The Medium Van Sector – what’s new in the world of technology?
The medium van sector is the mainstay of British business – from the electrician working on your property to the national utility companies ensuring all our connected services stay, well, connected. There’s plenty of new tech appearing in these vans, so Van Expert Tim Cattlin takes a look at the top 6 medium vans you can lease or buy today and what state-of-the-art technology they now come with.
Firstly, let’s quickly mention something that may have prompted the appearance of some of this new tech. July 2024 sees the introduction of new legal requirements for all cars and vans built from this date. GSR2 means that manufacturers must now build all vehicles with a large number of driver aids and safety features as standard. One of the most controversial is Intelligent Speed Assistance which uses either GPS technology and/or traffic sign recognition to restrict the speed of the vehicle to the speed limit. Many of the required features have been included in vehicles for some time, but others are being introduced just as the regulation is being implemented.
So, let’s take a look at the tech you get in today’s medium vans. All information as published in the latest manufacturers data sheets as available at July 2024 but which may not yet reflect any changes due to the introduction of GSR2.
Ford Transit Custom
Let’s start with the number 1 best-selling van which has recently had a major makeover. The driver benefits from the very latest, fourth version of Ford’s SYNC multimedia system. The 13” touchscreen allows access to all the usual audio and Bluetooth functions together with heating and ventilation, driving modes, navigation where fitted and the now almost taken for granted Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.
There is some interesting security tech on new Custom. Providing you’re subscribed to Ford’s Telematics service you can get alerts if the vehicle has been jacked or lifted when the ignition is off, if an impact has occurred whilst unattended, an alert if the location of the vehicle has changed between it being turned off and restarted, and a prompt if a door has been opened when it shouldn’t have been.
Ford Pass Pro is a Smartphone app which provides a remote operator with access to several features. Vehicle health alerts provide early warnings, such as low tyre pressures, a remote lock and unlock facility, security alerts, such as unauthorised attempts to access the vehicle, and even remote locking, useful if the driver has forgotten to secure the van.
Mercedes-Benz Vito
In its current incarnation, the Vito has plenty of tech as standard even in the most basic trim level. There’s a 10.25” touchscreen for the driver, but importantly the van has some of the latest safety and driver assistance technology. Active Brake Assist, Attention Assist, Blind Spot Assist, and Emergency call system are all there. Even cruise control is standard.
Mercedes-Benz, like most manufacturers, are constantly improving the in-built connectivity that the vehicles come with. Under the Mercedes Me banner, a raft of features are on offer, some free, others requiring a subscription payment after an initial three years. Highlights include remote vehicle diagnostics, allowing a dealer to check if any additional rectification work is required ahead of a service. A vehicle tracker allows for route monitoring and can assist with location and recovery if the Vito is stolen. There’s even a parked vehicle locator – if you’re within a mile of the van’s location, the smartphone app will provide the best walking route back to it. Remote locking and unlocking are also provided.
Peugeot Expert
Representing the Stellantis brands (you’ll find similar but not necessarily identical tech in the Fiat Scudo, Vauxhall Vivaro, Citroen Dispatch and even the Toyota Proace), the Peugeot Expert is another van that has a decent level of up to date tech included as standard. Once again, we have a large (10”) touchscreen from the get-go in the base (use the term loosely) van with all the usual functions (although no mention of smartphone integration in the manufacturer’s datasheet).
The list of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features is reassuringly long. All Experts come with Intelligent Speed Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Advanced Emergency Braking System and Driver Attention Alert.
As you might expect, there are some connectivity features on offer, the integrated 4G eSIM and a smartphone app providing some relatively basic functions such as journey logging, geo-location, and remote operation of locking and headlights. There are also alerts when the vehicle is due a service or when a fault is detected.
Volkswagen Transporter
No list of medium vans would be complete without the inclusion of the Transporter, although things are complicated a little here as, at the time of writing we don’t have full details of the Transporter T7, the all-new van that is due for launch in a few months time. The van is the product of a joint venture with Ford so the T7 bears more than a passing resemblance to the latest Transit Custom. Just what tech will be included we don’t know at this stage.
For now, then, we’ll look at the current Transporter, the T6.1. Volkswagen classes several features under the ‘Intelligent Driver Assistants’ banner, although some of these are optional equipment. There’s Traffic Sign Recognition, Adaptive Cruise Control, Crosswind Assist and Hill Descent Assist. Park Assist means that once adjacent to a parking space, the driver just needs to operate the pedals whilst the van steers itself into place. In conjunction with this feature, Side Protection warns the driver if they are getting too close to obstructions or pedestrians.
VW’s connectivity offering is labelled We Connect (and We Connect Plus). The smartphone-accessed features are broadly similar to those offered by competitors, including service scheduling, remote locking and unlocking, parking position visibility and theft alerts.
Renault Trafic
Although the Trafic has been around in the current guise now for 10 years, it would be a mistake to consider it dated. The French manufacturer continues to keep the van competitive, and this includes the level of technology on offer. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring are provided on the 8” multimedia screen in the cab providing access to Google Maps, Spotify and other apps. All Trafics now come with rear parking sensors, Lane Departure Warning, Active Emergency Braking, Driver Attention Alert and Traffic Sign Recognition as standard.
Maxus eDeliver 7
Although there’s been little mention of electric vans in this article, the brand new Maxus eDeliver 7 is worthy of a mention. You’ve probably yet to see one on the road yet but this futuristice looking medium van is certainly a head turner. But does the level of tech match the image? The list of safety and driver aid tech is one of the longest I’ve seen, and whilst all the what now is commonplace features are present (such as Blind Spot Detection and Lane Keeping Assist), there are some others which are less familiar such as Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
Maxus has enlisted the support of industry telematics giant Geotab to provide an optional, subscription based product to the customer. Remote monitoring of the state of battery charge, proximity to a charge point, monitoring of driver performance and live vehicle tracking are all available.