Joint venture van replaces the outgoing T6.1 Transporter, but is not considered a 'real' T7.
The latest creation to come out of the joint venture between Ford and Volkswagen, the VW Transporter, is a love child that needs a fair share of explaining to Wolfsburg van custodians.
Built by Ford in Turkey alongside the Tourneo and Transit Custom, the new VW Kombi replaces Wolfsburg’s outgoing T6.1 model. But the new model is simply called Transporter internally, as the T7 designation has been reserved for the “real” Volkswagen replacement for the T6.1.
Under consideration for South Africa, the T7 is expected to don the flagship Caravelle nomenclature as it has not been availed for the Ford collaboration.
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New VW Kombi makes a Pitstop
We discuss the arrival of the new Volkswagen van during The Citizen Motoring’s Pitstop podcast this week. As the naming structure left us utterly confused, we decided to stick to the good old VW Kombi name.
The new VW Kombi is offered in five derivatives; base, Commerce, Life, Edition and Style. The Style, like its production sibling the Ford Tourneo Custom Titanium X, is the flagship VW Kombi.
All five VW Kombi passenger carriers are powered by a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine. It produces 125kW of power and 390Nm torque. Unlike the T6.1, which was rear-wheel driven, the new van’s power goes to the front wheels via eight-speed automatic transmission.
T7 only a plug-in hybrid
The VW Kombi Style will also be available with all-wheel drive, a configuration Ford doesn’t offer on the Tourneo Custom.
The T7 will only be offered in plug-in hybrid guise. This combination will feature a 1.4 TSI engine and 85kW electric motor.
The T7 Caravelle will also be positioned above the VW Kombi, with the all-electric ID.Buzz to likely replace it at the top of the food chain. The ID-Buzz has already undergone extensive testing locally in panel van guise.
