UPDATE: We have now driving the all-new 2019 Vauxhall Vivaro – and you can read the review by clicking here.
Vauxhall‘s all-new Vivaro van has made its official public debut at the CV Show 2019.
We’ve also got full pricing, engine choice and trim level specification details for the new Vauxhall Vivaro. It costs from £21,240 plus VAT and arrives in dealerships in summer 2019.
The new Vivaro will continue to be built in Britain at Vauxhall’s Luton factory, but now that Vauxhall is owned by the PSA Group, the 2019 Vivaro is based on the ‘EMP2’ platform used by the latest Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert (and therefore related to the Toyota Proace), rather than the Renault Trafic.
The new Vivaro comes in two lengths and three body styles, and promises impressive payload and towing capacity – both considerably increased over the outgoing model.
Lots of high-tech bells and whistles are available, including power-sliding doors, clever Intelligrip traction control and a head-up display, and it has the highest standard spec Vauxhall has ever offered on the Viviaro.
There will even be a fully-electric Vauxhall Vivaro on sale in 2020.
Has Vauxhall done enough to tempt buyers away from the Ford Transit Custom and VW Transporter? Keep reading to find out more.
Vauxhall Vivaro at the CV Show 2019
Unveiled to much fanfare, the new Vivaro’s appearance at the 2019 CV Show came complete with a robust series of statements about how the new Vauxhall medium van outperforms the market leaders from Ford and Volkswagen.
With a maximum payload rating of over 1,400kg, Vauxhall claims that spec for spec, its Vivaro carries over 20% more weight than the equivalent Transit Custom or Transporter.
Meanwhile, the FlexCargo load through bulkhead gives it much greater maximum loading length – 21% more than the Ford and 43% more than the
It’s also said to be over 20% more efficient, especially where fitted with the 100hp 1.5-litre engine (more details below).
Vauxhall made no mention of load height, however – since the Vivaro is only available in a single roof height, it can’t compete with high-roof variants of rivals – including the Renault Trafic it used to be based on.
How much does the new 2019 Vauxhall Vivaro cost?
The entry-level price of the 2019 Vauxhall Vivaro is £21,240 – which is £900 more than you’ll pay for a base-spec Dispatch or Expert, which both start at £20,340. All prices quotes do not include VAT.
Compensating for this, Vauxhall is fitting lots of standard kit. Even the most basic Vivaro Edition version includes twin sliding side doors, driver and passenger airbags, and cruise control with speed limiter.
The next trim level up is Vivaro Sportive, priced from £24,140. This too gets a boost in a equipment compared with the Sportive version of the outgoing model, with highlights including an alarm, automatic lights and wipers, and acoustic glass for improved refinement.
At the top of the range sits Vivaro Elite. Priced from £25,540, this is bundled with a load of safety gear, including lane-departure warning, traffic sign recognition and blind-spot monitors.
Full details of standard equipment for each of these trim levels is listed below.
What are the new 2019 Vauxhall Vivaro’s dimensions?
Vauxhall will sell the 2019 Vivaro in two body lengths – one 4.95m long, the other 5.30m long. Vauxhall hasn’t given either length a name, so we’ll call them SWB and LWB for now (though in reality they likely have the same 3.27m wheelbase and different rear overhangs).
It appears there will be no super-short version of the Vivaro, as there is with the Peugeot and Citroen. But that’s probably a sensible business decision on Vauxhall’s part, as those compact models aren’t especially big sellers.
The new Vivaro comes in three bodystyles:
- Panel van
- Doublecab (crew van; seats up to six – more info below)
- Chassis cab
There will only one roof height, as this is all that’s available on the closely related Citroen and Peugeots.
