If you’re in the market for a new panel van or pick-up, 2016 is a crucial year so we've compiled a handy guide to the best new commercial vehicles arriving over the coming months.
On the 4x4 pick-up front we’ve already had significant new models arriving in the UK like the Mitsubishi L200 and Nissan Navara, and as our list below shows there’s more pick-up product to come from Ford, Fiat, Mercedes, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen.
The mid-size van segment is not quite as busy, but smart operators will be watching closely to see how a trio of brand new contenders from the PSA Toyota joint venture match up with the likes of the Ford Transit Custom, Renault Trafic and Vauxhall Vivaro.
At the top end of the panel van spectrum, the mighty Mercedes Sprinter and VW Crafter models are due for replacement in 2017, so we’ll get our first taste of the next generation versions later this year too.
With tough new Euro 6 emissions regulations for commercial to meet this year, there are efficient new engines included for most of the launches. Also, we’re beginning to see much more safety tech filtering out of passenger cars and into commercials – Autonomous Emergency Braking being a case in point – while comfort and refinement continue to reach new heights.
So if you’re ready to do a deal on a new workhorse, make sure you’ve checked out our list of 2016’s best new vans…
The best new vans and pick-ups on sale (and revealed) in 2016
Citroen Dispatch
The successful joint venture between the PSA Group, Fiat and latterly Toyota – responsible for the Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert, Fiat Scudo and Toyota Proace – enters its next phase in April, when an all-new generation of vans will be revealed.
The new look Dispatch has been previewed at the Geneva motor show by the the Citroen SpaceTourer pictured above, a new van-based MPV that is pretty much identical to the next-gen panel van. The van itself makes its public world debut in Birmingham at the Commercial Vehicle Show in April.
There’ll also be Peugeot and Toyota versions of the van, but Fiat has left the party. We’re expecting the new vans from the remaining partners to hit UK dealers in September 2016, and to continue the trend towards ever-increasing efficiency for operators, and even more refinements for drivers.
The new Citroen Dispatch panel van will again feature all-PSA running gear, including a range of 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre BlueHDi Euro 6 compliant diesels. It will also include new technology features like Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, and the latest connectivity for infotainment systems. We’re also expecting the continuation of Citroen’s popular Enterprise spec on the new Dispatch model, including standard features like air-con, parking sensors, sat-nav and vehicle tracking.
Plus: Citroen Berlingo - significantly revamped last year, the range shifts to all Euro 6 emission level powertrains from May production.
Plus: Citroen Relay – the firm’s biggest van also moves to all Euro 6 powertrains from May.
Fiat Fullback
Fiat’s new 4x4 pick-up contender is called the Fullback, and we first saw the production version in all its glory at the Dubai motor show last year.
The Fullback is due on sale in the UK in the autumn this year, and it won’t take a certified truck spotter to notice the similarities between it and the popular Mitsubishi L200.
Indeed, you’ll be harder-pressed to spot the differences, which are at first sight limited to the grille, badging and alloy wheel designs. That said, there might well be spec and trim differences that we’ll see when the new pick-up hits dealers.
Otherwise, to all intents and purposes the Fullback is identical to the Mitsubishi, which was itself brand new last year.
Ford Ranger
Ford has upped its game in the increasingly hotly contested 4x4 pick-up sector, with a ‘mid-cycle action’ on its Ranger line-up. Yes, that’s Ford jargon for a facelift.
The South African built truck gets increased power from its 2.2-litre engine – up from 148bhp to 158bhp – along with a claimed increase in fuel economy of 17 per cent. Most of the economy increase is down to the new option of an ‘eco’ rear axle, so if you need the alternative (no-cost option) heavy duty 3,500kgs towing axle you won’t feel the benefit.
You will still enjoy the styling changes however, which are designed to give the Ranger an aggressive new look to tempt ‘lifestyle’ users. Ford has also made its latest SYNC 2 connectivity package available, with an 8-inch touchscreen to control navigation, climate, communications and audio.
Plus: Ford Transit and Transit Custom vans will soon be fitted with the new Dagenham-built Euro 6 engine, which will come in ‘one-size fits all’ 2.0-litre capacity, but with a range of power outputs. No exact dates are available, but everything rolling off the production line after May 31st must be Euro 6 compliant by law. Expect some badging changes, but no other significant product revisions as both models are quite new anyway.
Plus: A new factory-fit dropside option for Transit will be available to order in the first half of the year.
Mercedes Sprinter
One of the most capable, and definitely the most iconic big panel van around, the Mercedes Sprinter is due for replacement. While you won’t be able to buy the next generation Sprinter in the UK until sometime in 2017, we’re expecting to a pre-production/concept version to show its face at the Hannover commercial vehicle show towards the end of September this year.
While the style of the new van is likely to be evolutionary, it’s a racing certainty that operating efficiency and running costs will take a leap forward. However the biggest news is likely to centre on the new safety and technology packages the Sprinter will carry. As with the flagship S-Class saloon in the passenger car realm, Mercedes tends to introduce van safety tech first on its Sprinter models. It will be fascinating to see how many of the more recent passenger car safety advances make it onto the new van, but expect to be impressed.
Mercedes X-Class pick-up
It’s only another teaser this year, but inside sources suggest Mercedes’ highly anticipated contender in the pick-up sector is likely to be revealed in pre-production or concept form at the Paris motor show in October.
