It feels like we’re suffering from a deficiency in vitamin V. Remember when vans used to be cool? Murals, stripes, a little bit of modification, putting a twist on a deeply pragmatic form factor. While the van market in North America largely continues to dwindle with small vans going extinct and GM cancelling the BrightDrop, Europe is still going hard. This is the Volkswagen Transporter Sportline, and it almost looks like an oversized GTI.
The changes start up front, with a red-striped grille. There’s just something right about a red stripe on the grille of a sporty Volkswagen, partly because it goes all the way back to the original Golf GTI. Forget smearing heritage on with a trowel, a little pinstripe will do the trick. Of course, that dash of red alone would look awkward on the front of an otherwise standard van, so the Transporter Sportline has been punched up a bit with a new color-keyed front bumper that incorporates a Mk8 GTI-like dogbone lower faux-grille. No hexagonal accent lights, sadly, but this van still looks tuff as, bro.
Moving along the side of the Transporter Sportline, the big-ticket item here is a set of 19-inch six-spoke wheels that fill out the arches reasonably well. Of course, the side skirts and blacked-out mirror caps are blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stuff, but sometimes subtlety is a virtue. Besides, you wouldn’t want to accidentally step on your park bench-sized side skirts when unloading something through the sliding door, right?
I won’t lie, the rear three-quarter view might be this van’s best angle. The almost JGTC-like sculpting of the rear bumper, the moderately whimsical dual-element rear spoiler, there’s just something slightly mischievous about it without going all the way over the top. You know, like some of the Ford Transit MS-RTs.
Does the Sportline treatment make the Volkswagen Transporter any faster? No, not really. It still offers the same sort of standard diesel power as other models, but you do get Eibach lowering springs that drop the ride height by 1.14 inches. Not exactly an enormous change, but it ought to help. If that’s a minor disappointment, sport seats, a heated steering wheel, and a big center console on Kombi models ought to cheer you up at least a touch.
The Volkswagen Transporter Sportline might not be a crazy sleeper, but I’m still sad that it won’t make the trip across the Atlantic. Visually, it’s like a GTI that can tow another GTI, and matching the tow vehicle with, say, a race car is cool full-stop. So, let’s call this another machine to put on our 25-year list. Hey Ford, Stellantis? Any chance we could get street van versions of the full-size Transit and Promaster?
Top graphic image: Volkswagen
Why can’t we have sport minivans? I don’t get it! SRT Pacificas, TRD Siennas, SVT Transits, I just do not understand how there is not a business case for these things! SUVs all sorta drive like ass, minivans drive reasonably well, just throw some parts bin spice at them!
Type R Odysseys?
i mean they already come with flappy paddles and a sport mode. Some extra grunt would be great (as would extra grunt with AWD)
It is bullshit why we cant have nice things like this van in the US! This would have me wanting to get rid of my truck.
well
I think you answered your own question.
If you think “Europe is still going hard” with vans, you haven’t checked out the Alphard and Vellfire offerings from Toyota/Lexus.
Not sold in Europe.
That’s a fact. Just pointing out that Asia’s not sleeping on this.
Gotcha! I didn’t quite follow. It’s true – weird van things have always been en vogue in Asia.
Pleas, Honda – just make it – Honda Needs To Use NSX Tech To Make A Honda Odyssey Type R – The Autopian
American minivans are so much better for passengers. Eurovans and their ilk have uncomfortable, non reclining seats. They’re awful.
May be available at your friendly local Ford dealer in a couple years…
Or not.
Because it’s not a 6500lb GVWR V8
If its a diesel – it’s not a GTI.
Maybe a GTD, if VW still made them?
Or an R-Line?
Or just a Ford Tourneo in VW drag.
Makes me miss the Ford Galaxy/SEAT Alhambra/VW Sharan
I feel like whenever I see a Euro car I really like, it’s never intended for the NA market. That thing looks rad as hell.
