John Kendall check out the longer Transporter and its incresaed loading versatility as an alternative to a larger van. 

What is it? Long wheelbase medium panel van  How much? From £40,815 (RRP ex-VAT)  Gross payload? 991kg  Economy? 36.7mpg (WLTP combined)  Drive? 2.0-litre turbo diesel with 170hp and 390Nm of torque from 1,750rpm-2,500rpm, eight-speed automatic transmission

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There is no shortage of choice in the medium van sector and having just returned from the 2026 IAA Transportation Show in Hanover, there is plenty more to come too. The VW Transporter has held our ‘Medium Van of the Year’ award for the past two years and for good reason. Choosing a Transporter for your van fleet is not likely to get you the sack. With over 75 years of building a model with that name, customers have a good idea of what they are getting too.

The latest VW Transporter broke cover at the IAA Transportation Show in Hanover two years ago. As we know, it shares much of its architecture with the Ford Transit Custom. Even so, you don’t climb aboard the latest model and think you are in anything other than a VW, despite the recognisably shared parts in the cab.

For our test in this issue, we’re looking at the long wheelbase model, in this case with the well-equipped Commerce Pro trim. Our test model came with a long list of standard equipment including 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, running lights and rear lights, automatic high beam, heated, electric folding door mirrors, side loading door on the nearside, heated driving seat and passenger seats, bulkhead through-loading system, LED lights in the load compartment, load lashing points, 12-inch driver’s display, 13-inch touchscreen central display, wireless phone charging, a 5G modem, USB A and C sockets, alarm, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, and front and rear parking sensors. With VAT, the whole lot comes to £51,398.80, which includes electrical operation of the side loading door (£228), the Premium Plus parking package (£228) and towbar preparation (£222), as well as ply lining (£311.80 excluding fitting) and eight-speed automatic transmission.

Long wheelbase models add 400mm to the vehicle length which goes directly to the load floor length, making it 3,450mm long at floor level. Load volume is extended by 1.0m³ to 6.8m³. As we’ve said, our test van benefits from ply lining to protect the body panels, a good use of £312 plus fitting. It also had the throughloading bulkhead, helping to accommodate longer pipes and other items too long for the load floor.

The Transporter is offered with a choice of 110, 150 or 170hp diesel engines. Our test van was fitted with the most powerful 170hp engine, quite capable of brisk performance with a lightly laden vehicle, or good fuel consumption – we saw over 40mpg in long-distance running when lightly laden and keeping to LCV speed limits. The automatic gearbox, based on VW’s DSG twin-clutch transmission, provides almost seamless gear shifting and ensures the best gear is selected for the vehicle’s speed.

It’s a pleasure to drive the Transporter thanks to the clear instruments and controls. Although things such as the heating and ventilation are operated via the central screen there is a separate menu that can always be accessed at the bottom of the screen. Similarly, if you find the lane-keeping assistance intrusive, it’s a simple button press on the steering wheel to override it.

The cabin has a quality feel to it and includes a range of storage spaces in the doors and around the dashboard. The middle seatback includes a folding table top, useful for operating a laptop for instance. For fleets using telematics, a 5G modem is built in and should simplify the installation of additional equipment. There are plenty of USB sockets for charging compatible equipment, as well as the phone charging pad in our test van.

In Brief:

Key fleet model: VW Transporter Commerce panel van SWB

For: Build quality, specification, ease of driving

Against: Less manoeuvrable than shorter variants; combined wiper and light functions on steering column gear selector

Seven-word summary Longer Transporter offers good load/volume flexibility

Verdict:

Although the Commerce Pro Trim adds to the cost, it provides additional features that drivers would appreciate. The lesser-equipped Commerce and Commerce Plus models offer a more cost-effective alternative.