Vans remain an essential asset for many businesses and tradespeople, making up four percent of all vehicles sold in New Zealand in 2018.
To the average person, a van may look like a boring white box on four wheels, but with the help of technology improvements and advancements in driveability and design, new generation vans have evolved into desirable, safe, and practical vehicles.
Here are three popular vans available today that are worth considering if you’re in the market for a replacement:
Toyota Hiace
It’s been a long time since the Hiace first hit our roads, and this is now the sixth generation since the model first launched back in 1967. An impressive 39 percent of vans sold last year were a Hiace, making it by far the most popular new van in 2018.
The latest generation has made some big changes from the previous model. Almost immediately you’ll notice the new, longer nose which provides several advantages over its predecessor - the frontal impact and crumple zone is now larger, making it a much safer than before. It’s much more comfortable now too, thanks to the driving position no longer being above the engine.
The Toyota Safety Sense package is now standard across the new Hiace range and includes auto emergency braking, lane departure alert, yaw assist and vehicle sway warning. These features, along with rear cross traffic alert and road sign assist, have helped to bring this popular van in line with the safest cars on our roads today – recognised by ANCAP with a five-star safety rating.
The Hiace uses the same 2.8-litre turbo diesel as found in the extremely popular Toyota Hilux, with 130kW at 3400rpm and between 420Nm 450Nm depending on the model you choose - which is more power and considerably more torque than found on the fifth generation Hiace. Fuel consumption is between 7.5 and 8.4l per 100km. The largest variant features a huge 9.3 cubic meters of space and a 1170kg payload.
Prices start from $44,990 (TDP)
Ford Transit Custom SWB 300
The Ford Transit SWB 300 is a popular model of van – great for hauling goods from A to B and it’s surprisingly enjoyable to drive. It features a five-star ANCAP rating and includes Ford’s SYNC 3 technology which allows for an ‘effortless hands-free experience’.
To test durability, Ford states that all of their commercial vehicles are run at the vehicles maximum speed for an impressive two months. They also opened and closed the doors and bonnet over 250,000 times to ensure their reliability.
The Transit SWB 300 is powered by an efficient 2.0-litre TDCi engine, which produces 125kW at 3500rpm and 405 Nm of torque. It has a fuel efficiency of just 7.2l per 100km, and a payload of 808kg.
Prices start from $54,990 (+ORC)
Volkswagen Transporter
Volkswagen has a large range of vans, however the Transporter series is arguably the most versatile – it’s not quite as small as a Volkswagen Caddy and not as big as the Volkswagen Crafter. The latest Transporters have a new and improved cabin which features higher quality finishing and European refinement, along with a raft of practical storage options.
The transporter has a good level of safety kit too, including Electronic Stability Protection (ESP), and Automatic Post-Collision Braking. According to Volkswagen, around 25 percent of all accidents involving personal injuries are collisions occurring after the initial accident. These follow-on collisions can be prevented, or their consequences can at least be mitigated, by the Multi-Collision Brake system.
With a payload of up to 1131kg, the largest variant of the Transporter can carry a lot. You also have two popular power options to choose from, which currently develop 75kW or 103kW at 3500rpm. Both use a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine which consumes between 7.2 and 7.9l per 100km depending on the model you choose.
Prices start from $45,000 (+ORC)