Vauxhall hasn’t given us full load area dimensions, but we can accurately estimate these based on the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert:
| Vauxhall Vivaro 2019 SWB | Vauxhall Vivaro 2019 LWB | |
| Overall length | 4.95m | 5.30m |
| Overall height | 1.91m | 1.91m |
| Width without mirrors | 1.92m | 1.92m |
| Maximum load length | 2.51m | 2.86m |
| Maximum load height | 1.39m | 1.39m |
| Maximum load width | 1.62m | 1.62m |
| Width between wheelarches | 1.25m | 1.25m |
| Max load length with Flex Cargo | 3.67m | 4.02m |
‘Flex Cargo’ is Vauxhall’s name for a load-through flap in the bulkhead, which together with a fold-flat passenger seat allows the new Vivaro to swallow longer loads.
What are new 2019 Vauxhall Vivaro’s payload, towing and carrying capacities?
Maximum payload for the new Vauxhall Vivaro is quoted as up to 1,400kg – which is some 200kg more weight than the old version can carry.
It’s also nearly 100kg less than the best the Peugeot-Citroen equivalents can manage, but that’s because of the shorter body offered by the French pairing.
Maximum towing capacity for the new Vauxhall Vivaro is 2,500kg (braked) – this is 500kg greater than the old model, and avaialble on every engine variant (even the most basic 100hp model).
Maximum cargo volume is 6.6 cubic metres, which is all Vauxhall has quoted so far. But again, we can work out the rest using the Peugeot-Citroen variants as the examples.
| Vauxhall Vivaro 2019 SWB | Vauxhall Vivaro 2019 LWB | |
| Load volume in cargo area | 5.3 cubic metres | 6.1 cubic metres |
| Load volume with Flex Cargo | 5.8 cubic metres | 6.6 cubic metres |
All Vivaros will get twin sliding side doors, with the option to have these electrically operated, with sensors in the rear bumper that allow you to open them by waving your foot; our experience with the French models suggests this may be a little hit and miss, however.
Flexible 2019 Vauxhall Vivaro Doublecab design
The new Vivaro Doublecab seats six and is available in combination with all three trim levels – though the entry-level Edition Doublecab is slightly different to the more highly specified Sportive and Elite, in that it has a moveable bulkhead rather than a fixed one.
This means that in the Doublecab Edition, the second row of seats can be folded up when not in use, allowing the steel mesh bulkhead to angle forward, freeing up more load space when the extra passenger carrying capacity isn’t require. It’s not a small amount of space, either, as it goes from 4.0 cubic metres of load room to 5.5 cubic metres.
The Sportive and Elite Doublecab models do get a fixed bulkhead (arguably safer, and certainly likely to be quieter), complete with integrated three-seater bench. For added practicality there is storage beneath this bench, however, including provision to load longer loads underneath from the cargo side.
Vauxhall Vivaro 2019 diesel engines
The new Vivaro comes with a choice of 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre turbodiesel engines, just like its close relations the Dispatch and Expert.
Every one of these engines already meets the new Euro 6D Temp (or Euro 6.2) emissions regulations, which means the claimed fuel economy figures are measured using the new WLTP standard, which is supposed to be more representative of real-world driving, including the impact of payload and options. The older NEDC figures are also included below as the new regulations don’t come into force until 2020.
Vauxhall Vivaro 1.5-litre engine choice and fuel economy:
- 100hp / 270Nm – 44.9mpg max WLTP (58.1mpg NEDC)
- 120hp / 300Nm – 46.7mpg max WLTP (60.8mpg NEDC)
Vauxhall Vivaro 2.0-litre engine choice and fuel economy:
- 120hp./ 340Nm – 40.5mpg max WLTP (53.8mpg NEDC)
- 150hp / 370Nm – 42.3mpg max WLTP (54.3mpg NEDC)
- 180hp / 400Nm – 40.7mpg max WLTP (53.0mpg NEDC)
Every Vivaro gets a six-speed manual gearbox as standard – except the most powerful 180hp version, which gets an eight-speed automatic as standard instead.
An eight-speed automatic version of the 120hp 2.0-litre will also be available in the future, but not until 2020.
