The best bakkie is always a van

Twin sisters Leanne and Claire Gill modelled
at the Peugeot stand at the recent
Jo’burg International Motor Show.

WITNESS Wheels often get asked which is the best workhorse bakkie in South Africa? And we always say it’s not a bakkie, but a panelvan — basically any panelvan.
Panelvans often cost substantially less thatndouble cabs, they use less fuel and, of course, the roof over the payload comes standard.
Asked which of the vans we rate, we have to split the vote between the Peugeot Boxer and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

Having driven the German van all over southern Africa in the previous decade, we can vouch that it is all business in there. Designed to do a hard 45 000 km a year, those Sprinter cabs had none of the many plastic pockets and overhead trays that made driving the Boxer such a comfortable experience. But the Hun’s consumption, or rather lack of it, made drivers just grin and bear the discomfort. Once, with a howling wind pushing all the way from Lüderitz in Namibia, I got almost 13 km to a litre, this in a high-roof, long-wheelbase van.
With even more efficient systems in the latest range of Sprinters, a careful driver can make any bakkie look like a dieselholic.
The systems include Assyst — an onboard computer that adapts the distance to the next service, depending on the driving conditions. As things stand, the Sprinter wants fresh oil only after 30 000 km and new coolant every 15 years.
The Boxer has as good a record, which dates back to 1895 when the French bicycle company sold its first commercial vehicle, the Type 13.
Peugeot has been honing the power to payload and comfort settings ever since.
Peugeot Woodmead told Witness Wheels the reason there were so many Boxers on the road was based on three reasons: Code 8 drivers can drive a van with a 10 m³ load capacity, operators get a five years/120 000 km service plan “that is actually worth the piece of paper it is printed on” and the clients driving the 2,2 turbo diesels get on average 7,5 km per litre in a combined city cycle.
The Peugeot manufacturer’s warranty is one-year unlimited mileage and South African Peugeot dealers add a two-year/100 000 km warranty on top of this, effectively giving buyers a three- year/100 000 km warranty. The French vehicle also has a standard three-year/100 000 km maintenance plan that covers normal wear-and-tear parts like the clutch kit, brake pads and discs, fan belt, wheel bearings, wiper blades, and even the battery.

What fleetowners want

THE Fleetwatch magazine’s operating benchmarks for vans show that fleet owners want to get at least 300 000 km from their van over six years, typically driving it 260 days a year, with payloads ranging from three tons to 5,5 tons.
Operators of cargo vans that can carry up to eight tons want to get 450 000 km of hard labour from their workhorse, typically selling it only after eight years.