Vauxhall’s Combo Reviews – A Great Little Van to Drive

The Vauxhall Combo Cargo Sportive is one of the smaller vans available at Van Ninja. Recently, I had a chance to test drive the latest model.

The model that I drove was the 2300 1.5 Turbo D 100ps L1H1 Van. It is currently available for lease from Van Ninja from £200 +VAT per month, which is an exceptional price for this van.

The Cabin

My first impression as I climbed into the van was how much space there was in the cabin. The seats are comfortable, made from good quality fabric, and there’s a lot of leg room. The seat is easily adjustable to allow you to find your preferred driving position.

There are a lot of storage spaces in the cabin, including a tray above the gearstick that is large enough for a phone or tablet. The glove box is spacious, as are the wide pockets on the doors, and there are several cup-holders between the seats.

The driver’s seat provides a clear, commanding view of the road. As a car driver, I was not used to the lack of a rear mirror above the windscreen, but the large wing mirrors definitely made up for that.

Wiper and light controls are clear and easy to find, with daylight running lights coming on automatically with the ignition.

This model of the Combo Cargo comes with a multifunction display above the gearstick. Among other things, it includes a DAB radio and a visual display for the parking sensors.

Before setting off, I took a few minutes to get comfortable with the layout and the controls.

On the Road

Right from the start, I could feel the difference between driving a car and a van, even a smaller van. This was mostly due to the higher viewpoint behind the wheel, and the larger cabin. Everything was more spacious than my little hatchback, and it took a few minutes to get used to how it felt.

The van handles well when driving through town streets, with a good turning circle. When parking, I found the Combo Cargo to be more manoeuvrable than I expected, and I had no difficulty easing the van into a standard vehicle bay in a car park.

Visibility was good, and despite missing the central mirror, I found I had a good sense of the vehicles and road around me using the large side mirrors.

The dashboard instruments are clear and easy to read. Vauxhall have kept the dashboard simple and uncluttered, with only the important readouts displayed. A customisable digital display adds some additional info, such as a large digital speed reading.

When moving out onto the motorway, I was impressed with the van’s acceleration. The 1.5 Turbo Diesel engine is no slouch and it accelerated to motorway speeds without any difficulty. Once on the motorway, I was just as happy overtaking and manoeuvring in the Combo Cargo as I am in my car.

The seat turned out to be very comfortable. I spent over an hour on the motorway and found it quite relaxing. Every now and then, I could feel the crosswind assist kick in to react to a gust of wind, saving me a job and keeping the van in its lane.

Overall

Overall, I was impressed with the van’s handling. Vauxhall have done really well to make the Combo Cargo feel a lot like driving a large car.

If you’re looking for a small van with a solid load capacity that feels good to drive, you can’t go wrong with the Combo. The Sportive version I tested has plenty of in-cabin features to ensure a comfortable drive on longer trips.

Leasing

The Vauxhall Combo Cargo Sportive is available at a great price on finance lease at Van Ninja. As one of our more popular vans, supply is limited, but we can still source some. At the time of writing, there were still some pre-registered vans in stock.

To discover great commercial van offers and ease a Combo Cargo, go to the vehicle page on our website and complete the application form.

*All prices accurate at date of publication.