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To dismiss the more style-oriented van offerings as pure window
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dressing, and having no place in the rough and tumble of the commercial world, is to overlook one factor: people arc receptive to appearance. Like it or not, standing out from the crowd is a priority for some, and this extends to the vehicles they drive.
Vauxhall's Astravan has been a huge success in this country for just this reason — the UK currently accounts for 90% of all sales. With the model now in its fifth generation, it offers a combination of load area and car-based styling that appeals to those who don't need the capacity or the driving characteristics of a fully blown van. The basic Club version allows a medium-sized estate car to be run as a business vehicle; the Sportive version does this while providing cosmetic and dynamic enhancements for the image-conscious.
As well as the choice of 1.3-, 11and 1.9-litre turbo-diesels with six-speed transmission, it gets sports-style seats with lumbar support, a leathercovered steering wheel, matt chrome-effect dashboard and door strips, air-con, an uprated CD/radio and heated electric door mirrors, among other goodies.
If this still isn't enough for you, then Vauxhall also produces an SE version, which comes complete with a rather feisty 148hp 1.9CDTi 16-valve turbo-diesel.
Of course, it's not just the engine upgrade — boosted from the standard 118hp — that makes up this package. The Sportive SE also benefits from 17-inch alloy wheels, lowered sports suspension, ESP, body-coloured front and rear spoilers with side skirts, and front fog lights.
However, let's not forget that the Astravan has a job to do; its lack of rear seats and payload-biased suspension arrangement make sure you have a valid business reason for running a more leisure-focused CV Productivity It may not be one for Not so long ago, squeezing 148hp out of a 1.9-litre petrol the payload crew with engine was seen as cutting edge and usually the reserve of just 647kg maximum, the hot-hatch brigade. So, having a CV with a turbo-diesel but the design allows for engine delivering the same output gives you a good decent utilisation of space indication of its intent. However this considerable output fails to put a dent in fuel consumption, with a laden run producing 47.8mpg and an unladen one 54.3mpg —although we're convinced you'll see a significant drop once you open the taps up (which is easy enough to do).
Moving to the rear, it's not exactly a revelation to confirm that, since the Astravan started as a passenger vehicle, loadspace is off the pace when lined up next to light CVs of a similar length and width.
Of course, this doesn't stop this vehicle being useful, with a load volume of 1.58m3 and a payload of 647kg. This last figure, however, contrasts with the plated axle weights, which indicate a rear rating of 940kg — meaning that if you do fully load at the back then, well, you're going to be overloaded.
Access to the rear is via a hatch that opens upwards and out of harm's way; the interior design, with its minimal wheelarch intrusion, allows you to make good use of the space available.
Keeping the payload from entering the cabin is a halfheight steel bulkhead, while there are six floor-mounted lashing rings, which protrude from the practical rubber matting arrangement. to keep cargo strapped down.
On the road
You don't get many CVs that come equipped with sports suspension and 17-inch alloys, so it's fair to say the SE's prerogative is to entertain on the road.
And it doesn't take long to discover that Vauxhall has backed up the sporting adornments with real driving ability combined with a level of refinement that makes journeys pass without incident.
From the meaty yet direct steering and the subtle yet effective damping that absorbs bumps and thumps with aplomb to the progressive braking, which offers plenty of bite when fully laden, there's a substantial level of engineering throughout.
At the centre of this ability is the engine and chassis. Pushing out 148hp on a vehicle that's typically not going to be lugging heavy loads, the 1.9-litre unit delivers its power with gusto, giving you the torque from low down and winding up progressively, only dropping off at the redline.
Need to overtake? Simply keep it spinning above 2,000rpm and push down your right foot its acceleration times are the fastest we've recorded.
This isn't to say it's all about the grunt. While fuel economy is good, so is the level of refinement on offer in the Astravan. However, we're less enthused about the gear change, which fails to keep with the Astravan's sporting nature and it falls short of matching the engine's precision.
We are, however, positive about the Sportive's cornering prowess. As our opening image suggests, it loves to be pushed and grips with real confidence. And if you do manage to tease it to the end of the envelope, simply ease off and it will tuck in without complaint.
Cab comfort
Those of you who are after multiple storage solutions and room for cat swinging, look away now your requests are very much on the backburner with the Astravan. However, that's not to say the interior doesn't deliver, simply that its aims are more driver-oriented and successfully so. To understand, just sit in the body-hugging, moulded sports seat, close the door to a reassuring thunk and survey the interior. While not overly minimalist, the Astravan's simplicity is only outdone by its stylish appearance. Switches and dials are strikingly designed and positioned where you would expect, while everything works with a crispness that reflects the Astra's superior build quality.
The thick leather-trimmed steering wheel adjusts for both reach and rake, complementing the variable positioning on the sports seat; however, for all the lateral support the bench offers, its firmness is not wholly welcome on long journeys.
And the same goes for the noise levels emitted from the load area when travelling at speed go above 60mph and it builds noticeably to filter into the cabin and slightly spoils the overall high standard of cab insulation.
Furthermore, there's also the aforementioned matter of storage, which only offers up slim door bins and a glovebox as the main attractions.
These negatives, however, fail to impinge on the cabin's overall ambiance, which cossets the driver with its level of sophistication and design, raising the Astravan's interior above that of your typical like-sized light CV. •