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March 19, 2018
Station wagons are popular as company cars because they're also excellent for private use. With panel vans, practicality is the priority. We provide market overviews.
Company cars have the appeal of not only serving business purposes, but also serving personal needs. Accordingly, the range of vehicles that company owners officially use as company cars is wide. Even though SUVs are now outpacing station wagons, most still prefer station wagons.
They have enough cargo space to transport materials to the construction site or to the customer. And they are also ideal as a family car for summer holidays in neighboring countries or to the North and Baltic Seas. A family of five with luggage can reach their destination comfortably. The market caters to all price ranges. You can buy a station wagon for under 10.000 euros from Renault's budget subsidiary Dacia, but you can just as easily shell out a six-figure sum for the top versions from Audi, BMW, or Mercedes. The options list and the individual equipment series are correspondingly generous, allowing for everything from a spartan version to a luxury temple on four wheels.
Things are getting a bit more exciting with the panel vans than in 2017. Citroën, Opel, and Peugeot are presenting their successors to the current Berlingo, Combo, and Partner models. First comes the passenger car version, before the commercial version, a panel van, arrives in the fall. If you delve deeper, you'll quickly realize: It's the same model, but tailored to the respective brand faces. After all, the three brands have been a single group since PSA took over Opel with its Citroën, Peugeot, and DS brands last year.
This marks a significant model change, at least for Opel: The Combo was previously produced by Fiat, where it was known as the Doblò. And to be completely accurate, Fiat gave its urban delivery van a facelift in 2016, which the Opel models never received. In general, the commercial vehicle market has always been characterized by cooperation. Even though the Renault Kangoo and the Mercedes-Benz Citan, for example, differ significantly at the front, beneath the metal body, both are the Kangoo.
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The list itself cannot encompass the entire market with all equipment levels and model variants. The range includes shorter versions like the Renault Kangoo Rapid Compact, the classic standard version, and a version with a long wheelbase (the Maxi version). Furthermore, the long version, in particular, is also available with two roof variants. The even smaller version is not included. The van class begins with the small Fiat Fiorino and the Ford Transit Courier, which round out the segment at the lower end.
At the top end, the maxi variants, in particular, border on the next higher van class. Here, buyers should carefully consider whether they need more maneuverability or more cargo space or payload. The market overviews – where the table lists only the base models – show the range with the most important technical specifications and list the base price. Not all engine and transmission types are included for reasons of space; the data corresponds to the official status as of February 2018.
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