Based around the new Nissan Navara’s running gear as part of a technology sharing deal, the big Merc pick-up’s style has already been previewed in the officially released images here.
As a premium contender in its sector the new Mercedes – which we’re tentatively calling the X-Class pending official confirmation – should be well endowed with safety kit and luxuries. It’s going to be a bit of a wait before you can buy one though – early 2018 is our current best guess.
Nissan NV300
Nissan’s version of the previous generation Renault Trafic/Vauxhall Vivaro joint venture project used to be called the Primastar. When the Japanese firm’s new generation model arrives in the second half of the year it’s going to be known as the NV300.
Slotting neatly between the smaller NV200 and larger NV400 in Nissan’s line-up, the newcomer is not expected to differ significantly from the latest generation of Renault Trafic and Vauxhall Vivaro models that were launched last year.
There’ll be a new grille and probably some bespoke trim options, but not much else to differentiate it from its more popular joint venture siblings.
Plus: Nissan Navara King Cab – a more utilitarian version of the Navara Double Cab, the King Cab features less room for rear seat passengers and has smaller, rear-hinged rear doors. It also lacks the Double Cabs multi-link rear suspension, so will ride more like a 4x4 pick-up of old when it arrives at UK dealers in the second quarter of 2016.
Peugeot Expert
As with the new Citroen Dispatch, we’ve already had a taste of what the all-new for 2016 Peugeot Expert van will look like, thanks to the reveal of the Peugeot Traveller MPV version at this year’s Geneva show.
To be built at the PSA Toyota joint venture plant at Seville-Nord in France alongside its panel van sister model, the Traveller replaces the people-carrying Expert Teepee and will be available in four different trim configurations. (Two aimed at professional and business users, and two for the lifestyle market.)
While the new Expert van range won’t get the Traveller’s side windows and seating, it will share the Traveller’s clean and efficient BlueHDi engines and a load of chassis technology like Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning. We’d not be surprised to see the Traveller’s seven-inch tablet style touchscreen make an appearance somewhere on the Expert van’s option list, too.
Like its Citroen Dispatch and Toyota Proace sister-models, the Peugeot Expert will make it’s show debut in Birmingham in April. First UK deliveries are expected in mid-September.
Renault Alaskan
As Renault and Nissan are joined at the hip, it’s no surprise that a Renault version of the new Navara pick-up is on the cards. In fact we’ve already seen a ‘dressed-to-the-nines’ concept version of the Alaskan in Paris in 2015, and the production model is due to hit UK showrooms in the second half of this year.
Running gear and powertrains are identical, and trim and equipment levels are likely to be pretty similar to the Nissan offering, so the your choice between the two will likely come down to the sales person who makes the best offer.
That said, Renault has more traction in the UK commercial vehicle sector than Nissan, so it’s likely the pick-up will become popular quite soon. Especially as the new Nissan Navara has already proved itself one of the most competent and refined drives in the sector.
Toyota Hilux
An all-new version of Toyota’s second-best selling vehicle (after the Corolla) was unveiled in March at the Geneva motor show. Its UK debut will be at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham in late April, and sales are due to start in the middle of the year.
While Toyota has made the usual claims about increasing the refinement and ‘car-like’ qualities of the new Toyota Hilux pick-up, it hasn’t gone as far as Nissan in providing a softer-riding multi-link rear suspension. Toyota is also bigging-up the Hilux’s extra toughness – the new model is bigger, there’s a stronger ladder frame, increased wheel articulation for off-road capability, and greater torque from a new 2.4-litre engine. There’ll be 2 and 4-wheel drive versions, as well as two and four-door bodies as usual.
The new model is available with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and there’s standard Autonomous Emergency Braking too.
Plus: Toyota Proace – the third brand in the PSA van joint venture is of course Toyota, which like Citroen and Peugeot introduced a Verso-badged MPV version of its new panel van at the Geneva show in March. Also like its two French partners, Toyota will give the new panel van itself a glittering world debut at the Birmingham CV show before a mid-Sept on-sale date. With everything shared but the grille badges, it will be interesting to see how the three rivals compete on spec and price.
Volkswagen Crafter
The current Mercedes Sprinter’s ugly joint-venture sister model will be replaced by an all-new van towards the end of this year, as Volkswagen prepares to take the wraps off its next generation Crafter.
You won’t actually be able to buy the new Crafter in the UK until some time in 2017, but at least we’ll get to see it at the Hannover commercial vehicle show in September.
The new model is being developed entirely in-house at Volkswagen, after the Wolfsburg based manufacturer’s joint venture with Mercedes comes to an end this year. All we can say for now with certainty, is that the new Crafter will be at least as big as the current model, will feature some of the VW brand’s latest styling cues, and will feature some new and efficient engine options.
Hopefully, it will be a little bit prettier than the current Crafter too.
Plus: VW Amarok - Volkswagen will unveil its facelifted Amarok 4x4 pick-up in the middle of 2016, with UK deliveries starting in the autumn. VW is again being tight-lipped about what to expect, but informed speculation points to a package of technology based upgrades that will bring new features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking into play. There’ll also need to be some changes to the engine line-up, as the current 2.0 TDI powertrains are not Euro 6 emissions compliant.
Which new van or truck are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments section below...