The Volkswagen Transporter Sports Line: A Beast of a Van

Fitger, a keen enthusiast of the Volkswagen Transporter, is known for his affection towards this 27,000-rudder beast. His love for the van was evident as he took it out on the track and managed to beat an 18-van around Snetterton. Since then, the Sports Line has reigned supreme as White Van Man's dream machine.

However, a new challenger has emerged in the form of the Mercedes Veto Sport X Brabus. Adorned with supercar-like badges, this limited edition van comes at a price tag of $25,000. But is it fast enough to rival its Volkswagen counterpart? Let's take a closer look.

The Veto Sport X Brabus boasts a 2.5-liter turbo diesel engine, producing 172 bhp and 400 Newton meters of torque. This engine is the fastest VW fan can buy, making it an energetic piece of kit. When pulling out of tight corners like this right-hander about 3000 rpm, the throttle just picks up and goes, offering a maximum power output between 2.5 and 3.5 thousand rpm. However, to maintain control, one must work the gearbox to stay within that power band.

Volkswagen has seen fit to include some traction control in this van, but fortunately, they've given us a button to turn it off. This is a welcome feature, as it allows the driver to fully exploit the van's capabilities. The suspension has been lowered and it sits on 18-inch tires with reasonable grip. However, being a front-wheel drive van means that when you rush into corners too quickly, understeer will occur.

The author of this article acknowledges that if delivery men have to navigate tight corners all day, they might want to consider a different career path. This is because the Sports Line can handle tight turns with ease, but it's not ideal for everyday driving. The aim here is to get the power in that band as much as possible, so more gears are used than would be needed when driving a car.

With its advanced features and supercar-inspired design, the Veto Sport X Brabus is sure to turn heads on the road. But how does it perform in real-world conditions? The author takes us through their first lap around the track, starting with a quick glance at the clock. As they ease into the first left-hander, they maintain a flat throttle and keep an eye on the Veto Sport X Brabus's progress.

The result is impressive: the Sports Line crosses the finish line in 1 minute and 37.8 seconds, while the Veto Sport X Brabus takes a full 1.4 seconds longer to complete the lap, coming in at 1 minute and 40.2 seconds. This may seem like a small margin, but it highlights the difference in performance between these two vans.

So, what makes the Mercedes Veto Sport X Brabus so impressive? First and foremost, it boasts a more powerful engine, with 204 bhp and 440 Newton meters of torque. This gives it an edge over its Volkswagen counterpart, producing 30 more horsepower than the Sports Line. The author notes that this might make it sound like the Veto Sport X Brabus should handle corners better, but that's not quite the case.

The real difference lies in how the two vans perform on the track. When turning into corners, traction control can be a major issue for the rear-wheel drive Volkswagen Transporter Sports Line. This is because the van tends to understeer when pushing too hard through corners. In contrast, the Veto Sport X Brabus's four-wheel drive system and advanced engine management make it more stable and responsive in tight turns.

In addition to its impressive performance capabilities, the Mercedes Veto Sport X Brabus boasts a sophisticated design that would not be out of place on any supercar. Its supercar-inspired badges are sure to turn heads, but they also serve as a reminder of the incredible engineering that has gone into this van.

The author is left wondering how many delivery drivers can truly take full advantage of their vehicle's capabilities when navigating tight corners and city streets. The Veto Sport X Brabus is undeniably impressive on the track, but its performance might not be as practical in everyday driving situations. Nevertheless, it remains an exciting and capable van that is sure to capture the hearts of enthusiasts everywhere.

