Volkswagen Transporter 2021: Quick spin

The 2021 Volkswagen Transporter ‘T6.1’ has arrived, bringing with it fresh looks and upscaled safety and convenience features.

This is a familiar model-update theme, as fresh active electronic safety equipment and infotainment technology is incorporated into an ageing facelifted model to bring it up to date with newer competition. In the Transporter’s case, it’s arguably long overdue but the welcome additions improve the Volkswagen’s standing in the market together with a sharp starting price.

There are 49 variants in the 2021 Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 range, spanning short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase low-roof vans and five-seater Crewvans, a high-roof van, single- and dual-cab/chassis utes (with factory tray) and the more up-spec people-mover Multivan, Caravelle and California.

Three engines, all 2.0-litre turbo-diesels, are on offer, running through five- or six-speed manuals or a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic. Final drive is through either the front wheels or, with the optional 4MOTION system, all wheels.

Apart from the larger Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Volkswagen Transporter is the only model in the segment to offer all-wheel drive, with key competitors being front- or rear-wheel drive only.

Here we’re concentrating on the most popular model in the range, the $38,990 (plus on-road costs) entry-level commercial two-seater bare van, the Transporter TDI250 five-speed manual.

Inside, the dashboard is new, while a more durable seat material has been fitted and cabin lighting is now all-LED.

However, the headline act is a new infotainment system with a 6.5-inch screen that offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity (via Volkswagen’s App-Connect), although the smartphone mirroring isn’t wireless. Two USB-C ports are also now included.

Outside, the front bumper, grille, headlights and sheetmetal are new, incorporating LED daytime running lights and new guard badges, and at the rear the tail-lights are now LED units too.

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The options list is extensive, with more than 50 items you can tick for the base van alone. While many of them have carried over from the Transporter T6, such as powered sliding doors, additional side windows and so on, new base van options include a digital cockpit ($900), park assist with side protection ($990), lane assist ($1290) and LED headlights ($1990).

New standard safety features in the 2021 Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 include front assist with city emergency braking, crosswind assist, side assist including blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert, driver fatigue detection, multi-collision braking and a rear-view camera.

Optionally available for the first time are lane assist ($1290) and adaptive cruise control ($690).

Giving engineers the ability to add electronic driver assistance and safety inclusions has also brought a new electro-mechanical power steering system.

The Transporter has not been crashed tested since the T5 version in 2008, so it is behind some competitors that have more up-to-date ANCAP results to prove their safety credentials.

Despite this lack of testing, ANCAP recently gave the Transporter T6.1 a ‘silver’ rating in its recent Commercial Vehicle Safety Comparison.

While not a replacement for the ANCAP crash testing regime, the comparison rated advanced driver assistance systems in the commercial van market, giving ‘gold’, ‘silver’, ‘bronze’ or ‘not recommended’ ratings.

As mentioned, there are three engine options for the 2021 Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 based on the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.

These are the base 81kW/250Nm TDI250 (with five-speed manual gearbox only) as reviewed here, the 110kW/340Nm TDI340 (with six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG) and the 146kW/450Nm TDI450 (available only with seven-speed DSG).

The all-wheel drive 4MOTION system can be had in place of front-wheel drive in the TDI340 (DSG only) or TDI450.

The TDI250 performs well – unladen, at least – with plenty of torque down low and a willingness to rev if you need it. It’s a relatively quiet and smooth engine, too, and combines well with the slick-shifting five-speed manual.

While we were not able to obtain tank-to-tank fuel figures, the claimed 6.9L/100km average fuel consumption seems achievable based on similar returns from the trip computer across our first drive.

The 2021 Volkswagen Transporter T6.1’s cabin is a spacious, comfortable place to be, with great seat support and the instruments and controls are all easy to work.

There are multiple storage spots to store your gear up front, and six tie-down points in the load area.

The addition of a grab-handle to make the climb into the cabin would help, because as it is you need to grab hold of the steering wheel to pull yourself up and in.

Vision out of the Transporter is excellent to the front and side and there are usefully large side mirrors.

The rear-vision camera could do with a wider angle to better see traffic to the sides – when backing out of a driveway for example – but then you do get both the visual and audible cross traffic warning if a vehicle is approaching.

The Transporter doesn’t have a bulkhead above the cabin and so is a bit noisier than competitors, but then with a bare van you’re never going to have a whisper-quiet ride.

The load area is competitive, with 4.2 square metres of space, while payload at 951kg is average rather than exceptional. That said, you can have 1220kg payload in the more expensive TDI340 SWB van.

The Transporter comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty that includes 12 months of roadside assist.

Capped-price Volkswagen servicing menus include a pre-paid five-year (five services) plan at $1980 or pay-as-you-go at $2624 for the same period.

There are three-year options as well, and servicing is required annually or at 15,000km intervals, whichever occurs first.

We’d like to see a current ANCAP rating, but the addition of important safety features does increase confidence in the new 2021 Volkswagen Transporter T6.1’s ability to keep its working occupants out of harm’s way.

This is a comfortable and agile workhorse that is not only safer but also has a discernible lift in appearance and a boost in convenience features, at a price that is very competitive in the segment – provided you don’t dip too deeply into the abundant options list.

How much does the 2021 Volkswagen Transporter TDI250 cost?
Price: $38,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 81kW/250Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel: 6.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 182g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested