Our Vans: Volkswagen T5 Transporter Kombi Sportline

20 October 2014: Has our Sportline been usurped?

The Details

Current mileage 4229
Claimed economy 37.2mpg
Actual economy 33.0mpg

When our Transporter Sportline arrived in the summer (remember that, when it was all sunny and sort of warm), it was the top of the range model in the Transporter line-up. A full bifta £38k worth of white van loveliness. But now that's changed because a new pesky whippersnapper has taken its place.

As the Transporter is now amazingly 60 years old in the UK, having been launched at the 1954 Earl's Court Commercial Vehicle show, alongside a prototype of the Routemaster Bus, Volkswagen is keen to celebrate this. And that means a new Sportline 60 model that replaces the 'standard' Sportline. The king is dead. Or not. He just has some new stripes down the side.

Of course if you're buying a new Transporter Sportline now, you'll be getting a 60 edition as standard. Underneath it's the same as the Sportline we're running. So you get the excellent 2.0 BiTDI 180PS engine and a choice of a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional seven-speed DSG automatic.

Like the old Transporter Sportline it comes as either a standard panel van or a kombi (like ours) and there are standard and long wheelbase versions, with one roof height. And as before there's a choice of three colours - Candy White (with the black roof) as an option along with Reflex Silver and Deep Black.

Volkswagen Transporter Main

                                                Posher stripes. Get you Sportline 60...

So what does it get to justify the 60 part of the name? Well in terms of styling it's not too different. There are special decals down the side (which I'm not sure about) along with black rather than silver steel side bars. You can get anthracite wheels as above or the black and silver two-tone wheels as fitted to our van. Perhaps the biggest visual change is the standard fit of xenon headlights with an LED daytime running light strip. It's something that's notable by its absence on our Sportline.

Our Sportline cost £38,615 on the road including VAT while the equivalent short wheelbase kombi Sportline 60 is priced at £39,658. So what do you get for your extra £1000? Well the differences are most noticeable inside. The leather seats are now posher with a quilted finished, very Bentley-esque, which don't have the garish grey inserts of the standard Sportline.

Perhaps the most useful addition is cruise control, something which I'm surprised was not standard previously given this is the top of the range Transporter. The rather duff Kenwood stereo and nav system remains but does at least now include a reversing camera.

With the new Transporter T6 due in 2015 this could be one of the last Sportline editions Volkswagen will produce in the T5 bodystyle. It may not be a big step-up from the previous Sportline, but then it was already such a good looking and well equipped van, there was very little else Volkswagen could add to it.

« Earlier: Most. Infuriating. Stereo. Ever.     Later: A leaky Transporter problem »

Updates
The Transporter has made David very popular over the past few months, moving everything from kitchens to French doors.
I've left it late this year but finally the Transporter is on its winter tyres and ready for the cold weather.
Several people have confused our Transporter Kombi for a Caravelle. So is the plusher Caravelle a better choice?
Fuel economy is crucial for businesses and van owners but can you still expect good fuel consumptions with a 180PS TDI engine?
Our Transporter seems to have developed a leak in the front passenger footwell that occurs after heavy rain.
20 October 2014: Has our Sportline been usurped?
When our Transporter Sportline arrived in the summer it was the top model in the range but now it's been usurped by the Sportline 60. Boo.
Our Transporter doesn't come with a Volkswagen issue stereo. Instead it gets an aftermarket Kenwood one. And it's incredibly frustrating to use.
Over the summer the Transporter has been busy with the very useful towbar bike rack being pressed into action.
Our Transporter is proving popular as fellow motoring writer Kyle Fortune borrows it for a weeks holiday in Norfolk.
Remarkably it has been 60 years since the Transporter first went on sale in the UK. Our latest T5 model gets to meets its predecessors.
After two weeks with our new Transporter, David has invested in some ratchet straps to stop everything sliding about in the back.
The top of the range Volkswagen Transporter Kombi Sportline becomes the first van in the new Our Vans section where we'll be running it for six months.
 

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