Europe is filled with vans that we at Car and Driver constantly lament not being able to buy here in the U.S., and now Volkswagen has released its Britain-only Transporter Sportline to really zing our van love-o-meter. The sport van concept isn’t new—Ford offers a SportVan version of its ubiquitous (in Europe) Transit, and we recently finished our Mazdaspeed 5 project van—but it is ever cool, despite lacking the Ford’s go-faster stripes. The Sportline goes for a subtle, under-the-radar look enhanced by a subtle body kit, classy chrome-smattered headlights flanking a glossy black grille, smoked taillights, and 18-inch five-spoke wheels available in either silver or satin black. The van is available in three sporty colors: silver, the oh-so-cool black seen in the photo above, or white with a gloss-black roof. The interior receives two-tone leather appointments, a nav unit with a 7-inch touch screen, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity, power windows, and the intriguingly dangerous-sounding “semi-automatic air conditioning.”
The vans are powered by a 178 hp, 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engine paired with either a six-speed manual or an available seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automated manual. Performance is hardly impressive, but with quoted 0-to-62 mph times in the 10-second range, the vans are reasonably quick by cargo-carrier standards. The Sportline can be had in short- or long-wheelbase versions clad in either panel or passenger-van “kombi” bodywork. Prices start at $53,862 for a short-wheelbase Sportline panel van, after accounting for current exchange rates and the UK’s value-added tax. But it’s a sporty van, and just think of how cool you’d look fleeing a bank robbery in it.
Tags: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Transporter Sportline |
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