test drives

By Tim Saunders

It is necessary to adapt your driving style when behind the wheel of a vehicle that does not have a rear view mirror.
This becomes clear when I am sat in the Volkswagen Transporter Trendline 2.0 TDi Bluemotion. It is the white van man’s dream vehicle, tough and robust, fast and efficient. And although it very much does feel like a car to drive with fairly light steering and a good driving position, the fact remains that there are no windows at the rear and no rear view mirror. The driver must rely on the wing mirrors. Now that is all very well but it is still not possible to see behind the back of the vehicle so any reversing must be done with extreme care. On the centre console where the radio and sat nav can be found ParkPilot which automatically appears when reverse is selected on the five speed manual gearbox. But this is not a camera feed which I think would be really helpful in a vehicle like this. However, it will bleep thanks to sensors in the rear bumper should anything get in the way.
Nevertheless as a motorist who more often than not can be found behind the wheel of a car, driving a panel van such as this does take considerable getting used to. First of all I take it for a run to the local tip, after removing two moth bitten rolls of carpet from the upstairs bedrooms. Such a van makes life so much easier; just sling the carpet in and close the double doors. It would have taken two journeys in my little Fiesta. On arrival at the tip I am told to report to the site office. “Why?” I ask. “Because you are driving a commercial vehicle and you need a permit.” I wasn’t expecting that. Anyway, after a chat with the site manager, I am informed that as long as I am only dumping residential rubbish that it is possible to apply for a free permit from Hampshire County Council. Explaining that I only had the vehicle for a short time, the manager kindly agreed to let me deposit my waste without further ado. My two daughters Harriett (5) and Heidi (3) sit on the double passenger seat watching all of this going on and thoroughly enjoying the entertainment. “Why did you have to go to see the first aid office?” asks Harriett. Apparently it looks similar at school and the teacher wears a fluorescent top, too.
So carpet gone and hopefully the moth problem, too I have another task for the Transporter. This time we need to drive to Suffolk to collect some of Caroline’s late uncle’s belongings including his 2002 Vauxhall Corsa.
Our daughters stay with their grandparents and little Henry (7mths) accompanies Caroline and I in his car seat. It is easy to switch off the airbags in the front, one by button and the far left one by using a key on the edge of the dashboard that meets the door. There are of course no child locks to lock the doors but fortunately it is impossible for a child to grab the door handle from a rear facing car seat. More trust is required with my older daughters but there wasn’t a problem.
We leave at 6am and get to Suffolk three hours later where we load the van up with various items of furniture. It is easy to tie them down thanks to the loops that are fitted to the floor to tie straps through. The floor itself is a clever sort of rubber which also helps hold the furniture in place. The useful sliding side door is really helpful because it allows items to be lifted in from the pavement. My wife would have liked to see loops on the walls and ceiling too because she felt that that would have been even more useful.
It takes longer to travel home because traffic on the M25 is at a standstill as usual during daylight driving. I follow behind Caroline, who is driving her new Corsa with Henry in the back. It’s a bit of a challenge to drive such a distance with one following the other but during our journey we notice other vehicles doing just the same. Despite some vigorous driving around roundabouts near home all the furniture stays upright and in the same position as I left it – nothing broken - so very impressed.
It’s been a good test and one that saw the Transporter return around 30mpg.

Facts at a glance
Transporter panel van T28 Trendline SWB EU6 2.0 TDI 102PS 5-speed Manual
Price: Total RRP incl. VAT £ 25,410
Top speed: 98mph
0-60mph: 15.3secs
Economy: 47.9mpg
Power: 102bhp

By Tim Saunders

I can’t think of any cars that are officially named after notable people other than the manufacturers themselves.
That is until I find myself driving the Citroen C4 Picasso. It’s quite a compliment to the world famous artist and I’d never given it an ounce of thought until now. The difficulty with such a decision is that it must live up to the high and exacting standards of its namesake. It all falls apart if it doesn’t. Picasso’s name first appeared on the Xsara back in 1999.
Picasso, the Spanish born painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright spent most of his adult life in France so it is a great gesture to name a vehicle after him. Incidentally, his most expensive painting entitled Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, created in the span of just a single day in 1932, sold for more than £85m. I wonder why Spanish car company Seat didn’t beat Citroen to it and name one of their vehicles after the great man.
Naming this people mover after the famous painter is arguably apt because twice married he had four children so this sizeable vehicle would have been much appreciated by him, I reckon. It is also well designed, pleasing to look at from the side especially with its alloy wheels and it boasts quite a striking front so the design aspect should also have received his thumbs up.
With its large boot that easily swallows a pushchair and travel cot as well as food shopping there is enough space on the floor at the rear for any additional luggage. And there always is when the Saunders family go on a jaunt. Three child seats are easily accommodated in the back and Harriett (5) and Heidi (6) do like the folding picnic tables complete with night time reading light. They also have controls for their own air vents. The large boot lid itself opens and shuts unaided; simply click the proximity key.
Driver and front passenger are happy because their seats not only have folding armrests they also come with a massage facility. The one thing I find difficult to come to terms with though is the lack of a speedometer in front of the steering wheel meaning that the driver has to glance at the centre console to see the speedometer. With so many speed cameras around these days I find myself frequently doing this. With its responsive diesel unit and six speed manual gearbox that on occasions is given to notchy indecisive gear changes, it will quickly reach speed limits so it is just as well it is fitted with a speed limiter and cruise control. Engine start/stop kicks in at the traffic lights helping with fuel economy.
There are mixed feelings about the sat nav because on one journey I find that I can actually rely on it to get me out of the depths of the Dorset countryside without a hitch. But on another occasion it is of absolutely no use whatsoever when in the New Forest. Surely it allows for a postcode to be inputted but try as I might I cannot make it work. Thankfully we have a map.
The C4 has an electric handbrake and as we are stuck in a traffic jam on a hill of all places, on one of Dorset’s main roads, I am surprised and reassured to see that when the handbrake is released the vehicle still holds itself in place with no rolling whatsoever so that I can select first gear and move off without breaking into a sweat.
With a ride height taller than even some 4x4s the C4 is a capable motorway cruiser and overtaker.
Nearing the end of my test I suddenly recall another vehicle that celebrated a notable individual and that was the Churchill tank from the Second World War.
Citroen has really hit on a great idea here and more manufacturers should follow suit with this excellent form of commemoration, in my opinion. I can see it now: the Jaguar Thatcher, the Range Rover Bowie or the Rolls Royce Nelson...

Facts at a glance

Price: £28,380
Engine: 2-litre diesel
Top speed: 130mph
0-60mph: 9.7secs
Economy: Over 50mpg
Power: 150bhp