Introduction
What Car? says...
Don’t MAN make trucks? Well, yes, but since 2017 they’ve also been making a van thanks to their group partner Volkswagen.
The MAN TGE is based on the Volkswagen Crafter. In fact, it is identical in every way, except that as a truck manufacturer, MAN has service centres that are open 24 hours a day, and as a result you can get your MAN TGE booked in for a service “out of hours”. For a busy business that can be a real blessing.
Front-wheel-drive models come with 101bhp, 138bhp or 174bhp, while rear-wheel drives start with a 121bhp option and have the same 138bhp or 174bhp engines as well. Four-wheel-drive vans are only available with the 138bhp or 174bhp engines.
On front-wheel-drive vans the two higher output engines can be specified with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, but on the rear- and four-wheel-drive vans it is just the top-power engine that has that option.
In addition to its Volkswagen Crafter sibling, the MAN TGE has to compete with a host of other large vans, including the Ford Transit, Nissan NV400, Peugeot Boxer and Renault Master. Yet, it is the Mercedes Sprinter that the TGE is best compared with.
The Sprinter also has the full range of front, rear and four-wheel-drive drivelines and has manual or automatic gearboxes across its range. There will also be electric versions of both the TGE and the Sprinter, which will compete against the Volkswagen e-Crafter.
FAQs
Both VW and MAN are owned by the VW Group. As such, there’s no difference between a VW Crafter and MAN TGE beyond the level of service that is offered to owners of the latter, as the truck manufacturer operates 24-hour service centres for quick repairs if anything goes wrong. Read our full VW Crafter review, or our MAN TGE review.
MAN Truck & Bus is part of the Volkswagen Group of companies, which also owns Audi, Bentley, Cupra, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, VW and VW Commercial Vehicles. The MAN TGe is essentially a rebadged VW Crafter and has been sold since 2017. Read our MAN TGE review.
All MAN TGE vans use engines from the VW Group and are generally strong performers for pace and economy. Our pick is the 138bhp unit, ideally linked to the eight-speed automatic gearbox, which delivers startlingly smooth performance. Read our MAN TGE driving verdict.
We rate the MAN TGE as one of the very best buys in the large van class, with our testers giving it five out of five stars for being comfortable, great to drive, easy to customise and describing it as a “bargain” if specced carefully. Read our full MAN TGE verdict.
