Vauxhall Vivaro (2014-2019) Review

The Vivaro has been the right van for many people, for many reasons. It has a strong selection of engines that are quiet and refined, and it offers a good range of different body shapes where rivals don’t. The Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert, for example, only come with one height while the Vivaro’s two heights mean it is more things to more people.

If you’re after a van that is solid, spacious and good to drive then the Vivaro ticks pretty much all the boxes on your wish list. It might not be quite as sharp to drive as the Ford Transit Custom, and age hasn’t been kind to some of the features in the cabin, like the phone holder, but it is economical and rides well.

There are multiple reasons to pick the Biturbo engines over the single-turbo equivalents. For one, they offer a little more boost lower down, which means that they have a fast throttle response, but the second reason is their superior economy. 

There is little reason to go for the range-topping Limited Edition Nav over the Sportive – most of the equipment is either cosmetic or doesn’t really justify the step up. The Sportive comes with the important stuff, though, like the load-through hatch, parking sensors, air conditioning and extra cabin storage.

The entry-level model is really aimed at the sort of fleets that would buy in bulk and comes across as a bit basic. If you are choosing a van for yourself, treat yourself to at least a couple of luxuries.

What cars are similar and what competes even if it’s not in the same class (i.e if value is your priority also consider, same for other areas, e.g warranty, space, performance, etc)

The closest vans to the Vauxhall Vivaro are the Fiat Talento, Nissan NV300 and Renault Trafic – the four are all based on the same platform and share the same engines so the difference only really comes down to packaging and design tweaks. The Trafic, for example, offers a slightly longer warranty with the latest versions coming with five years’ cover.

The big contender in the Vivaro’s class is the Ford Transit Custom, which is regularly the biggest selling van in the country by some distance. It provides a slightly sharper drive and the most recent versions have a classier cabin. If you want a van that offers a little more in the way of a car-like feel inside then the Volkswagen Transporter is another to consider.

The quality inside the Vivaro is generally good, with the various bits feeling well screwed together. There are, as there tends to be on vans, a large amount of hard plastics throughout the cabin. These are designed to help deal with the sort of hard-working life that a van goes through, but it does mean that the cabin feels a little utilitarian in places. There are a couple of exceptions, though, such as the glovebox. The lid feels a little lightweight and it can’t be locked, which is a shame.

The big difference between the lower trims and the range-topping Limited Edition Nav is the addition of the seven-inch touchscreen. 

There aren’t many stylistic flourishes as you head up the range – every version gets a leather-covered steering wheel – but the Sportive and Limited Edition Nav get a different seat upholstery. None get leather as standard, but the Vivaro was a bit of a rarity in that you could specify leather as an option.

The Vivaro was ahead of some rivals at the time of its launch by offering digital radio as standard on all models, alongside Bluetooth, USB and aux connections.

Every version also comes with steering-wheel mounted controls as standard, which can be used to control the hands-free phone – a bonus for those who might be fielding calls from the boss.

Unusually for a van, there are two satellite navigation systems. One comes as standard on the Limited Edition Nav version, and there is another version with live traffic updates. However, the updates service ends on 31 December 2020 and can’t be renewed, so the basic model will work just as well. Even before that happens the system feels a little dated by modern standards. It is straightforward to operate and has clear graphics, though. Because of its age, there is no Apple Carplay or Android Auto available.

The majority of Vivaros will have three seats across the front of the cabin – there was the option to turn it into a two-seater, but few will have willingly reduced the number of people that can fit into a work vehicle.

The space for the two passengers in the front is not too bad, but could be a little better. The far passenger seat is wide enough and there is plenty of space if you aren’t carrying anyone in the middle. There is loads of legroom for example and there is a good amount of headroom for all three. The middle seat is a bit narrow and uncomfortable on anything other than shorter journeys.

The combi versions have space for up to eight in three rows of seats. The double cab has space for five, with only space for the one front passenger.

