2023 (23) Vauxhall Vivaro Life 100kW Combi L 50kWh 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

The MK3 Vivaro of 2019 turned out to be a more sophisticated kind of Vauxhall mid-sized van. This third generation model's PSA Group engineering allowed this medium-sized model to take a big step forward in technology while still delivering the practicality and value that loyal buyers wanted. There was a full-electric version too. Here, we look at the pre-facelift 2019-2024-era versions of this MK3 design as a used buy.

History

By 2019, with Ford Transits no longer built in Blighty, Vauxhall's Vivaro was the only LCV product the UK was screwing together and in this MK3 form, claimed class leadership in many of the key areas that mattered to business folk. By then, over a million Vivaro vans had been assembled at Vauxhall's plant in Luton since production of the first generation model started in 2001. That was a design shared with Renault and Nissan, as was the second generation design launched in 2014. Vauxhall's acquisition by the French PSA Group in 2017 though, brought about a need for a change in platform approach, so this MK3 Vivaro shared its engineering - and its stiff, more sophisticated EMP2 platform - with Peugeot's Expert, Citroen's Dispatch, Toyota's Proace and, latterly, with Fiat's Scudo too. For potential business buyers of this LCV though, the provenance of this model will be of less interest than what it has to offer on the balance sheet and its practicality for day-to-day deliveries. Would it be an issue that this model was slightly shorter and narrower than its predecessor, we wondered at launch? Or that this MK3 design wasn't available with its predecessor's high roof body style? Or that the lengthier body shape couldn't offer its predecessor's longer wheelbase option? Business customers had to decide. It certainly seemed promising that load volumes were slightly bigger than before, that payloads were also improved and that the specifications were more generous. Plus this van was lighter than a lot of its rivals. And it offered a clever 'FlexCargo' system allowing greater flexibility in the way that users could poke longer items through from the load area into the cab. This van, which was fitted in between the smaller Combo Cargo and the larger Movano in Vauxhall's LCV line-up, certainly needed to be good to face down tough competition in the mid-sized commercial vehicle sector. Apart from its shared development cousins, this Vivaro had to face down direct rivals as talented as Ford's Transit Custom, Volkswagen's Transporter and Mercedes' Vito. And the shared design that back in 2019 was marketed as either a Renault Traffic, a Nissan NV300 or a Fiat Talento. It's the pre-facelift 2021-2024-era MK3 Vivaros we concentrate on here.

What You Get

This third generation Vivaro design was shorter, narrower and, to most eyes, generally more visually appealing than its predecessor, which had beaky, rather awkward front styling. This MK3 design shrunk slightly; let's get specific. The standard 'L1' body shape measures in at 4,959mm, 39mm shorter than before, while the alternative 'L2' body style measures 5,309mm, 89mm shorter than the previous design. The greater reduction in length with the 'L2' is down to the fact that in this MK3 form, longer Vivaro models now no longer had a lengthier wheelbase; all the designers did with this third generation model on the 'L2' was to add on a bit of extra overhang behind the rear axle. And on the subject of practicality, it was disappointing for original customers to note that there was no high roof option with the MK3 Vivaro, though the standard models were slightly taller, which is what allowed this third generation design to offer slightly higher cubic capacity load space figures. It could still though, fit under normal carpark height restrictors. The wheels on your Vivaro will be either 16 or 17-inches in size. Move to the back and, as you'd expect, the vertically stacked lights flank the usual hinged rear doors, with glazing and a tailgate available as options. What about the cab? Well if you're switching into this third generation Vivaro from the old MK2 version, the first thing you'll notice is that the seating position is slightly lower, which makes it more car-like, but slightly less commanding. Interior design and perceived quality took a big step forward here. Before, you simply couldn't have created a pricey large MPV out of this Vauxhall van; with this MK3 design, it wasn no problem for the brand to do just that. Fitted as standard is the dual front passenger bench that most users will want, though when we've tried it three-abreast, we've noticed that the seat base is slightly narrower than it was in the old model, so there's less shoulder room and a bit more squashing up as a result. Avoid the base 'Edition' and 'Design' trim levels and as standard, this bench comes in so-called 'FlexCargo' configurable form. That enables it to be raised to accommodate bulky items pushed through a provided hatch from the cargo area. Or, if you want to use your Vivaro as a mobile office, the backrest of the middle seat can be folded forward. There's an elasticated strap to secure your paperwork and, if you pull on the left hand side of the backrest top, you'll find that it swivels round into an ideal position for a laptop or a tablet, so that you can stop between deliveries to check up on your emails. Alternatively, the middle part of the seat base can be raised to reveal a useful stowage area big enough for a pack of six half-litre bottles, maybe your work boots and a hard hat - or perhaps valuable items you might want to keep out of sight. Finally, the far left passenger side of the bench can be raised to create a much larger storage area for items of cargo that you might rather transport in the cab. Another key cabin feature is the centrally-positioned 7-inch centre-dash colour touchscreen, fitted as standard to all but the very cheapest variants. As well as a DAB tuner and Bluetooth, it includes a 'Mirror Screen' feature, so you can duplicate your smartphone's display onto the monitor via either the 'Apple CarPlay' or the 'MirrorLink' 'Android Auto' systems. What about the cargo area? The standard 'L1' body shape offers a 5.3m3 cargo capacity (which is 0.1m3 more than the previous generation model) and 2,512mm of floor length (25mm less than before). Go for the lengthier 'L2' body style and you're looking at 6.1m3 (again 0.1m3 more than the previous generation model) and 2,862mm of floor length (which is a significant 75mm less than before). Don't make your decision between these two body shapes until you've taken into account the potential extra capacity that can be freed up by the optional 'FlexCargo' load-through bulkhead, should your chosen Vivaro have it. Whichever body style you choose, this can add a useful 1,162mm to the overall loading length and 0.5m3 to the overall carriage capacity So, we've established that this Vivaro is a very practical proposition, but what about its running costs, claimed by Vauxhall to be very difficult to beat in this class? You'd expect this model's relatively light weight and its efficient PSA Group-sourced 'Euro 6d TEMP 6.2-series' engines to pay dividends here - which is how it pans out. The brand is claiming CO2 emissions enhancements of between 16-19% across the range and an economy improvement of between 20-28%. Significant gains in other words. Think in terms of this MK3 Vivaro putting out about 30g/km less CO2 and going 13-17 miles further on each gallon of expensive DERV. As for the Vivaro Electric, well charging via a 7.4kW wall box will take over 7 hours for the 50kWh battery - it's more than 11 hours for the 75kWh unit. If you find a 100kW DC rapid charger when you're out and about, you'll be able to get the smaller battery from near empty to 80% full around half an hour: it'll take around 45 minutes to do the same with the larger capacity unit.