In the end, both the Volkswagen Transporter Sports Line and Mercedes Veto Sport X Brabus are exceptional vehicles in their own right. The Veto Sport X Brabus's advanced design, impressive performance capabilities, and powerful engine make it a force to be reckoned with on the track. However, its limitations as a delivery van mean that it may not be the best choice for everyday driving.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the volkswagen transporter sports line from its spoiler to its grill it means business keen viewers will know fitger is quite a fan of this 27 000 brute a while back it beat the 18 van around snetterton since then it's reigned as white van man's dream machine but now there may be another meet the mercedes veto sport x brabus badges adorn it like it's some kind of supercar this limited edition van will set you back 25 grand but is it as quick as the v-dub okay so we've got a 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine with 172 bhp it is the fastest vw fan engine you can buy it has got 400 newton meters of torque and it is one energetic piece of kit pulling out of this corner here really tight right-hander about 3000 rpm boot the throttle it just picks up and goes maximum power you can get is between about two and a half and three and a half thousand rpm so you do have to work the gearbox to make sure you stay in that power band but it is so rewarding volkswagen have decided to put in some traction control but fortunately they've given us a button to turn it off the suspension is lowered and it sits on 18 inch tyres which have a reasonable amount of grip however this is a front wheel drive van so it will understeer when you rush into a corner a bit too quickly if this is what delivery men get to do every day then i think i might swap jobs time for a quickie start the clock i want to keep the power in that band as much as i possibly can so i'll be using a few more gears than i would do if i was driving a car oh yes it's within an inch of the edge of the tarmac there coming up to the fastest part of the circuit now sneak fifth gear onto the brakes down to second abs kicks in the last few corners now i want to make a really good clean run up to the finish line and the sport line gets there in one minute 37.8 time for the veto sport x right so we now have a three liter v6 diesel with 440 newton meters of torque which is 40 more than the vw but more impressively it is more than an audi rs4 we also have 204 bhp which is 30 brake more than the vw so it should go like the proverbial offer shovel but it doesn't it may take 8.3 seconds to 60 but that's in a straight line turn a corner and the traction control absolutely kills any progress dead turning into this bend here flat on the throttle barely going anywhere 40 miles an hour when i should actually be doing about 50 55 miles an hour through that there is a button to turn the traction control off but it only deactivates the system for about a nanosecond i don't know why they even bother having a button this is a rear-wheel drive van i should be getting the rear end out having a lot of fun i'm amazed that anybody makes their delivery time if they had one of these time for a fast i say first lap can it beat the transporter start that clock turn into the first left-hander i'm keeping my foot flat on the throttle at the first time check the veto is behind by seven tenths breaking from 90 miles an hour down to a second corner turn in at the second time check it's lost another tenth of a second coming soon and the merc crosses the line in one minute 39.2 a massive 1.4 seconds slower than the vw sports linethis is the volkswagen transporter sports line from its spoiler to its grill it means business keen viewers will know fitger is quite a fan of this 27 000 brute a while back it beat the 18 van around snetterton since then it's reigned as white van man's dream machine but now there may be another meet the mercedes veto sport x brabus badges adorn it like it's some kind of supercar this limited edition van will set you back 25 grand but is it as quick as the v-dub okay so we've got a 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine with 172 bhp it is the fastest vw fan engine you can buy it has got 400 newton meters of torque and it is one energetic piece of kit pulling out of this corner here really tight right-hander about 3000 rpm boot the throttle it just picks up and goes maximum power you can get is between about two and a half and three and a half thousand rpm so you do have to work the gearbox to make sure you stay in that power band but it is so rewarding volkswagen have decided to put in some traction control but fortunately they've given us a button to turn it off the suspension is lowered and it sits on 18 inch tyres which have a reasonable amount of grip however this is a front wheel drive van so it will understeer when you rush into a corner a bit too quickly if this is what delivery men get to do every day then i think i might swap jobs time for a quickie start the clock i want to keep the power in that band as much as i possibly can so i'll be using a few more gears than i would do if i was driving a car oh yes it's within an inch of the edge of the tarmac there coming up to the fastest part of the circuit now sneak fifth gear onto the brakes down to second abs kicks in the last few corners now i want to make a really good clean run up to the finish line and the sport line gets there in one minute 37.8 time for the veto sport x right so we now have a three liter v6 diesel with 440 newton meters of torque which is 40 more than the vw but more impressively it is more than an audi rs4 we also have 204 bhp which is 30 brake more than the vw so it should go like the proverbial offer shovel but it doesn't it may take 8.3 seconds to 60 but that's in a straight line turn a corner and the traction control absolutely kills any progress dead turning into this bend here flat on the throttle barely going anywhere 40 miles an hour when i should actually be doing about 50 55 miles an hour through that there is a button to turn the traction control off but it only deactivates the system for about a nanosecond i don't know why they even bother having a button this is a rear-wheel drive van i should be getting the rear end out having a lot of fun i'm amazed that anybody makes their delivery time if they had one of these time for a fast i say first lap can it beat the transporter start that clock turn into the first left-hander i'm keeping my foot flat on the throttle at the first time check the veto is behind by seven tenths breaking from 90 miles an hour down to a second corner turn in at the second time check it's lost another tenth of a second coming soon and the merc crosses the line in one minute 39.2 a massive 1.4 seconds slower than the vw sports line\n"