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Latest Van News
Ford light commercials are Speedy fleet choice
Equipment rental specialist Speedy has placed an order for 400 Ford LCVs, worth in excess of £8.6m…
2013 used van auction values drop in May
Manheim Remarketing’s latest figures show that average used van values dropped by £78 in May compared to April…
Truckman hardtops bring versatility to fleet
Balfour Beatty has fitted Truckman hardtops to 150 of its fleet of Hilux 4x4 pick-ups…
Transporter features in national VW campaign
Volkswagen is rolling out out a nationwide Transporter billboard ad campaign depicting real owners…
Furmanite renews Citroën van fleet
Plant and pipeline maintenance firm Furmanite is sticking with Citroën to replace its 100-strong van fleet…
New Van Launches
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2013 - First Drive
New 2013 Sprinter is the first van to comply with Euro 6 and safety features are a high priority…
Ford Fiesta Van 2013 - First Drive
Launched at the beginning of 2013, the new Fiesta Van has been restyled inside and out and gets the new 1.5TDCi engine…
Ford Transit Custom - First Drive
Ford’s all-new one-tonne Transit, the Custom, is a very different proposition to its predecessor…
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford…
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We have just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal…
Vans of the Year Awards 2012 - Microvan
Microvan of the Year 2012
DFSK Loadhopper
This category didn’t exist in last year’s Van of the Year Awards, but thanks to Chinese manufacturer DFSK — and Swindon-based importer DFSK UK — the microvan market has been kick-started by the introduction of the Loadhopper. Not only is it available as a van, it can also be had as a single or double cab Dropside and a single cab three-way Tipper. The first vehicles arrived in the country just before the end of 2011 and were immediately dispatched to dealerships.
Microvans and mini-trucks are not everyone’s cup of tea, but they are very suitable for urban operations thanks to their diminutive proportions and very tight turning circle. Being forward control in layout — the engine resides under the cab — there is no bonnet to get in the way. They can squeeze into spaces other light commercials can only dream of fitting into.
Size, however, doesn’t restrict their carrying ability. Payloads range from 590kg to 1,000kg, the van provides 3.0m3 of load space and comes with twin sliding side doors as standard.
All derivatives use the same 70hp 1.3-litre Euro 5 petrol engine, driving the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. The lack of a diesel powerplant presents no real problems; if anything fitting one would make the Loadhopper far too noisy. Performance is spritely, to say the least, and the lack of power steering is only really a problem at low speeds.
The only real drawback is the lack of rearward adjustment for the driver’s seat in the single cab variants. Taller boys and girls should try before buying.
DFSK will not have it all its own way in next year’s Awards. Indian manufacturer Tata is about to launch the battery-powered Ace EV in the UK.
DFSK Loadhopper
This category didn’t exist in last year’s Van of the Year Awards, but thanks to Chinese manufacturer DFSK — and Swindon-based importer DFSK UK — the microvan market has been kick-started by the introduction of the Loadhopper. Not only is it available as a van, it can also be had as a single or double cab Dropside and a single cab three-way Tipper. The first vehicles arrived in the country just before the end of 2011 and were immediately dispatched to dealerships.Microvans and mini-trucks are not everyone’s cup of tea, but they are very suitable for urban operations thanks to their diminutive proportions and very tight turning circle. Being forward control in layout — the engine resides under the cab — there is no bonnet to get in the way. They can squeeze into spaces other light commercials can only dream of fitting into.
Size, however, doesn’t restrict their carrying ability. Payloads range from 590kg to 1,000kg, the van provides 3.0m3 of load space and comes with twin sliding side doors as standard.All derivatives use the same 70hp 1.3-litre Euro 5 petrol engine, driving the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. The lack of a diesel powerplant presents no real problems; if anything fitting one would make the Loadhopper far too noisy. Performance is spritely, to say the least, and the lack of power steering is only really a problem at low speeds.
The only real drawback is the lack of rearward adjustment for the driver’s seat in the single cab variants. Taller boys and girls should try before buying.
DFSK will not have it all its own way in next year’s Awards. Indian manufacturer Tata is about to launch the battery-powered Ace EV in the UK.
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