What to Look For

We've heard of various issues with this MK3 Vivaro. With the diesel, some owners have had problems with the fuel injectors, leading to reduced engine performance. There have also been reports of timing chain issues and manual gearbox problems like slipping clutches or difficult gear engagement. Worn shock absorbers and potential Diesel Particulate Filter blockages are relative common. And look out for electric faults like alternator failure or battery drain. We've heard of radiator issues causing engine over-heating; corrosion issues on older models; and exhaust system problems like a noisy muffler. There are no major issues reported with the Vivaro Electric, but do a thorough full charge to check the system through. These vans are pretty tough, but there are a few things you'll need to look out for. It's the usual advice with large LCVs to buy on condition rather than year and look for a van that has tended to have performed lightweight delivery duties rather than consistently butting up against its payload limits. Make sure that all the connectivity works properly - Bluetooth-linking and so on. Check for load bay scuffs and scratches. And insist on a fully stamped-up service history.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a Vivaro 1.5 Turbo D 120hp - 2022) Air filters are around £8-£40. Oil filters are around £6-£13. Front brake pads are around £28-£111 - it's £33-£51 for a set of rear pads. A pair of front brake discs cost in the £41-£60 bracket. A pair of rear brake discs are typically in the £27-£53 bracket. Wiper blades are around £6-£20. A headlight is in the £256-£308 bracket.

On the Road

The Vivaro became usefully more agile in this third generation guise, primarily thanks to the lighter, stiffer 'EMP2' platform that Vauxhall's switch to PSA Group ownership dictated it had to have. There's a nimble feeling through the turns this van didn't have with its previous Renault Nissan Alliance underpinnings, helped by a lower centre of gravity and steering that, though not especially feelsome, responds more quickly to inputs. For combustion customers, there's a choice of two main diesel engines, a 1.5-litre unit offered with either 100 or 120PS. And the 2.0-litre powerplant we'd recommend, available with either 120, 150 or 180PS. The most powerful model has to be had with the 8-speed automatic transmission Vauxhall also offered as an option on the 120PS 2.0-litre diesel. Otherwise, you'll be using a 6-speed manual. An all-electric powertrain was also developed for this third generation model, with a choice of batteries. That's quite important because stuck with the standard 50kWh battery, the Vivaro Electric van isn't able to take you very far - up to 133 miles combined, or up to 196 miles in the city. With the pricier 75kWh battery fitted to the Vivaro Electric van, there's a 196 mile combined range, which rises to 267 miles in the city. If you're wondering what driving a full-electric mid-sized van might be like, well, there's not too much to get your head around. You turn the key in the ignition, wait for the starting beep, then flick the gear toggle into Drive. There's a drive-mode selector that allows drivers to switch between ECO, NORMAL and POWER modes. There's 136hp on tap and there's also a 'B' option that ploughs extra energy back into the battery, offering more resistance while you're slowing down. Top speed is just 84mph. Whatever powertrain you choose in your Vivaro, combustion or electric, you should find that refinement has taken a big step forward with this MK3 design, as has ride quality thanks to load-sensitive shock absorbers and a so-called 'passive' suspension system that adjusts springing and damping as required, depending on the road surface. Plus this model feels quite manoeuvrable. Testers who'd found the sheer size of some other mid-sized LCVs in this segment a little daunting when dealing with narrow country lanes and squeezing through gaps in the traffic were, we found, much more easily able to acclimatise to a Vivaro. The bonnet's set quite high, but the nose has a squared-off shape that we've found during our testing programme makes this Vauxhall easy to place in tight urban situations.

Overall

In a medium range market where there really isn't that much to choose between the very best panel vans, buying decisions often come down to very small differences. If you've an LCV brand, the more of these you can build into your product, the better placed it will be. And on that basis, this third generation Vivaro acquits itself very well indeed if you're looking for a medium-sized van from the 2019-2024 period. Of course, potential Vivaro customers convinced by Vauxhall's proposition will need to remember that in a rival Peugeot Expert, Citroen Dispatch or Toyota Proace, they could have pretty much exactly the same product with a different badge. It's at this point though, that the convenience of Vauxhall's huge UK dealer network might well sway the decision this Luton brand's way. Plus there's the fact that this was a British-built product. Small differences certainly. But maybe perhaps in this case, crucial ones.