Peugeot Partner vs Volkswagen Caddy vs Opel Combo: here's our winner.

After a brief absence from our market, Peugeot South Africa has just announced the re-appearance of the Peugeot Partner on our shores. Now in its third generation, the new Partner arrives with a load bay full of international accolades, fresher styling, and more equipment. We compare it to two popular alternatives, to find out which one is best.

The little vans that can

We won’t be paying much attention to passenger-biased derivatives this time around, because these compact vans are primarily made for cargo transport. As a result, they’re all fairly spartan in the front seats, and their panel van priorities mean that there aren’t any rear seats to evaluate. Loading capacity is the name of the game here, so that’s where we’ll focus most of our attention.

Peugeot Partner

From the time it first appeared back in 1996, the Peugeot Partner was essentially identical to its Citroën Berlingo cousin: they shared platforms and engines, and the only real points of differentiation were found in their styling. Unashamedly van-like, they have never really appealed to private buyers, while their success in the commercial sector was limited by the perception that Peugeots are expensive to run.

As a result, the Partner (and Berlingo) couldn’t quite gather as enthusiastic a following as its competitors. But, thanks to a few years’ worth of depreciation, Partners are now very affordable in the pre-owned market, which makes for high-value used-van shopping. It remains to be seen how enthusiastically buyers will embrace the latest, much more appealing edition of this compact van.

Engine, performance and consumption

The latest Peugeot Partner is available with only one engine – a 1.6-litre turbodiesel 4-cylinder mill with 68 kW and 230 Nm, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. It’s tuned to prioritise efficiency, as befits a commercial vehicle’s powerplant. Performance is bound to be predictably pedestrian, but that’s not really critical in a compact, cargo-carrying van. Fuel efficiency is of far greater importance, and the Partner certainly delivers in that area, with its claimed average consumption figure of 5.1 ℓ/100 km.

Standard equipment

Given that the latest Partner shares its platform with Peugeot’s well-regarded mid-range cars, there’s a surprising number of standard features thrown into the cabin. Highlights include air conditioning, electric front windows, a colour touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone mirroring, cruise control, and automatic headlight operation.

Safety

As with the cabin’s trimmings, the Partner’s standard safety equipment is also pretty comprehensive. Highlights include 6 airbags, rear parking sensors, and ABS, but Peugeot’s press release is unclear whether stability control also features in the mix. We’d wager that the Partner does indeed feature stability control, though. Either way that airbag count alone makes it worth considering.

Loading capacity

There’s only enough room up front for three occupants, but there’s enough space in the back to accommodate up to 1000 kg. Imagine that: a small van that can carry as much as a big bakkie, all in a safely enclosed metal box. The load area’s floor comes with a special protective covering, and it has its own lighting arrangement as well. That squared-off load box also means that it’s capable of swallowing large, awkwardly-shaped cargo, in the manner of any capable working van.

Price and value proposition

The new Peugeot Partner has a list price of R 484 900, which includes an excellent warranty, service plan and roadside assistance – all for 5 years or 100 000 km. That’s pretty solid after-sales backup, and the prospect of fixed-cost operation is sure to appeal to fleet managers all over.

The competition

Volkswagen Caddy

In the interest of maintaining specification parity, we’ve selected a long-wheelbase, diesel-powered Caddy Maxi panel van. In this trim, the Caddy costs more than the Peugeot at R 527 400 has more power, but suffers from higher claimed average fuel consumption.

Under the bonnet is Volkswagen Group’s widely-used 2.0TDI engine, which is tuned to deliver 81 kW and 300 Nm for the 5-speed manual Caddy. Average fuel consumption is a claimed 5.5 ℓ/100 km (somewhat worse than the Partner’s figure), but the extra power and torque should make the Caddy more capable when faced with heavy loads.

The LWB Caddy Maxi panel van should be able to come close enough the Peugeot’s cargo-carrying capability a 718kg, however, but cannot come close in terms of standard equipment or safety features. While stability control is a confirmed standard item, the Caddy’s default airbag count amounts to only 2. Power steering and air conditioning are standard, however electric windows are optional.

The Caddy’s value proposition takes a further knock when its service plan and warranty are considered: the warranty only runs for 2 years (albeit with no distance limit), and the service plan covers only the first 3 years or 60 000 km. That’s definitely no match for the Partner’s excellent aftersales cover.

Opel Combo Cargo LWB

This one is a direct relative of the latest Peugeot Partner, seeing as Opel forms part of the same organisation these days. As a result, the mechanical bits are identical, and the load-carrying abilities are also much the same. The Opel is a fair bit less expensive, however, mostly due to its lower standard specification.

The airbag count drops to only 2 in the Combo, but stability control is a confirmed fitment in the Opel (hence our assertion that it’s standard in the Partner as well). The Combo doesn’t have quite as many nice-to-haves in the cabin, either, and loses the touchscreen infotainment system in exchange for its lower list price.

How much cheaper is the Opel Combo, compared to the Peugeot Partner? Its list price of R 470 000 lower than that of the Peugeot, mostly due to its reduced standard specification level. Its warranty and service plan are both also less comprehensive, with the former running for 3 years or 120 000 km, and the latter for 3 years or 60 000 km.

Facts and figures:

Let’s quickly recap the important numbers:

* Manufacturer’s official claimed figures.

Verdict

What the Caddy 2.0TDI loses against the Peugeot Partner in terms of standard equipment, it recovers under the bonnet. We’re just not quite sure that power bump is enough to compensate for the lack of creature comforts and safety spec, even if the Caddy costs more than the Partner. It also cannot match the Peugeot’s standard service plan, which in itself can eat up its slim pricing advantage. This makes the Caddy the first one to be eliminated here.

Regarding the Opel Combo vs the Peugeot Partner, the matter is a lot less clear-cut. While the Peugeot’s superior service plan and more-comprehensive standard equipment are all very handy, they do exact a notable price premium. It’s perhaps best to consider the Opel Combo LWB as a lower-trim variant of the Peugeot Partner, leaving the choice to spend that extra money to its prospective buyer. As a value proposition, the Opel gets the nod here, but as a complete package, the Peugeot deserves serious consideration on its own merits. Let’s call this an honourable draw for first place, then.

* Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but may change without prior notice.

Keyword: Peugeot Partner vs Volkswagen Caddy vs Opel Combo: here's our winner.