Pricing starts at £30,755 for the 2021 Vauxhall Movano large van. This is an ‘all-new’ Movano as it’s completely different van to the previous model. But it’s now based on the same platform as the Citroen Relay, Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer, which were first introduced in their current guises all the way back in 2006, so is perhaps not as new as you were hoping.
This isn’t the worst news in the world for Vauxhall’s new Ford Transit rival in terms of large van practicality. As a result, the new Movano offers up to 17.0 cubic metres of load space and very low running costs. Payload ratings are very high as well.
What’s more, as well as the conventional 2.2-litre diesel Movano models, a new Movano-e electric van is being launched at the same time. By the end of 2021, you will therefore be able to buy an electric version of every Vauxhall van on sale. Only its Citroen and Peugeot siblings can make the same boast.
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What’s changed for the 2021 Movano?
Up until this point, the Movano was based on the Renault Master (which also forms the basis of the Nissan NV400). However, since Vauxhall became part of Groupe PSA, which became part of Stellantis in 2021, all of its vans have been moving over platforms shared with other brands in this group.
The Movano is the last to make the change, and is now based on the Fiat Ducato platform that underpins the Citroen Relay and Peugeot Boxer. The Vauxhall is closer to the two French models than the Italian (which uses slightly different engines), but they are otherwise essentially the same vans with different noses, and all four brands are now part of the same big Stellantis family.
Body sizes and variants
The new Movano is available in four lengths (L1, L2, L3 and L4) and three heights (H1, H2 and H3).
Cargo space load volumes range from 8.0 cubic metres to 17.0 cubic metres, and offers a very generous amount of floor space – 1,422mm between the wheelarches and 1,870mm between the side panels.
What’s more, the rear door loading height on H3 models is a massive 2,030mm, with the rear doors able to open to 270 degrees to further aid access.
Gross vehicle weight (GVW) ranges from 2,800kg to 4,000kg – though most will be 3,500kg variants. Maximum payload is 2,110kg, available on the lightest 4,000kg GVW variants.
The 2021 Movano comes as a standard three-seater panel van and a crew van with second row of seats for up to four more passengers – plus a chassis cab, a chassis crew cab and a floor cab suitable for conversions.
The Ducato is extremely successful as a basis for campervan and motorhome conversions, so expect to see more Movano-based examples of these as well.
New Vauxhall Movano engines
Diesel versions of the new Vauxhall Movano will all be powered by the same ‘state of the art’ 2.2-litre turbodiesel.
Power output ranges from 120hp to 165hp, and torque from 300Nm to 370Nm. It’s a good, tough engine in our experience, and the new Movano should drive well – although perhaps without the refinement available from the very best in class (the Volkswagen Crafter and MAN TGE are the 2021 Parkers Large Van of the Year award winners).
All diesel variants of the Movano are front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual gearbox. There’s no automatic transmission option, unfortunately.
The electric Movano-e uses the same motor and battery technology as the Citroen e-Relay and Peugeot e-Boxer – which means 122hp and a claimed 72 miles of driving range from the smaller battery pack or 139 miles from the larger battery pack.
Promise of class-leading safety and technology
Vauxhall says the new Movano offers class-leading safety, but we’re not totally convinced about this claim.
While e-call automatic emergency assistance and b-call breakdown assistance is included on every van – putting you in touch with these services with a simple button-press inside the cab – there’s no autonomous emergency braking, and the available Forward Collision Alert isn’t standard on every model.
Similarly, while you can have blindspot monitors and lane departure warning, these are not standard on all versions. The trailer merge assist option is interesting, though, as it takes the length of any trailer into account when warning about vehicles in your blindspots.
As we’ve increasingly come to expect, the new Movano does have good connectivity, though VauxhallConnect and the MyVauxhall smartphone app. This seems to be particularly useful for the e-Movano electric version, as it offers info about nearby charging points and the current about of battery charge.
When does the new Movano go on sale – and how much is it?
The new Vauxhall Movano is available to order now (August 2021), and is priced from £30,755 in diesel panel van form.
There are two trim levels: Edition and Dynamic; all models get DAB radio, a single sliding side door and full metal bulkhead, but only the Dynamic comes with Bluetooth and rear pedestrian and rear parking sensors as standard.
Parkers will be one of the first outlets to bring you a new Movano review.
Also read:
>> Vauxhall Movano-e electric van: 139-mile driving range
>> Our current Vauxhall Movano review
>> Best electric vans you can buy now
>> Ford E-Transit electric van full details
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