Road Test
VAUXHALL VIVARO ELECTRIC
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1. Rear and front bumpers are colour-keyed
2. Rear spoiler enhances the van’s look
3. Sliding nearside and offside load doors are fitted
4. Reversing camera is part of the package
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such as the remaining range and the level of charge in the battery. You can even make use of a compass. Boasting lumbar adjustment and
an armrest, the driver’s seat is height- adjustable. So is the leather-trimmed steering wheel, which accommodates remote controls for the radio plus phone controls.
The seats are trimmed in leather too, complete with fancy red stitching. In-cab storage facilities include a roomy but not lockable glove box, a cubbyhole below it with a second 12V socket, a lidded compartment on top of the dashboard, a big bin and a small bin in both doors, and a shelf in the middle of the fascia. You will find top- mounted cupholders at each end of the dashboard.
Pull the centre seat’s cushion up, and you will discover a hidden compartment that you can use to conceal your smartphone and other valuable items you would rather not lose. Pull the
centre section of the seat’s back down, and it becomes a handy little desk with an elasticated band to help keep your paperwork tidy; assuming you still use paperwork. Front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera offer an invaluable bird’s-eye view of nearby hazards, and are included in the deal. So is a comprehensive portfolio of on-board safety gizmos, including blind spot detection, forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking, hill start assist and driver drowsiness alert as well as ABS and electronic stability programme with traction control.
Lane departure warning forms part of the safety offer, too. We eventually switched it off, however, because it proved to be overly-eager, beeping annoyingly every time we strayed more than a millimetre over the white lines that mark the centre of at least some of Britain’s narrow and fast-crumbling rural roads. Far less annoying – and a licence
preserver – was an icon on the instrument panel which tells you what the speed limit is on the road you are travelling along; and reminds you not to break it.
Raindrops on the windscreen trigger
the wipers and the lights come on automatically at dusk. Our Vivaro’s alloys were shod with Nankang Passion CW-20 225/50 R18C tyres.
Nankang? No, we’d never heard of the company either, but it is based in Taiwan and been going since the late 1950s – and most importantly appears to produce decent-quality products.
Powertrain
Married to a single-speed automatic transmission, Vivaro Electric’s motor produces a maximum 100kW (136hp), with 260Nm of torque on tap. It draws
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WhatVan? October 2023
www.whatvan.co.uk
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