Vauxhall Movano (2010–)
What's good
Big load area of the Movano is one of its key strengths, making it one of the largest carriers in it class when compared like-for-like with rivals. There’s also a low loading sill with the front-wheel drive models that makes it easy to lift heavy goods in and out.
Spacious cabin with excellent vision to the front and side, which is further helped by large door mirrors that give a good view down the side of the Movano. It’s also very comfortable and quiet in the cab of the Movano, which makes it ideal for long journeys.
Strong engines and slick gearboxes enhance the driving appeal of the Movano regardless of which model you choose and whether it’s front- or rear-wheel drive. Low running costs and 25,000-mile service intervals also make the Movano a sound bet as it reduces downtime.
What's bad
No standard ESP (until 2014) for front-drive models is a weakness when more rivals are now including this vital safety aid as standard equipment.
The cheap feel of many of the cabin plastics lets down the Vauxhall’s cab, especially when it offers good refinement and comfort. If only the plastics felt more substantial, the Movano would right up alongside the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ford Transit.
Vauxhall’s 100PS turbodiesel-powered model feels underpowered on motorway, where the engine has to strain to get up to and maintain a reasonable speed. This impacts on economy and running costs, so best to look at one of the more powerful engines if you mix town driving with A-roads and motorways regularly.
General Motors PK5, PK6, PF1, PF6 manual transmission failure common in Vivaro, Movano, Traffic, and Primastar. The 'built-in' fault, which will result in failure, irrespective of how the vehicle is driven or serviced, is that the gearboxes are assembled in such a way that the preload on the bearings is massively over-torqued, which results in bearing failure, and the total destruction of the box from as low as 20k upwards. In some cases the boxes are built up so tight that it makes turning the box over by hand virtually impossible. Once the bearings are replaced, and shimmed correctly, the box will “go on” virtually indefinitely.
Timing belt of earlier 2005 Vauchall Movano 2.5 pick-up snapped at 188k miles because it had been serviced independently and the timing belt had never been changed.
Very common gear linkage problem Renault Trafics, Renault Masters, Nissan Primastars, Vauxhall Vivaros and Vauxhall Movanos from 2001. The selector cable bush wears or simply pops off the balljoint on the gearbox selector arm. Warrington Transmissions (www.wtc.co.uk) has developed a repair clip to prevent this from happening for just £8 that takes a mere 15 minutes to fit.
