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By Jonathan Crouch

Vauxhall's largest People Carrier, the Vivaro Life Electric, now makes more sense with a larger 75kWh battery. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 91

Need a really large MPV? Perhaps you need a full-electric one? Here's Vauxhall's take on this concept, the Vivaro Life Electric, now improved with a larger 75kWh battery. This model is, as its name suggests, based on the marque's medium-sized Vivaro van but it's actually pretty sophisticated as well as being light, airy, and seriously spacious, with room for up to 9 people, depending on variant. If anything, its commercial vehicle roots serve as a strength and the huge interior, tough build and uncomplicated design might prove ideal for family buyers.

Backgroundword count: 207

Really large People Carriers are these days almost exclusively based on vans - and it's easy to see why. Previously, with a car-based large MPV like, say a Ford Galaxy, once you'd filled the vehicle with a family, there was usually no room for a family's luggage. But with a model based on a boxy van, there's usually space for both. But prior to 2016, the only way to get a really large LCV-based people carrier of this sort was to pay the high prices required for either the Volkswagen Caravelle or the Mercedes V-Class. It was to offer a more affordable alternative that the Vauxhall Vivaro Life was launched in this year, based on the Vivaro van. It was introduced alongside two identical clones, the Peugeot Traveller and the Citroen SpaceTourer. In 2021, the diesel versions of all three models were discontinued in favour of a single all-electric drivetrain. But they could only be had with the compact 50kWh battery used by small Stellantis Group cars, so driving range was correspondingly feeble and sales were slow. Hence the urgent need for a bigger battery, which Vauxhall has introduced at the same time smartening the exterior styling and upgrading the cabin screens. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 254

You might have previously dismissed the original 50kWh version of this Vivaro Life Electric because of its restricted 143 mile range. Well there's been a big improvement there thanks to the installation of a new 75kWh battery pack that boosts range to 217 miles. A useful improvement, but we're a little disappointed that Vauxhall hasn't also installed the even bigger 110kWh pack that's now available with its larger Movano LCV (which gives an even better range of up to 260 miles). Perhaps the thinking was that a battery of that weighty size might have rather over-whelmed the 134bhp (260Nm) electric motor which is carried over from the original model. Three driving modes are available, but you'll need the most frugal of them - 'Eco' - to get anywhere near the claimed range figure - and that restricts power output significantly. The other two settings are 'Normal' and 'Power'. There's also a new regenerative braking system with three different levels, using paddles located behind the steering wheel. Through the corners, as you would expect, there's plenty of body roll if, rather unwisely, you start throwing the thing about. If you can ignore both that and the slightly vague steering and find yourself absolutely having to push on, you'll find that there's reasonable grip and traction. For outdoor activities, the Vivaro Life Electric can come with an Advanced Grip Control system, incorporating Hill Assist Descent Control and adjustable traction control. This set-up's ideal for use on low grip surfaces, with modes for sand, mud and snow.

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