2019 Vauxhall Vivaro standard equipment and trim levels
The new Vauxhall Vivaro comes in three trim levels: Edition, Sportive and Elite – Elite being an additional range-topping trim, brought in to reflect changes in the medium van market that is seeing increasing demand for fancy creature comforts and luxury kit.
Vauxhall Vivaro Edition standard equipment highlights:
- Electronic stability control (ESC)
- Hill-start assist
- DAB radio
- Bluetooth
- USB connection
- Remote locking with deadlocks
- Selective locking for cab and load area
- Electric windows
- Electric, heated door mirrors
- 16-inch steel wheels
- Full-size spare wheel
- Dual sliding side doors
- Driver and passenger airbags
- Cruise control
- Speed limiter
Vauxhall Vivaro Sportive standard equipment highlights (in addition to Edition):
- 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Air-conditioning
- Rear parking sensors
- FlexCargo load-through bulkhead
- Six-way adjustable driver’s seat
- Dual passenger bench with fold-flat centre
- Body-coloured bumpers
- Body-coloured door mirrors, door handles and side mouldings
- Metallic paint
- Front foglights
- LED daytime running lights
- Driver Drowsiness Alert
- Alarm
- Automatic lights and wipers
- Acoustic windscreen
- Thickened side glass
Vauxhall Vivaro Elite standard equipment highlights (in addition to Sportive):
- Sat-nav
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Electric folding door mirrors
- Lane-departure warning
- Speed limit recognition
- Intelligent speed adaption
- Driver Attention Alert Level Three
- High-beam assist
- Blindspot monitors
High-tech options for the 2019 Vauxhall Vivaro
In addition to all of the above, a major advantage of the new French van platform used by the 2019 Vivaro is that even more on-board technology is available. All of the following can be added from the options list:
- Head-up display
- Lane-keep assist
- Adaptive cruise control
- Forward collision alert
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Rear view parking camera
The Vivaro Intelligrip system, meanwhile, is an advanced electronic traction control system that will help the van find grip on slippery surfaces such as mud and snow. It comes with suitably grippy tyres and a ‘work-site’ package that includes raised ride height and increased underbody protection.
Vauxhall Vivaro electric van on the way in 2020
On top of all that, Vauxhall has once again confirmed that it will build and sell an electric version of the new Vivaro.
There are no exact details of the powertrain, driving range or payload capacity of the electric Vivaro just yet, but we do know that it will appear in 2020.
>> The Parkers Vans guide to electric vans
The new Vivaro sounds amazing. Any bad news?
Well, while they’re high-tech, the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert don’t have the most user-friendly cabins, and the Vivaro is unlikely to be any better.
Storage space is limited, the small windows make the cab feel a little cramped and the driving position is wonky on right-hand drive models.
We’d have preferred to trade some of the tech for greater functionality here.
On the plus side, the Vivaro should be neat and tidy to drive with good refinement – quiet enough that long journeys shouldn’t be too much of a chore.
It’s relatively low height (around 1.9m) will take the headache out of finding a space in most multi-storey car parks, too.
Isn’t it a little soon for a new Vauxhall Vivaro?
It’s unusual for a van to be replaced after just five years (the current Vivaro first went on sale in 2014), but is hardly a surprise in this case given Vauxhall’s change of ownership.
PSA was obviously not keen to see Vauxhall carry on building a van based on a French rival, and we knew back in April 2018 that it would be moving the Vivaro to its own platform in 2019 – we even published a mock-up image of what that van might look like.
Any other versions of the new Vauxhall Vivaro?
The new model first broke cover as the Vivaro Life MPV – a passenger carrying version similar to the Peugeot Traveller and Citroen SpaceTourer.
You can find pictures of the Vauxhall Vivaro Life below and in the gallery at the top of this page.
Also read:
>> New Vauxhall Vivaro van for 2019
>> Vauxhall vans to go electric in 2020 in radical turnaround plan
>> The Parkers Vans guide to electric vans
>> Vauxhall Vivaro (2014-2019) full review
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