This story first appeared in the July issue of DieselTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE
Volkswagen New Zealand declared its intentions to take on New Zealand’s commercial market late last year.
It boosted its management team, launched a revised Amarok and set about developing a fleet-friendly line-up of van variants.
The result is the Runner line, a set of entry-level vehicles – now available in Caddy and Transporter – at value prices.
For the Caddy, the entry cost drops $4000 to $29,990 while for the Transporter, the Runner comes in at $39,990 – a staggering $12,000 cheaper than the standard short wheelbase version.
Volkswagen has priced and specified the Runners to take more mainstream brands head on. A Hyundai iLoad starts at $48,990 and a diesel Hiace at $51,330 – although variants are currently on special for $43,190.
DIESELTalk had the chance to drive the Transporter Runner recently – handily when we had a storage unit to empty – and discovered little usability has been lost in the bid to reduce the vehicle’s price.
What is gone? Alloy wheels, glass rear side windows, a security alarm, cruise control and a third seat in the cab are the key spec differences.
Our review van was fitted with alloy wheels and a wooden floor tray as extras.
The biggest difference is the powertrain. The 2-litre turbocharged diesel remains but outputs around 25% less power and torque at 75kW and 250Nm.
Instead of a six-speed automatic, there is a five-speed manual.
An additional $5000 will buy you an up-rated 150kW version of the engine, with the addition of adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking.
For relatively light duties, we don’t think any fleet driver will begrudge the lesser engine option.
Around town, it still feels quick, zippy and refined for this type of vehicle. There’s still enough power for the front wheels to slip slightly under acceleration in damp conditions.
The five-speed is a honey. It’s quick and easy to shift, with an incredibly well spaced out set of ratios for city delivery runs. Yes, it would be nice to have the sixth gear on long runs but the Transporter still hums along well enough at the legal limit.
Braked towing capacity has been lowered slightly, from 1500kg to 2200kg, and the payload is slightly higher at 1445kg. Cargo volume is 5.8 cubic metres, just behind 6 cubic metre in the Hiace and well ahead of the 4.4 in an iLoad.
The Runner’s steering is quick and offers a lot of feel for a van. Visibility is excellent and the van is very agile in small spaces. It does take time initially to work out how far its nose goes.
The lack of a front bench, a $500 option, is unlikely to be an issue if the Runner is being used for delivery purposes.
And with wet Auckland weather, we found it handy having internal access to the rear of the van.
There are handy dual side sliding doors and the rear door is a lift-up type which is light for its size. But you need to learn how heavily to shut the sliders – not hard enough and the trailing edge won’t latch correctly.
The Runner gets a more basic touchscreen stereo system than other variants, with a 5-inch vs. 6.33-inch screen. But it’s an easy-to-use and reasonable-sounding system, with USB for charging and media, Bluetooth and an auxiliary port.
A reversing camera is standard, although an overlay of the park distance sensors on the screen make it a little tricky to see.
Front airbags are standard and side airbags a $750 option. Electronic stability control and multi-collision braking are also standard.
Volkswagen has assembled one of the most usable new van packages on the market with the Runner. It will be interesting to see how the market takes it.
