A BETTER VALUE COMBO (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_vauxhallcombocargo_2018

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 78

In its original post-2018 form, the fourth generation version of Vauxhall's Combo LCV combined French engineering with the Griffin brand's extensive knowledge of what British businesses really want from a compact yet spacious commercial vehicle. With this model, that meant clever technology, class-leading efficiency and very competitive practicality stats, including the option of a lengthier 'L2' body shape. On the used market, the result, an International Van of the Year-winner, could very well be your right hand van.

Modelsword count: 9

compact van (1.5 TDCi diesel / Electric - EV)

Historyword count: 435

Small vans were once very small indeed, essentially superminis with blanked-out rear windows. Fine if you were an envelope courier or a florist, but not much use otherwise. Back in 1993, one LCV design changed all that, predictably brought to us by the UK's biggest van franchise, Vauxhall, and carrying a name that's now familiar to around a quarter of a million satisfied owners across Britain: the Combo. In 2018, four decades on, it was still going strong, bigger and more practical than ever before in this fourth generation guise. The thinking behind the Combo's original cleverness seems quite simple now: take a small car platform, but build a properly shaped load space cube upon it, a concept rather crudely executed in the original little Vauxhall Corsa-based MK1 'Combo B' design, but delivered with a little more finesse by the second generation 'Combo C' model launched in 2001. The MK3 'Combo D' model of 2011 (which was based on a Fiat Doblo platform) went up a size, so as to be able to compete with really spacious small vans like Citroen's Berlingo and Peugeot's Partner. There was no doubt that this replacement fourth generation 'Combo E' model could do that because it shared virtually every element of its design with these two Gallic contenders, reflecting Vauxhall's then-recent change of ownership to the French PSA Group. Later, it shared its design with two other competing small LCVs, the Fiat Doblo and the Toyota Proace City. In 2018, the Combo (by then known as the 'Combo Cargo' to differentiate it from the 'Combo Life' passenger-carrying version of this design) represented the entry-point to Vauxhall's LCV line-up. It was the kind of van you bought if your business needed what the industry called a 'B'-segment commercial model: a compact LCV that was a bit larger than the brand's old Corsavan, but a bit smaller than the Griffin maker's mid-sized Vivaro model, which by now also featured PSA Group engineering. There were of course plenty of other 'B'-segment vans that competed against this Vauxhall, so this Combo was designed to try and stand out. Buyers got low running costs courtesy of an engine range primarily based around an extremely frugal 1.5-litre diesel unit. And smart technology that included a clever onboard weighing system and a clever surround rear-vision camera. Plus there were a couple of body lengths and two or three seat options, along with a Crew Van variant. A full-electric version arrived in 2021. Diesel and EV versions of this Combi Cargo sold in this form until early 2024, when this design was updated with a facelifted model.

What You Getword count: 458

The fourth generation 'E'-series version of this Combo had a very different look to its predecessors - and a slightly different design approach too. The nose section was crafted to deliver what Vauxhall hoped was a 'robust appearance'. The brand's usual prominent Griffin badge on the grille is flanked by chromed wings that flow into angular headlamps that could be specified with a High beam assist system. Inside, Vauxhall was allowed to put its own stamp on this cabin, with brand-specific design for the gear lever, the stalks off the steering column, the instrument dials, the steering wheel and the infotainment graphics. Everything's of much higher quality than it was in the previous generation model, with a more horizontally-orientated architecture and smarter materials on the dashboard, the centre console and the doors. There's a bit of extra optional high-tech - the optional 'Permanent Rear View Camera' for instance - plus plusher versions get a much more sophisticated centre-dash infotainment screen, which is 8-inches in size. The seats were much improved too. And there's plenty of cabin practicality, courtesy of 15 different storage compartments Time to focus on practicality. There are two Combo Cargo body shapes to consider - the standard 4.4m-long standard-length version and a lengthier 4.75m 'L2' variant which has a proper long wheelbase platform, so can take significantly more inside. Even the standard-length Combo Cargo model has a load area big enough to swallow a couple of Euro pallets (thanks to a useful 1,229mm of width between the wheel arches) and can offer 3.3m3 of carriage capacity and 1,817mm of load space length. The bigger 'L2' version can increase those figures to 3.9m3 of capacity and 2,167mm of load space length. There's a minimum of 1,236mm of interior height. With both body shapes, you can extend the capacity by an extra 0.5m3 by using the clever 'FlexCargo' modular bench seat package that was an important option with this fourth generation 'E'-series model. Find a Combo fitted with it and this will enable you to flatten the outer passenger seat into the floor and push through longer items into the cab. What else? Well payload capacity is rated at either fractionally above or fractionally below a tonne - which is class-competitive. And from new, a clever optional 'Overload Indicator' could be fitted in the cargo bay to inform a Combo cargo operator when the vehicle's maximum authorised payload has been exceeded. As for efficiency, well with the volume 100hp diesel powerplant that most Combo van buyers will choose, you're looking at between 66 and 68mpg on the combined cycle and somewhere between 109 and 112g/km of CO2. There's a three year / 60,000 mile warranty. And Vauxhall's vast network of specialist LCV dealers to look after you.

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