This week’s van deal spotlight is on heavy vans, a sector that recorded a 24 percent growth in the first half of 2015. The Vauxhall Movano is one of the lightest heavy vans on the market and boasts impressive fuel economy, and is available for just £12,995 plus VAT from the Pentagon Group.
In the cab
Even for an entry level spec, the Vauxhall Movano is quite basic inside. There is a lot of storage space though, and there is a flat-folding middle seat back with twin drinks holders, a flat work surface and storage tray.
It’s not the most spacious of cabs, especially for its size, but the driver’s seat is adjustable for height, reach and rake and comes with an seat armrest, and the steering wheel is height adjustable.
There is an MP3 CD player with digital radio, aux-in socket, Bluetooth® connectivity for compatible mobile phones, a USB connection, integrated display and two 15-watt speakers. Steering mounted controls are also standard.
On the road
The Vauxhall Movano is powered by the Renault-Nissan 2.3-litre unit, which is tuned to 108bhp and 285Nm of torque, and is connected to a 6-speed manual gearbox. This van achieves 36.7 mpg on the combined run, according to official test figures.
A lot of road and engine noise penetrates the cab but engine speed is just 2,000rpm at 70mph, and it isn’t the most refined of rides. On twisting road the Movano is surprisingly agile, it has plenty of torque and pulls strongly while delivering good pace.
Cargo Area
This deal related to the smallest and lightest derivative, so loading attributes are fairly limited. The payload is just 994kg and load volume 7.8 cubic metres although, for £1,900 extra, the 3.3t L2H2 can be specified, with 1,415kg of payload and 10.8 cubic metres of load volume.
A nearside sliding side-access door, a light for the load area, six load restraint lashing eyes and internal locks for the rear and sliding side access doors are included as standard.
Sales and aftersales
This New Vauxhall Movano Panel is available from Burton-on-Trent, Derby, Mansfield, Nottingham, Oldham and Sheffield and is priced at £12,995 plus VAT; a saving of £8,393 off the list price of £21,388 + VAT. The VED is the standard £225.
It comes with a 3 year, 100,000 mile warranty and service intervals are set at 25,000 miles or two year, whichever comes first.
