Review: 2015 VW Transporter and Multivan T6

But conversely, Wolfsburg has realised the need to move with the times. Like conventional passenger cars and SUVs, light commercial vehicles in the 21st Century must use fewer precious mineral resources and emit lower levels of CO2. The T6 is now powered by a selection of diesel engines that are all Euro 6-compliant. These new engines are referred to internally as the EA288 'Nutz' family, 'Nutz' being an abbreviated form of the German word for 'use' or 'utilise' – which is a meaning shared with the English word 'utility'.

The other major change for the T6 is the inclusion of new driver-assist technology to enhance active safety. These features include City Emergency Braking, Front Assist (autonomous emergency braking) and automatic post-collision braking.

For the global launch of the T6 range in Sweden, trucksales.com.au sampled bookend variants – the workhorse Transporter van with a 75kW Bluemotion diesel with five-speed manual transmission, and a high-spec Multivan model powered by the 150kW bi-turbo diesel and driving through a seven-speed DSG (dual-clutch) transmission.

The Multivan was finished in the two-tone Generation Six retro-style pack, which will cost around €2000 over the normal price of a Multivan in Germany, from launch, but is expected to be offered as a single high-feature variant when it is introduced here. In addition to the two-tone scheme, the Generation Six Multivan features body-colour dash decor and alloy wheels designed to resemble steel wheels with chrome covers.

Generation Six will appeal to lovers of heritage Kombis, and it may be a sought-after model with classic-collectible status down the track – just as T1 Kombis are fetching huge prices at auction currently.

Not just a show pony, the Generation Six Multivan offered quiet, subdued cruising. At open-road speed the bi-turbo engine was inaudible and under load it remained quiet. Wind noise was present at higher speeds, but tyre noise on Sweden's high-grip bitumen surfaces accounted for the major part of the NVH in both the Multivan and Transporter.

Fitted with a windowed steel bulkhead behind the bucket-and-two-seat-bench combination, the Transporter's cabin was properly isolated from NVH other than the road noise that permeated the cabin through the firewall.

On a gentle country drive lasting about 40 minutes the Multivan used 8.0L/100km with just the driver on board, according to the trip computer.

At 100km/h the super frugal Bluemotion engine in the Transporter was sitting at 2200rpm, but this was with a five-speed manual that is the sole transmission choice for the very eco-friendly 75kW engine.

The seven-speed DSG transmission in the Multivan delivered rapid-fire shifting when called upon (either in Sport or Manual modes), but the changes were rarely rugged. On just one occasion did the transmission shift up with a mild thump.

Given some stick, with the transmission in Sport mode or manual mode, the Multivan did produce torque steer in the lower gears, and although the differential worked hard to contain the torque, there were brief moments of wheel spin once the turbo was on boost.

Steering response was slower than that of a people mover derived from a passenger car like Citroen's Grand C4 Picasso, and both VWs provided less than ideal feedback at the straight-ahead. But the Multivan was more car-like in this regard than the Transporter, naturally. Despite that, both the van and the people mover held the line in cross winds.

The handling of the two vehicles was safe. Since both the van and the people mover are designed to carry payloads, their composure with practically no load on board was commendable. There was no sense of weight transfer or wayward rebound during cornering and the Multivan in particular felt steady and tracked neatly through bends even with excessive power applied.

Ride comfort in the Transporter was exceptional for a commercial vehicle, but there was no opportunity to test the van on some of the rougher surfaces that showed up some sharpness in the Multivan's ride properties.

The Transporter was very well equipped, with features like a USB port (and an aux port too), plus high-end items like a trip computer and satellite navigation. The interior was trimmed in hard-wearing, but soft, two-tone plastic. The seat upholstery was a similarly durable fabric and the seats were shaped for easier entry and exit to suit couriers. Fold-down armrests provide the 'captain' somewhere to prop his or her elbows and additional cup-holders are moulded into the tray back that folds down from the centre seat position.

Designed for couriers and tradies alike, the Transporter offered a flexible and commanding driving position with a document rack in the top of the dash, incorporating a 12-volt power outlet.

Probably not typical of tool-of-the-trade Transporters, the van tested was finished in metallic paint (Acapulco Blue) and featured workmanlike gear such as a leather-bound multi-function steering wheel with cruise control. Big storage bins are located in the doors, and a cup-holder resides in the upper section of the dash on either side.

