Living with a £110,000 Volkswagen van: why you should buy this instead of an SUV

If you need to carry five people and a lot of stuff in comfort, your first thought might be to buy an SUV, however this isn’t always the best way to go. When the Carwow film crew needed a vehicle to haul all their kit and work as a mobile office on shoots, they got in touch with Van Haven.

Van Haven is a company based in Dorset which builds bespoke, high-end Volkswagen vans for whatever purpose you want. You can have a straight-up panel van, a full-on camper or, as we’ve chosen, a five-seat Kombi. We’ve been living with it for a few months now, and we’ve been loving this bit of kit.

Living with a bespoke Volkswagen Transporter: the cost

Let’s start by taking a closer look at our build. This van started off as a bog-standard Volkswagen Transporter Kombi, meaning it’s a five-seater, and it’s fitted with a 150hp 2.0-litre diesel engine paired to a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

From new, this Highline version of the Transporter would cost you a shade over £36,000, however this one will set you back £110,000 after Van Haven has worked its magic. That puts this in the same price range as a mid-spec Porsche Cayenne or a Range Rover, but there are plenty of reasons to buy one of these over an SUV.

Living with a bespoke Volkswagen Transporter: the interior

So what do you get for your £110,000? Well don’t think this is just a VW van with some leather seat covers, because the build is a lot more extensive than that.

Starting with the seats, our van has gorgeous brown leather bucket seats in the front which are super comfortable on long journeys, and the rear seats are finished to the same standard. We also have an Alcantara-trimmed headlining which makes it feel even more luxurious. It certainly doesn’t feel like a commercial vehicle inside.

We’ve also specified our van to be able to convert into a mobile office. The front seats can swivel to face the rear, and there are a couple of handy tables which store away behind the seats. It’s actually really comfortable to kick back and work on some video edits back there, and the upgraded sound system is great for blasting your tunes.

For taking shelter on rainy days we have a large awning at the side, but it’s at the back where we have the real party trick. Not only is there a sliding tray to store cases full of equipment, we have a fridge and a coffee machine back there with 230-volt sockets to power everything. It’s a popular feature, especially on early morning shoots.

Living with a bespoke Volkswagen Transporter: the exterior

All these interior upgrades are great, but you probably don’t want your Transporter to look like a builder’s van on the outside. Thankfully, Van Haven has you covered there as well.

You start out by choosing one of the factory Volkswagen colours, although Van Haven can wrap it any colour you want. We’ve gone for Ascot Grey with some bespoke graphics to set things off.

Then you come to the bodykit. There are a few different options to choose from, however we went for an off-roader vibe with a chunky bumper and knobbly tyres because quite a lot of Carwow’s videos are shot in fields, so the most aggressive-looking bodykit would almost certainly get ripped off.

To make this van even more versatile off the beaten track we have fully-adjustable air suspension which can raise the vehicle to clear obstacles, but there’s a Sport mode for twisty road driving too.

Living with a bespoke Volkswagen Transporter: driving impressions

So how are things from behind the wheel? Well it isn’t that fast, the 150hp diesel engine is best-described as adequate, but it’s nippy enough for day-to-day use and we’ve been getting around 30mpg on longer journeys. Not bad for something which is shaped like a brick and rammed full of leather and kit.

It’s also quiet and refined on motorway journeys. The standard VW Transporter is a great starting point, but the air suspension fitted to this van means it glides over bumps in the road, and the sumptuous leather seats are really comfy as well.

You get a great view out which makes it easy to drive in town. You may be thinking of buying an SUV for its high driving position, but if you want a properly commanding view of the road then a van is really the way to go.

Living with a bespoke Volkswagen Transporter: the verdict

We love our Van Haven Volkswagen Transporter, it makes a better crew vehicle than any SUV could and it looks awesome as well. That said, ours has been built for a very specific purpose, so should you buy one?

Well obviously it is very expensive. You could consider a custom van like this if you’re also looking at SUVs such as the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover and the BMW X7, and it does make a good case for itself.

Obviously, if you’re a keen driver then you’re not going to want a van like this, but if you want something totally unique and built to meet your exact needs, a Van Haven Transporter is actually a very compelling alternative to a posh, off-the-peg SUV.

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