NO swish exec Audi A6 for me this weekend. Instead, transport was the trusty Transit, Britain’s most loved van.

The Ford Transit I had was a crew cab – featuring a truncated load area but a second row of seats for additional passengers.

I had the van for test appraisal for our sister magazine Business Van Manager, but it was also useful transport to get my son Matt – and all his gear – down to Southampton University where he will be reading Biology.

What I like about vans is their absolute sense of purpose. They are built to do a job; some do it better than others. But the Transit in particular is blessed with so many practical features – as well as its load carrying ability. The cabin is stuffed with hidden lockers, bottle holders, trays that fold out to hold coffee cups; the list goes on.

The current day van is also a long way from where, perhaps, you think it might be. The cabin is modern. With the crew cab you can walk between the front seats and the crew area – the latter a place where you can stand virtually upright.

The seats are comfortable – there are arm rests – and there’s a communications centre that embraces radio, sat nav, Bluetooth hands-free, and so on.

Coupled with the additional space of the crew cab design, and its high seating position, the Transit is highly comfortable for a journey. The engine is a bit noisy, it must be said on the motorway, but it’s not unbearable and certainly not unrefined.

And, of course, it took everything with some degree of ease down to Southampton; even if it got a few strange glances from some of the other parents who had gone down in more traditional transport.

But that’s another aspect I like of this van. It’s sheer versatility; workhorse, employee transport; and family wagon if needed. A van for every reason.

Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog