If you don’t need to carry four bodies or stray too far from hard surfaces, a panel van can shoulder much of the work of a 4×4 double-cab pick-up. We compare offerings from Ford and Renault
Talk about one extreme to another. Last time out, it was Range Rover against Landcruiser: now it’s a pair of vans. Ah well — sic transit gloria.
Which is about right, seeing that one of the vans is a Transit Connect. That’s Ford’s midsized offering, with Courier and Fiesta models below it and full-sized Trannies above. The other half of today’s pairing is a Kangoo Maxi, which sits below the Traffic and Master in the Renault line-up and is apparently Europe’s best selling compact van. Before the 4×4 floodgates opened, a 2WD van or pick-up was prime farm transport — Peugeots and P100s, Escorts and Bedfords.
All-wheel drive isn’t essential on many UK and Irish holdings, and it does add to running costs all through a vehicle’s life.
Vans are easy to load, easy to jump in and out of, cheap to buy and operate. A Transit Connect in stretched L2 form (£16,526 before VAT) is today’s Ford Escort but holds far more, while a Kangoo Maxi (£15,850) is Renault’s answer to it. The cost difference comes mainly from Ford’s inclusion of delivery and taxes in the bottom line.
For more up-to-date farming news click here and subscribe now to profi and save
