VW
VANS
AT
LAST
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The LT
Range - new to SA. |
TRUDGING around European truck shows, one cannot fail to observe Volkswagen’s large presence in commercial vehicles. VW is also huge in Brazil where they claim to command 30,5% of the truck market between 8t and 40 t and 27% of the 8t to18t bus market. I have always wondered why VW SA never launched into our local medium commercial vehicle market - at least at the bottom end where they are so successful with vans in Europe. That’s all changed now and the SA van segment will never look the same again writes
Dave Scott.
LT could be mistaken as an abbreviation for ‘late’ and it would be correct to say that VW is a late arrival on the South Africa van market. However, in Europe, LT is taken for exactly what it is, namely, one of Europe’s most popular cargo carriers - and it is now available in South Africa. Although one may say they have been tardy in coming forward, the other side of the argument is a more comforting one – certainly from a customer’s point of view. That side says that rather than rush in, VW SA took time to do its homework, not only in terms of product suitability but equally important, in terms of setting up the necessary back-up and service infrastructure.
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JOLYON
NASH
- sales and marketing director of VWSA. |
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MARIUS
TSCHIRSCHWITZ
- sales manager, commercial vehicles of VWSA. |
What this tells us is that VW SA is serious about putting in place a professional all-round package that caters to the commercial vehicle buyer as a sector totally different to its traditional car buyers. One pointer towards this is the fact that specialist dealers have been set up to sell and service the LT vans. Nine such dealers – spread nationally – were in place at launch date with another two on the way by early next year. That the vans have been launched with a 24-hour alert (emergency) line and a two-year unlimited warranty also points to this focussed approach.
Hoorah! Obviously the homework showed what FleetWatch has always said, namely, that commercial vehicles require a totally different – and very focussed – approach to that adopted for cars. It’s a different customer with different needs. There is no emotion in the purchase decision. It’s pure business. That said, let’s take a brief look at the offerings. Ranging in price from R206 100 up to R267 700 (excluding VAT) there’s a choice of two VW van models for SA operators.
• A medium wheelbase LT 35 in either a standard or high roof and at a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 3 550kg with a payload of 1 545kg
• A long wheelbase LT46 is available only with a high roof and at 4 600kg GVM has a payload of 2 420kg. All vans have an 80-litre fuel tank.
VW LT is equipped with two diesel, turbocharged and inter-cooled engines, a 5-cylinder 2.5TDI and a 4-cylinder 2.8TDI available in all models. The 2.5TDI produces 80kW of power and 280Nm of torque, transmitted to the rear wheels via a 5-speed synchromesh gearbox. This translates to top speeds of 141km/h for the LT35 80kW standard roof and 138km/h for the LT46 80kw. The LT35 Standard has a top speed of 149km/h, the High Roof 147km/h, while the LT46 Standard reaches a top speed of 144km/h.
The powerful 4-cylinder 2.8TDI produces 116kW and VW LT performance with the new engine is expected to set standards for van productivity. Equipped with a variable turbine geometry (VTG) turbocharger and intercooler, the 116-kW unit achieves a maximum torque of 331Nm. The VTG turbocharger ensures that the engine achieves its maximum torque at low speeds of 1800 rpm with high torque available all the way up to 3000 rpm, enabling driving in lower engine speed ranges to reduce the need for constant gear shifting. All models are fitted with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) as standard. An electronic immobiliser is also standard across the range. Front headlamps are height adjustable for better night vision, with a rear fog light.
Power steering and a manually controlled heating system are standard features across the range, as is a durable and high-quality woven seat abric. Air conditioning, cruise control, front airbags, central locking and weight adjustable driver seats are available as optional extras. Volkswagen LT has service intervals of 15 000kms.
The LT is manufactured at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany, and is immediately available as a CBU import.
FleetWatch extends its best wishes to this new arrival on our market. We reckon the ingredients are all there to give the competitors a run for their money. Let’s see.
