You will never look at a commercial van the same again after you see the Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 Sportline. And mind you, this ain’t no conversion by a third-party company; this van is straight from the source, Volkswagen.
This is the Transporter you have seen on the road, but cooler, sleeker and should have a more sporty handling – thanks to the addition of cool red trim, tweaked suspension that drops the ride by 30 mm, huge 18-inch gloss black wheels, sleek aero kit comprising of an exclusive front bumper, illuminated side bars, and the obligatory roof spoiler. This ride, my friends, is A-Team worthy van.
The premium Sportline treatment extends to the inside with Nappa leather seats with suede trim with honeycomb stitching branded with the Sportline logo, digital cockpit – the first for panel van or Kombi, heated front seats, DAB radio with an upgraded sound system, climate air conditioning, and Discover Media Navigation System.
The van also benefits from a suite of drive-assist systems, including LED headlights with high beam assist, adaptive cruise control with city emergency braking, front/rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera.
Unfortunately, though, nothing’s has changed under the hood. It does, however, rock the range-topping 2.0L TDI engine which is good for 201 ponies. The motor is mated to a seven-speed DSG gearbox, allowing this sporty van to rocket from standstill to 100 in 8.9 seconds.
If that’s not enough, there’s the Sportline Black Edition, featuring Discover Media Pro Navigation with 9.2” color touchscreen, an exclusive alloy wheel color, matte black side bars, Eibach coilover suspension, ‘Black Edition’ decals, 90% rear window tint (on Kombi models, of course), and a Sportline gift box. No words on what are inside the gift box though.
Another unfortunate thing is, the Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 Sportline appears to be available in the U.K. where it is (will be?) available for a starting price of £42,940 for the 2.0 TDI 204 PS short wheelbase panel van, and from £43,795 for the long wheelbase panel van.
It is also available in both long and short wheelbase Kombi for £47,305+ and £46,450+. Meanwhile the Black Edition has a starting price of £45,140 and £49,450 for the short wheelbase panel van or Kombi, respectively.
Images: Volkswagen [UK].
