2017 Volkswagen Transporter

Volkswagen Transporter

Volkswagen’s Transporter plays in a pricey league, and you feel it the moment you compare it to the Ford Transit Custom or the Mercedes-Benz Vito. It’s not the van for every plumber or builder in Gauteng, unless you’re billing Sandton rates. All 57 listings currently on offer run the same 2.0 TDI diesel, but the power delivery depends on which badge is stuck on the back — from a no-nonsense 110 kW to a punchier 146 kW BiTDI. Gearbox options keep it interesting: manual, automatic, or the sharp-shifting DSG. The price ladder is massive: R199,995 gets you into an older, probably well-worn example, but if you wander up to R1,526,510 you’re shopping at the top end, where a Transporter can claim to rival a family SUV for comfort and spec. On paper at least, the median sits just over a million, so this isn’t what anyone would call affordable. If you pack smart, the Commerce 2.0 TDI 8-speed auto is your mainstay — 21 of the listings, priced between R869,900 and R1,116,000, target fleet managers and shuttle services who need something that doesn’t feel like a minibus taxi. Average mileage is a mere 44,917 km, which is suspiciously low for a commercial hauler — a sign these often live softer lives, probably as airport shuttles or executive movers, not battered by daily logistics runs. The posh 4MOTION Kombi Style at R1,526,510 is basically luxury-bus territory. Buyers who consider the Transporter over a HiAce do so for the slick DSG experience and cabin quality — tactile plastics, actual sound insulation, physical buttons where they matter. New stock edges out used by a hair, which says a lot about confidence in shifting vans at this price point in South Africa right now. For buyers who want an upmarket van that doesn’t feel like a compromise, the Transporter is what the segment should have been from the start.