122 | JANUARY 2018 http://www.adbmag.com.auCATEGORYVan
Vehicle:VW Transporter
Cargo comparo | 4WD v VAN v UTE v SUV
Highway ability:Thevanisnotbuilt
forlongstretchesofhighway.Our
VWTransporterT5hadcruise
control,whichmadelifeeasier,but
the Hiace we used to have didn’t, and
speeding tickets came flooding in.
It’sthenoisiestofthelotonthe
highway and, if you need to stop from
110km/h,IthinkI’dratherbein
something safer.
3/10Nickability:This is the van’s strong
point.Wecouldsafelyrockuptothe
trackwithallourtoolsandgear,and
not develop hypertension mid-race,
thinking we’d left our T-bars out.
Andwefoundreversinghardup
againstawalloutsidehotelsatnight
wasthebestwaytoprotectourride
because, if they wanted it, they were
goingtohavetostealthevan.
9/10Versatility: A van can double as a
work vehicle but, most of the time, a
tradie’s van is full of tools and
removing these each time you want
to ride sucks! Most vans are not
four-wheel-drive (although some VWTransporters are) meaning off-road is
a no-go, and doing the weekly shop is
a pain in the arse when trying to
park. Aside from moving your bike
onthebitumen,avandoesn’treally
offer much.
3/10Idiot resistance: Vans are easy to
drive but they are not easy to see out
of. You’ve got blindspots everywhere.
Unless you have a reversing camera
or fish-eye mirror they can also be
hard to park. You do sit up high
thoughandtheydohaveanexcellent
turning circle.
3/10Loading: The only thing you have to
be careful of when loading a van is
your head on the way in. The
Transporter could fit three bikes
comfortably and it is low to the
ground, meaning the vertically-
challenged don’t have to worry about
the bike landing on their heads. You
can also throw whatever else you need
into the back without worrying about
seriously tying it down.
8/10It’s enclosed so you won’t blow your load