All models apart from the basic one come with the Flex Cargo load-through hatch on the passenger side which extends the load length up to a maximum of 4.15m in the longer of the two models.

The interior space is good, and aided by the wide range of body shapes that the Vivaro comes in. Even the shortest L1 version can carry three Euro pallets and there are up to 20 lashing points around the loading bay. The total loading capacity ranges from 5.2 cubic metres to 8.6 cubic metres, which is notably more than the Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch – the models on which the latest Vivaro is based.

The basic model comes with solid twin rear doors that open out to 180 degrees, although this could be extended out to 270 degrees on the L2 version. The options list also allowed you to spec side-hinged doors with windows or a top-hinged tailgate.

The payloads in the Vivaro are good but not class leading. The fact that every model can carry more than 1000kg is good, but the top level of 1281kg is more than 100kg short of the best in class. 

The engine range in the Vivaro consisted of 1.6-litre diesels throughout its life, although there was a slight tweak to four units in 2016.

When it was launched in 2014, the Vivaro’s engines consisted of two single-turbo 1.6-litre engines with 90PS and 115PS. The lower powered version is the town model, but the higher of these two has enough torque at 300Nm to pull strongly without ever feeling flustered.

The other two engines were both dubbed Biturbos, which meant they had two turbochargers, and offered 120PS and 140PS. Because the smaller of the two turbochargers kicks in at lower revs, there is more urgency from lower in the rev range so it feels swifter when you put your foot down. The second turbocharger then kicks in when the revs are up to boost power. They offer 320Nm and 340Nm and are the better all-round choice if you are likely to max out the payload or want to use the Vivaro for towing.

The 2016 update meant very little on a tangible basis – it was to ensure that the engines met Euro 6 emissions standards – but it did bring a power boost of 5PS to each model. Don’t expect to find that making any difference to how they perform in the real world though.

The Vivaro offered no choice at all when it came to gearboxes – you get a light and slick six-speed ‘box and that was it. Automatic wasn’t even an option.

Anyone upgrading from the previous Vivaro to this model will be struck by the noise, or lack of it. The 1.6-litre engines are impressively smooth and quiet, regardless of which power version you go for. The higher power Biturbos are marginally quieter even, largely because they don’t have to work as hard, but none of the range is what you would call noisy.

The vibration levels are kept to an impressively low level, too, with the engines smooth and little movement coming through the usual spots such as the gear lever and pedals.

At times the suspension can sound a little noisy, but that is largely because the wind, road and engine noise is kept out so well. This is one of the most impressive vans in the class for refinement, which makes a big difference at the end of a long drive. Not only can you hold a conversation at normal levels, you don’t get out feeling like your senses have been assaulted.

The basic model’s safety kit, as ever with a van, is fairly simple on the Vivaro. It comes with just a driver’s airbag, ABS, emergency brake assist, hill start assist, a full-height steel bulkhead and an immobiliser.

Step up to Sportive and you get a couple more features, like cruise control with a speed limiter and rear parking sensors, but the Limited Edition Nav doesn’t add much more. Hit the options list and you can add passenger and side airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system (this is included on the Combi model) a rear-view camera and a factory-fitted speed limiter that can’t be controlled by the driver.

All get a full-size spare wheel, but it’s worth checking if one is included – you could replace that with a tyre inflation kit as a no-cost option.

The Vivaro panel van wasn’t tested by Euro NCAP, but they did assess the passenger version of the mechanically identical Renault Trafic. Even with a few more pieces of equipment as standard, the Trafic only scored three stars in 2015.

The Vivaro’s insurance groups are the older 1-20 group system and the vast majority of the range sits in group 9E. The only exceptions to this are the Biturbo versions of the L2H1 model in panel van and crew van versions. The Sportive models up the rating by another group to 11E but none go much higher than that.

Taxing the Vivaro is the same whichever model you go for – it qualifies for the commercial vehicle VED and benefit-in-kind systems. This means a low-level, flat rate charge applies so it is much cheaper to tax than a similarly emitting car.