You wouldn’t have the ability to inform simply by it, however the brand new Volkswagen Transporter cargo van (additionally obtainable because the Caravelle folks provider) shares its underpinnings with the Ford Transit. The Blue Oval additionally gives powertrains, which embody a number of diesel engines, which stay well-liked in Europe regardless of their adverse fame, in addition to plug-in hybrid and absolutely electrical variants.
However whereas the outside of the Transporter seems to be nothing like the Transit Customized, the inside is sort of similar, together with the 12-inch driver’s show and 13-inch infotainment display, which runs a reskinned model of the identical working system. The digital instrument cluster graphics are additionally distinctive to the Volkswagen, as is the steering wheel.
Three flavors of VW van
Volkswagen at this time gives the ID Buzz, which is simply obtainable as an EV, the Multivan, which does not come as an EV and the brand new Ford-based Transporter which has diesel, plug-in hybrid and absolutely electrical energy.
All three electrical variations of the Transporter draw from the identical 68-kilowatt-hour battery pack with a usable capability of 64 kWh that powers the Ford E-Transit Customized. They’re all single-motor rear-wheel drive vans which have 134 hp, 215 hp and 282 hp, respectively. Volkswagen hasn’t introduced the WLTP vary for any of the variants, however the E-Transit Customized can go a claimed 209 miles on one cost.
Volkswagen can even launch a good lower-powered model with a smaller battery pack that can solely be match solely for short-haul city supply duties.
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Most charging energy needs to be the identical as in the E-Transit, which is rated at as much as 125 kW. That’s sufficient to cost from 10 to 80% in 39 minutes, and a 10-minute cost ought to add 51 miles of additional vary. Charging from flat to full from an 11 kW wall field takes slightly below 7 hours, in accordance with Ford.
The plug-in hybrid variant mates a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine to an electrical motor for a mixed 229 horsepower despatched to the entrance wheels. With a internet battery capability of 16.5 kWh, that’s good for about 35 miles of city driving or 23 miles of freeway driving. These figures are additionally from the Ford Transit Customized PHEV, however they need to be nearly similar for the VW vans.
It is possible for you to to order the brand new Transporter in Europe in a number of sizes and physique types, together with short- and long-wheelbase configurations with one or two rows of seats or as a long-wheelbase double cab. It’s also possible to select common or high-roof physique types for many variants, however whichever you select, all of them have the identical 1.33-ton (2,932-pound) most payload and a pair of.8-ton (6,173-pound) towing capability.
The physique fashion will have an effect on the electrical variants’ vary, particularly if it entails extra freeway driving and towing as a lot because it permits. This can drastically cut back the vary. In Germany, the plug-in hybrid model of the brand new Transporter begins at simply over €55,000 (round $59,340), however pricing for the absolutely electrical variants has but to be introduced. For reference, the Ford E-Transit Customized has a beginning worth of slightly below €50,000 (roughly $53,950), and the comparable Volkswagen needs to be fairly related.