The Transporter's H point was just about spot on. But for drivers and passengers who are vertically challenged there's also a step up into the cabin on both sides and inside the sliding side cargo door, which featured an electric facility to cinch it fully closed, should the user fail to slam it shut with enough gusto.

The driving position in the Multivan shared much with the Transporter, but the driver's seat in the people mover was better shaped for cornering and braking from higher speeds. Cushioning was flat in both cases but the Multivan takes the honours for holding the occupants more securely and comfortably.

Instrumentation was fairly standard VW design and layout for the two vehicles, which means rational ergonomics for both. The Multivan, being a people mover, featured a walk-through facility with the handbrake located on the floor close to the driver's seat and the transmission selector perched on the lower section of the dash.

To say that the rear of the Multivan takes flexible packaging to a new level might just be a significant understatement. Take for instance the third-row seat. There are sliding bins underneath each position, accessible from either in front or behind the seat, with removable (and hinged) panels to reach them. A tyre inflator kit resides in the sliding bin under the centre position.

Also in the rear of the Multivan, there's what looks to be a centre console, but is actually a clever folding table that can rotate eccentrically to serve passengers on either side of the cabin in the second and third-row seats. It can slide fore and aft on tracks located in the centre of the compartment, but the tracks end at the rear of the front seats.

Both second and third-row seats (the former comprising two outboard seats and the folding/rotating table in between) can slide fore and aft also, but the second-row seats can also rotate to face the front of the vehicle or back (vis-a-vis) to face the passengers in the third-row seats.

All seats and the table can be removed altogether for those occasions when the people mover must be a van for the day. And both rows of seats can fold down with a mattress laid on top for ersatz camping. To achieve this, the third-row seat base, squab and cargo blind fold up in unit by releasing a latch at the front of the seat. A strap underneath that allows the user to slide the seat base where it has to be to flatten the base and squab.

Shifting the folding table back to the third-row frees up room between the two second-row bucket seats so they can be rotated through 180 degrees, facing the front or the back.

Both rows get the full range of HVAC vents and dome lights overhead. There are sliding doors on either side of the vehicle and one side features multiple cup-holders while the other side has a bottle-holder instead. About the only thing missing on the vehicle tested – and an obvious oversight that we expect should be resolved for Aussie-spec Multivans since it's a new feature for the T6 range – is a powered tailgate.

In the Transporter's fully lined cargo compartment there were six anchorage points in the floor. The wide load floor looks like it would accommodate a standard pallet, deposited through the solid-closing barn doors at the rear. Volkswagen says that the floor area of the standard wheelbase model is 4.3 square metres. There's an inner release handle for each door and a lock button on the left-hand side. Latched, the doors will open out to 90 degrees, or they can open out to a full 270 degrees unlatched. Lighting for the cargo compartment comprises two dome lights and a third light shining on the step.

The fuel filler flap for both the Transporter and the Multivan opens only with the driver's door open (this will be the passenger-side door in the Australian market, obviously), revealing the service point for AdBlue replenishment, which is required for the Euro 6-compliant engines.

Despite the updated style of the Transporter and the Multivan (and the Caravelle for that matter), the T6 range arguably marks slow and steady progression rather than a leap forward, but the Volkswagen commercials are not to be dismissed merely for being more of the same with improved economy.

All the virtues of the T5 models hold true for T6, which is also safer, more refined and slightly better packaged. And after all, that is what a lot of buyers want.

2015 Volkswagen T6 Transporter pricing and specifications:
Price: $TBA
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 75kW/250Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel: 5.7L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 149g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

2015 Volkswagen T6 Multivan pricing and specifications:
Price: TBA
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/450Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 164g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

What we liked:
>> Transporter's ride comfort   
>> Build quality, fit and finish   
>> Multivan's highly configurable seating

Not so much:
>> Steering feedback in a straight line
>> Multivan ride quality over potholes and sharper bumps
>> Multivan tested lacked powered tailgate

Also consider:
>> Hyundai iLoad and iMax (from $36,490 plus ORCs)
>> Ford Transit Custom (from $47,680 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes Vito and V 250 (from $38,990 plus ORCs)