A couple of interesting things are happening in the light commercial vehicles space, writes Brian Byrne. One, the proportion of electric powertrains in registered vans has, in two years, upshifted from 2.3 per cent to 4.6 per cent. The other is that more than a third of vans are now bought with automatic transmissions compared to just a quarter in 2024. If I were a city van driver, in the environment where most small and mid-sized vans operate, I'd definitely be seeking both attributes to help make my working day less fraught. I was thinking about that during recent review experiences with two versions of the Volkswagen Transporter. One a van, the other an 8-seater passenger Caravelle, both with electric powertrains.
The Transporter has a long pedigree, all the way back to 1950 and the brand's Type 2 van and iconic bus vehicle derived from the Volkswagen Beetle. In its 7th generation, it is the Volkswagen part of a co-design with Ford, whose version is the current Transit Custom. Both nameplates have strong reputations, neither of which is diminished by now being closely related.
I've always liked vans. Not least because you're that bit higher than other traffic, even up a bit from the large SUVs that have proliferated on our roads. That has benefits for awareness of what's going on around, important especially in close-encounter urban work. It's also more relaxing on a long working day.
Going back to the Transporter, and to my opening statistics, it's interesting that the model's current sales show that over 16 per cent of registrations this year are electric variants, around three times the segment penetration. Also, and partially related, almost six in ten Transporters bought in 2026 are automatics. I reckon that if you look at the Transporter drivers around you in new vehicles, they will, in general, be quite happy-looking people.
It's hard to get anything as boxy as a mid-sized van looking anything other than the efficiently utilitarian vehicle it is designed to be. So the e-Transporter I've been reviewing is tidy rather than sexy in styling. The long-wheelbase version, the only one on which the Caravelle is sold in Ireland, is almost 5.5 metres long, so it's a fair hunk of vehicle to move around in. The front end, with a dominant VW badge, is a clean design, with a smart cut in the lighting shapes and a bumper section that looks capable of handling the small dings of daily delivery impacts. The little kick up in the very back panel is an open hint of the Ford Custom relationship.
There are sliding access doors on either side in both the cargo and passenger versions, and the high tailgate that can also serve as a rain shelter when loading or unloading from the rear is also common to both.
Design and ergonomics in the driver's space are both strong, with good trim materials aimed at lasting a heavy-duty life. The instrumentation and infotainment are both to car standard, in a joined-together pod, with bright and colourful graphics that don't need distracting interpretation on the run. Climate control is virtual buttons permanently along the bottom of the centre screen, easy to access, though still requiring some screen stabbing.
My van version was also LWB, and with the standard roof offered a cargo volume of up to 6.8 m3 and a payload of 760kg, with three Euro pallets easily accommodated in the maximum 1777mm load width and 1392mm between the wheel housings. My Caravelle passenger version had the advantage of the 3.5-metre wheelbase to easily carry seven passengers along with the driver, in sturdy and comfortable seating with lots of leg room. The middle and rear rows of seats had controls for their own space's climate management, part of the top Style grade package. In the same grade, there are heated seats for both front occupants, LED matrix headlights, and a total of ten speakers for the audio.
The EV powertrain is available in the Caravelle in either 218hp or 286hp, with my review car powered by the latter. Drive is to the rear wheels. Needless to say, it was much quieter than the normal diesel in the Transporter (there's also a petrol hybrid option in this generation), and the higher horsepower made it a very peppy mover when pushed. The nominal range is 300km, but I got closer to 275km in my time with it, though that was with a significant amount of motorway driving. In local urban work, it was noticeably easier on battery, especially using the 'B' enhanced regeneration mode. I did have passengers during my time with the Caravelle, who also enjoyed being able to see over the ditches.
PRICE: Van from €63,995; Caravelle from €62,725, review vehicle €69,495. WHAT I LIKED: Being on top of the traffic world.
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