We review the Vauxhall Vivaro Sportive L1H1 2900 van from price to economy and all its features

PROUD to be British? Then you'll love the new Vauxhall Vivaro van.

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As well as securing 1,200 jobs at Luton, Beds, for ten years — and creating 250 new jobs — 40 per cent of Vivaro parts now come from 24 UK suppliers.

And that means job security for thousands more.

Vauxhall is, sadly, the last van standing in the UK after Ford closed down its Transit plant in Southampton in July last year.

But it has raised its game to meet the demands of White Van Man and ticks four key boxes: PRICE — starting at £17,995, it is £450 cheaper than the old model.

ECONOMY — 47.9mpg from the 1.6litre BiTurbo diesel with start/ stop technology.

LOAD — 8x4ft sheets can now be laid flat in the back, plus it takes 4.15metre pipes.

CABIN — comfortable car-like interior with 7in touchscreen, pop-up desk and hidden storage.

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Interior... Comfortably fits two decent-sized guys

A van is a trademan's business card. Look professional and people are more likely to stop and ask for a quote.

The new Vivaro — designed by Luton-born Malcolm Ward — is modern and robust and has the same blade design down the sides as Vauxhall road cars.

There will be two trim levels available from launch next month, Vivaro and Vivaro Sportive, four engines and four body styles — panel van, double cab, nine-seater combi (£25,699 including VAT) and platform cab (£19,795 excluding VAT).

We asked van driver Anders Howard to try one for a week. 

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Tested... Van Man Anders tried out the new Vivaro

ANDERS HOWARD, 41, of Retford, Notts, does 30,000 miles a year in his 11-reg Vivaro as boss of renewable energy firm RBB Electrical. He did 1,200 miles testing the new Sportive.

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First impressions?

It's a good-looking van - stronger, better made and far better design. When the new Transit came out I thought they looked good but this is better. Everybody has commented on the colour. It looks the b******* with the chrome grill and colour-coded bumpers. I've been getting double takes all week.

How does it drive?

Like a peach. It's almost like driving a car. I've been to Southampton, Grantham, Canary Wharf, March in Cambridgeshire, and then Milton Keynes to look at a wind turbine. So I've done 1,200 miles in a week. The economy has been brilliant and I was still getting 29mpg flat out everywhere with the air con on. I thought it was the 140PS version it drives so well, and the cruise control with speed limiter is brilliant for contraflows. I didn't realise how much I liked it until I got back in my old van today. It's like night and day.

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Impressed... Howard is a fan of Vauxhall's new van

What's it like inside?

The driving position seems higher, which is more comfortable for seeing over traffic on the motorway, and noise-wise it runs rings around my van. I can be travelling on the motorway with the radio on volume 12/13 and still have a conversation. The acoustics are brilliant.

The cup holders are c**p. Put a hot drink in the cup holder on the dashboard and the window steams up. And it's not very deep. But I like the pop-out desk. That's got a decent cup holder, clipboard and space for your laptop. The passenger area is far more comfortable. It's got a decent-sized, proper seat and you are not pushed up against the dashboard - so two decent-sized guys can now travel long distances in comfort. Bonus.

How about the load space?

It's a bigger cube, definitely. The van didn't come with any flooring so I got an 8x4ft sheet and it fitted flat on the floor. You couldn't do that in my van. The loading space is 100mm longer. There's a hatch to load pipes and wood through and under the passenger seat. Simple but clever. There's plenty of anchor points and even little things like separate locks on the rear doors are handy. Oh and they've changed the door handles. They're now horizontal, which make life easier when you are carrying something.

VERDICT: We were going to swap to Transits next but this is now comparable and better value. Can you get me a deal? I'd rather buy British. One of my biggest jobs this year was helping to provide solar at the Jaguar Land Rover engine factory. We want to deal with UK companies that deal with other UK companies, otherwise we're not going to have a marketplace.

CARPETS FROM COLESHILL WHEELS FROM WARWICK

The Vivaro gives 24 UK firms a share of £600million of new business. Here are some them:

CARPETS: International Automotive Components, Coleshill, West Midlands.
SEATS: Magna Seating, Dunstable, Beds (employs 53).
BUMPERS: Decoma Systems, Banbury, Oxon; EXHAUSTS: Tenneco-Walker, Gwent.
FUEL TANKS: TI Group Automotive, Deeside.
WHEEL/TYRE ASSEMBLY: Voith Industrial Services Ltd, Warwick.
INTERIOR PLASTICS: SAI Automotive, Fradley, Lichfield, Staffs.
EXTERIOR PLASTICS: Mecaplast, Peterlee, Co Durham.
GPS ANTENNA: Mitsumi Electro, Hayes, SE London;
BULKHEAD PANELS: MKP, Milton Keynes.
WASH TANKS & HOSES: Kautex Textron, Hengoed, Mid Glam.
FRONT CROSS MEMBER: Shape Corp, Coventry.