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| The need to protect “white van man”
has grown – and no manufacturer is taking this more
seriously than Vauxhall, with the introduction of its new
Movano |
The new Movano has gone
through a top-to-toe rebuild
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“Sensors monitor the driver cabin and trigger the alarm
if there is unusual movement inside the vehicle” |
Vauxhall’s commercial vehicle sales are more than 60% up in
the first three-quarters of 2003 against a market up 15%. That phenomenal
increase is set to be further boosted following the November launch
of the new Movano – the Luton-based manufacturer’s competitor
at the top end of the light commercial vehicle market.
However, even before the new model entered showrooms, Movano had
made its mark on the LCV sector this year with sales 17% up on 2002
and, in September, the van outsold the Ford Transit in the retail
sector. With weight options of 2.8-3.5 tonnes, the new Movano, which
has gone through a top-to-toe rebuild, tops the Vauxhall commercial
vehicle line-up, which also includes Corsavan, Astravan, Combo and
Vivaro. Historically, safety features on LCVs have lagged some way
behind that of cars, but, with an increasing health and safety focus
on at-work driving, the need to protect “white van man”
has grown.
New Movano, which comes with a choice of 1.9 CDTi 80 bhp, 2.5 CDTi
100 bhp and 115 bhp and 3.0 CDTi 136 bhp diesel engines, features
a raft of state-of-the-art safety features, including the introduction
of the latest generation ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
across the range to give best-in-class braking performance . A Thatcham-approved
alarm system is now available to further improve load security in
the new van range, which offers class-leading capacity and payload.
Sensors monitor the driver cabin and trigger the alarm if there
is unusual movement inside the vehicle, while more sensors at the
sliding door and the rear door watch over the load space in case
of break-in through these doors. As an additional safety feature
and newly introduced on the new Movano, the doors lock automatically
shortly after the van is driven off.
Power steering has been improved to provide more precision while
reducing the steering effort and the driver’s seat is fully
adjustable and has height-adjustable head restraints. To enable
easy and safe vehicle loading and unloading the Movano comes with
side sliding doors – doors on each side are an option –
combined with rear opening doors. The extra low rear sill (51 cms/20
in) further eases loading problems. The rear doors open through
180 degrees, or 270 degrees if specified.
Standard safety features on the new Movano also include a driver’s
airbag, while options include Park Assist – a reverse parking
aid with four sensors fitted to the rear bumper designed to reduce
reversing collisions – and tie-down rings to stabilise loads
for safe transport. Externally, the new Movano more closely resembles
the smaller Vivaro panel van. The changes incorporate the Vauxhall
V-grille, a much larger front bumper and an improved underlying
crashbox that will reduce repair costs in the event of a front-end
accident.
New headlamps, in acrylic glass for improved resilience against
breakage, permit best possible light distribution and new vertical
rear lights have stronger intensity. For safety reasons, the torque
available from the engine line-up has been limited in first gear
to make the response perfect for those who run the van either fully
laden or with a trailer.
Visibility is improved with wide-angle rear-view mirrors that give
a panoramic view of what’s behind. The Movano is available
as a short-, medium- and long-wheelbase panel van with a choice
of roof heights, a short-, medium- and long-chassis cab and a medium
and long crew-cab.
Ensuring a van is “fit for purpose” is a crucial aspect
of vehicle selection. That criteria includes making sure vehicles
are not only the right size for the job intended but also equipped
to carry out that job. If both aspects are handled correctly, it
is likely that the vehicle will be “safe”. It is because
of the specialist knowledge required to equip, particularly larger
vehicles such as the Vivaro and Movano, that Vauxhall has established
two specific van dealer networks.
There are 115 “Heavy Van Dealers” that specifically
sell the Vivaro and the Movano; while an additional 99 dealers are
categorised as “Light Van Dealers” as they sell the
car-derived vehicles. The “heavy van” network also sells
the smaller vehicles. Ian Hucker, Vauxhall’s national van
sales manager, says: “Vauxhall has had a light van tradition
for many years. However, five years ago we re-entered the panel
van sector in a big way.
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The new Movano will stop almost 50% earlier in an emergency
compared to some rivals |
“While our car-derived vans have all the features of the cars
to which they are related, panel vans in all their guises are very
different vehicles. Therefore, it is essential that they are sold
and maintained by specialists. That way, customers are assured that
they will be buying a vehicle that is fit for the purpose they intend
to use it for. “That is particularly true of Movano, the largest
van in our range, where, apart from panel vans, chassis cab and
crew cab conversions are available.”
Stopping a vehicle quickly is crucial to avoid an accident and the
new Vauxhall Movano will stop almost 50% earlier in an emergency
compared to some rivals. The Movano is the only van in the heavy
sector of the market that offers 16-in wheels, which allows the
packaging of large ventilated disc brakes on the front axle. With
the new model featuring ABS brakes with Brake Assist as standard,
the Movano can boast best-in-class braking among its many firsts,
according to brake tests carried out by Vauxhall engineers utilising
the methodology of German magazine Auto Motor & Sport.
The Movano will stop after 10 successive brakings from 100 km/h
(62 mph) to 0 km/h with a 200-kg load within 45 metres, whereas
the competition needs 60-65m to stop. Emergency Brake Assist detects
the urgency, with which the brake pedal is pressed and rapidly increases
the brake pressure to the maximum the system can provide, thus shortening
stopping distances.
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