spend hours on the motorway, which is the only place where the lack of sixth gear will be an issue.