I was a kid when the US actually got the XR4Ti. I pestered my parents to get one (or if not, at least a Scorpio) as I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. But sadly, they, nor most other people, bought one.
I owned a Scorpio. Really nice car but badly underpowered. The dealer experience must have been used as the template for Hyundai/Kia operations.
The 6 cylinder was not underpowered at all, certainly not compared to other European cars. It wasn’t as fast as a big Mercedes or BMW, but this was (still is) the reality of the European market, nobody would buy cars with engines larger than 3 liters, except if it was one of the few luxury brands. Also it sounded really nice inside.
It was the emasculated Lincoln Mercury Merkur North American version. I owned a Mercedes 190E 2.6 and a BMW 325is before the Scorpio and it didn’t hold a candle to either of those performance wise. It did ride nicer and handled nearly as well.
Those two cars were smaller than the Scorpio, the Scorpio was about the same size as the MB E class and the BMW 5 series. Ford had the Sierra which was competing with the cars you mentioned. Also, if I’m not mistaken, the 325 and the 190 2.6 were equipped with the largest and most powerful engines available at that time (except for the M3), so it’s not surprising that they were faster than Scorpio, which was quite big. I’ve driven the Scorpio 2.8 and the later 2.9, and they were comfortable cruisers, and I never felt they were lacking power.
I would loooove something sporty and fun to drive that also fits my family/life. Alas, I cannot afford a Cayenne and VW would never be so cool as to let us have a GTI Van (and if they did they’d somehow give it 180 miles of range and price it like it was a Cayenne).
The ridiculous LBJ era Chicken Tax continues to leave North America without the cool kid European vans and a host of efficient, non-behmoth light duty trucks.
Can’t we just get rid of that global trade turd in a punch bowl and move on?
You want Mister Tariffs to remove tariffs?
Never happen, his head is firmly in the Monroe fundament.
Three years to go. I suspect the midterms will be a wake up call leading to some long overdue moderation and pragmatism for our next POTUS, whoever they may be.
I mean, this thing is in fact a Ford, so it’d be a quick trip to the parts bin and/or paint shop.
Upon seeing the topshot, my reaction was that Ford really has won the utility van styling game. It’s a shame we don’t want them anymore here in the States, esp given how much we could otherwise be primed for a retro-infused 70s van vibe.
No interior pics or engine specs?
“drop the ride height by 1.14 inches”
Not 1.13 because that would be nerf.
Not 1.15 because that would be excessive….
Converted from metric, undoubtedly . . .
2.9 cm. Tiefgelegt.
1.14 shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be 1.14. 1.15 shalt thou not count, neither count thou 1.13, excepting that thou then proceed to 1.14. 1.16 is right out.
Outstanding piece of unexpected Python!
Nobody expects the Python Inquisition!
The Monties at their best!
Ford had the Transit Custom Sport
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ford+transit+custom+sport&t=ipad&ia=images&iax=images
Saw one of these in London and thought it was owner-customized at first.
“Sport vans” are a legitimate (although very small) market segment over here, but then there’s more vans in general, because every tradie (‘tradesperson’, ie an electrician/plumber/builder/etc) has a van instead of a massive pickup truck.
“Yo, I heard you like GTIs, so I built a GTI van to haul your GTI.”
Modern VW design language works here. ID.Buzz, not so much.
VW watchers are waiting for the ID.10t to hit the market.
I’m waiting for the VW ID.10t Code 18 edition to drop.
Judging by the sales of the ID.Buzz, it’s more a matter of needing ID.10T buyers that’s going to be the problem.
I like this! On a related note the Transit Connect shares a platform with the Focus RS. Not sure how deep the similarities run but I keep waiting for some madman/genius to swap the RS drivetrain and suspension into the Transit.
Not current-gen, but it has been done. By Ford.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a25935483/ford-transit-connect-rs/
This is pretty cool! I know the more recent Transits have had ST drivetrain swaps done, but I’m wondering if the awd system can be fitted without an amount of work that makes the project unfeasable.