Large Van 2016 Comparison

Fiat Ducato v Ford Transit v Iveco Daily v Mercedes-Benz Sprinter v Renault Master v Volkswagen Crafter
2016 Large Van Comparison Test (Introduction)

There’s been plenty of activity in Australia’s large van market over
the past 18 months, where an influx of fresh offerings has reshaped the
LCV landscape.

Some 7649 such vehicles were registered in 2015 (vans and cab/chassis
derivatives with a Gross Vehicle Mass, or GVM, of over 3.5t), and while
that’s significantly below the equivalent figure for medium vans
(17,094 units), for the manufacturers involved it still represents a
large and lucrative slice of the automotive market.

In fact, the large van market is on a charge right now, with last
year’s registrations up a hefty 19.7 per cent from the previous year.

Hoarding the lion’s share of the action is the Mercedes-Benz
Sprinter, which accounted for 37.9 per cent of large van registrations
in 2015. That’s followed by Renault’s Master (19.7 per cent), Fiat’s
Ducato (15.1 per cent), Ford’s Transit (10.4 per cent), Iveco’s Daily
(11.4 per cent) and Volkswagen’s Crafter (5.5 per cent).

In 2014 we saw revisions of the Sprinter and Ducato arrive Down Under
along with the next-gen Transit, while last year saw the introduction
of a new Daily range and an update of the Master. Here at
trucksales.com.au, we thought it was high time for a model comparison to
sort out the new pecking order.

Of
course, with this segment’s massive scope for specification assembling a
direct head-to-head comparison is challenging to say the least, with
varying engine and transmission formats, GVMs, roof heights, wheelbases
and payloads contributing to a depth of choice simply not found outside
the commercial vehicle world.

Still, for this test we’ve achieved a six-strong line-up of vans with
relatively similar GVMs (3510-3800kg) and wheelbases (3450-3750mm). All
powered by four-cylinder turbo-diesels, the Daily and Crafter both had
lower-spec engines with reduced outputs compared to the others, while
breaking the manual transmission baseline was the Sprinter’s seven-speed
auto and the Ducato’s automated manual.

In the capacity stakes the Ford had the unfair advantage, being a
high-roof variant compared to the remaining standard-roof vehicles.

While
this test focuses on vans it’s worth noting that numerous body styles
are available, with many models also coming in single cab/chassis,
double cab/chassis and minibus variants.

Today’s vans also come with a wide range of convenience, comfort and
safety features. Standard offerings and pricing can vary widely from
model to model and numerous door and load-bay fit-outs are available, so
refer to your local dealer or the manufacturer’s website for more
detailed information.

We subjected our half-dozen contenders to our usual LCV test loop,
comprising a busy industrial estate, undulating country roads and a
section of freeway. Each loop was done twice – firstly unladen and then
with a 975kg test weight in the back, the latter representing roughly
two-thirds of each vehicle’s GVM.

For
performance testing we conducted acceleration and braking runs using
GPS-equipped VBOX data-logging equipment, while cab noise levels were
recorded on the same stretch of road at a steady 80km/h.

Sadly, as fate would have it, our performance testing was mired by
Melbourne’s typically changeable weather conditions, with some runs
conducted on a wet or damp road – see the table below for a summary of
the results…

While individual differences in specification must be taken into
account, our time spent with these vehicles provided us with a good
flavour of the current large van market, with each model bringing its
own strengths and weaknesses to the LCV equation.

As such we’ve presented a summary of each model individually followed
by a general conclusion, which can be accessed via the links below…

Related reading:
>> Ford Transit (from $47,680 plus ORCs)
>> Fiat Ducato (from $44,000 plus ORCs)
>> Iveco Daily (from $49,501 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (from $44,490 plus ORCs)
>> Renault Master (from $40,990 plus ORCs)
>> Volkswagen Crafter (from $41,990 plus ORCs)
>> Large Van Comparison - The Verdict