The nearby Kuypers painting contractor has a whole fleet of compact, mid-size and full-size panel vans. The company has been around, as it was founded in 1914. They paint houses and anything bigger; compact, mid-size and full-size buildings, so to speak.
I caught three of their vans, parked in front of the company’s office building and warehouse. All PSA vans, yet the two on the left must look very familiar, since the same van is also offered as the Fiat Ducato, aka the RAM ProMaster in North America.
Let’s see, from left to right:
2011 Peugeot Boxer 2.2 HDi with a high roof. Wheelbase 345 cm (135.8”), payload capacity 1,400 kg (3,086 lbs), 120 DIN-hp turbodiesel.
2010 Peugeot Boxer 2.2 HDi with a low roof. Wheelbase 300 cm (118.1”), payload capacity 1,000 kg (2,205 lbs), 100 DIN-hp turbodiesel.
2011 Citroën Berlingo 1.6 HDi. Wheelbase 273 cm (107.5”), payload capacity 651 kg (1,435 lbs), 75 DIN-hp turbodiesel.
For the 2020 model year, the Euro-vans from PSA and Fiat have been refreshed. Pictured the current Peugeot Boxer.
The latest generation of the compact PSA panel van, still marketed as the Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo, was unveiled in 2018. Since PSA also owns Opel~Vauxhall, the Germans and the English got their own edition, called the Combo.
All of them are also available as an MPV, both the short wheelbase and the long wheelbase van. Above the Opel Combo Tour.
And last year, Toyota joined the club. Meet the new Toyota ProAce City. The MPV-version is called the ProAce City Verso.
Now just imagine that in a not so distant future, one and the same van might be sold as a Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, RAM and Toyota model. Vans of the world, unite!
Other vans, driven by painters:
CC Global: House Painters At Work – 2007 Opel Vivaro Face To Face With 2013 Citroën Jumpy
The NA Promaster is not getting that 2020 refresh.
Prior to the latest refresh, it didn’t get the new-for-2014 face either. Below a 2014 Ducato.
I could see that Toyota ProAce City giving the Transit Connect a run for its money over here even though the little Nissan NV200/Chevy Express and the Promaster City haven’t seemed to do much in that regard.
Then again is it just me or does it seem that the first Transit Connect did more volume than the newer (current) Transit Connect is doing? (Transit Connect is the small one, NOT the large Transit van). People seem to get the names confused.
Then again is it just me or does it seem that the first Transit Connect did more volume than the newer (current) Transit Connect is doing?
Absolutely the case. The gen1 made a substantial impact, especially on fleet use. The gen2 is quite scarce.
I chalk that up to two factors: the gen1 arrived in 2009, in the gales of the recession, and to essentially no competition. It was very fresh and a new concept for the US. gas had been high, and this presented itself as a great alternative to the big thirsty domestic vans.
Since the a lot has changed; gas is cheap, the economy is booming, and everyone want s the biggest truck or van as a consequence. And there’s competition in the compact van segment, although none are doing well.
All of which explains why Toyota undoubtedly won’t be bringing that Pro Ace City van to the US. In any case, it’s not really a Toyota. 🙂
Extrapolating from data on goodcarbadcar.net the entire US sales of small commercial vans is about 70k units/year – 85k if you add in the MB Metris (which to me is neither small nor big). The Transit Connect owns more than half of that pie, at about 42,000 units/year. That’s not a huge figure, but neither is it anything to sneeze at.
But Nissan (and the badge-engineered Nissan/Chevy) has abandoned the market in the US, and the ProMaster City struggles to move 1000 units/month, so I’m not sure how much longer that might last.
You’re right, Paul. I think the small commercial van was a thing of a specific time and place in the US.
Combo came here as a Holden, now extinct but Vauxhall and Opel version have emigrated to NZ Toyota rebadges PSA vans here too Ive noticed plus we get the Peugeot and Citroen versions of course
Compact: Peugeot Partner = Citroën Berlingo = Toyota ProAce City = Opel/Vauxhall Combo.
Mid-size: Peugeot Expert = Citroën Jumpy = Toyota ProAce = Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro.
Full-size: Peugeot Boxer = Citroën Jumper = Fiat Ducato = RAM ProMaster.
That’s the current situation in short.
The full size Opel/Vauxhall Movano van is still the same as the Renault/Nissan model at present. I expect that won’t be the case for that much longer despite the recent facelift (in fact I was surprised it didn’t change then).
For the time being, Opel and Vauxhall can still offer a heavy-duty van/chassis-cab (RWD/dual rear wheels), while mother PSA can’t.
I followed a Toyota Hiace through Hamilton NZ which had a HDI badge signifying a PSA diesel engine, largish van similar size to the Hiace still coming in from Japan used, but not quite Movano sized
Odd, Toyota designates the PSA diesel engines in the vans (either 1.5 or 2.0 liter displacement) D-4D here, just like their own common-rail turbodiesels in the Land Cruiser 150-series, aka the Prado, and the HiLux.
The fact Toyota feels comfortable sticking its badge onto PSA vans speaks volumes, and it has been doing so for quite a while already. The world has long moved on from the unreliable Peugeots of old.
Right, from the summer of 2013 onwards, that was the previous generation of PSA’s Expert and Jumpy plus the Fiat Scudo, originally introduced in 2007. First gen Toyota ProAce, in other words.
What a coincidence. This guy paints houses too.
Also famous for his excellent carpentry work.