Vauxhall Vivaro Review

For the many Vivaro fans out there and for people that are considering buying a Vivaro here is a review on the latest model of this great van. We hope you find it useful.

Vauxhall Vivaro: An Overview

The Vauxhall Vivaro van is built in Britain.  Vauxhall’s Luton plant has been producing Vivaro vans since 2001.  The Vivaro model range has two wheelbases and two roof heights, a combi minibus and a double cab crew van with a second row of seats.

Vauxhall Vivaro MPG and Running Costs

The Vivaro van has a 1.6 litre CDTi diesel engine throughout the range. The vans come with either one or two turbochargers.

Vauxhall’s ecoFLEX efficiency branding is an option on some models which means the stop-start feature is present. The 89 bhp CDTi 90 van does 43.5 mpg and co2 emission of 170g/km, also with the addition of the stop/start feature the results improve to 46.3 mpg and 160g/km. The 113 bhp option gives the same economical results but isn’t offered with the ecoFLEX. The 118 bhp CDTi 120 BiTurbo does 47.9 mpg and has co2 emissions of 155g/km which are Vivaro’s best results.

The top-of-the-range 138 bhp BiTurbo van does an impressive 46.3mpg and 160g/km of c02. Vauxhall also offers an Eco Mode button located on the Vivaro’s dash. This gives a more efficient engine map with reduced torque, less power and slower throttle response. This mode also reduces the effectiveness of the air conditioning system.

Load Space and Practicality

Vauxhall Vivaro vans have impressive load space which is accessed through asymmetrically split rear doors.

Inside the van, there are 20 load-lashing eyes across the floor and walls.  A full steel bulkhead separates the cargo area from the cab and a sliding side door gives more loading opportunities.

Reliability and Safety

All Vauxhall Vivaro’s now come with ESP stability control featuring traction control, roll-over mitigation and load adaptive control.  The electronics will also detect when a trailer is fitted and adjust stability control settings accordingly.  All models have a driver’s airbag and the Sportive models get rear parking sensors.

All Vauxhall Vivaro’s are fitted with deadlocks and an engine immobiliser.

Cab and Interior

The Vivaro vans have a solid build quality with some great design touches to liven up the look of the cab.

The Vivaro’s cab is very spacious with a generous amount of legroom.  The middle seat folds down to make a desk if required.

The van has deep storage compartments in the doors and useful dash-top areas for keeping pens and paperwork safe.

Driving and Performance

The performance of all the Vivaro vans is generally great:

• The 89 bhp model is suited to urban driving.
• The 113 bhp is ideal for increased road travel and is great at coping with heavy loads.
• The 118 bhp van offers the best performance. The engine sounds very smooth even at the top of its rev range.  This model also has the best fuel economy out of all the models.
• The 138 bhp is the top-of-the-range model and is a real workhorse

The Vivaro van offers a smooth ride and copes with bumpy roads fantastically well.

Another great feature of the Vivaro van is the wide range of adjustment of both the seat and steering column which enables you to get exactly the correct driving position.

The brakes and steering are very responsive and despite being a tall panel van the Vivaro keeps body roll to a minimum through the corners.

Vauxhall Vivaro dimensions

Width including door mirrors: 2,283mm 

Load area dimensions

Specifications

• Length: 4,998mm - 5,398mm

• Width: 2,283mm

• Height: 1,971mm - 2,465mm

• Payload: 1,079kg - 1,269kg

• Load volume: 5.2m3 - 8.6m3

• Load length: 2,537mm - 2,937mm

• Power: 89bhp - 138bhp

• Economy: 43.5mpg - 47.9mpg

Similar vehicles:Ford Transit, Ford Transit Custom, Volkswagen Transporter, Mercedes Vito, Citroen Dispatch, Fiat Scudo and Peugeot Expert.