New Vauxhall Combo-e Life electric MPV to go on sale in autumn 2021
Five or seven-seat electric car is the passenger version of Vauxhall's Combo-e small electric van
Vauxhall has announced a five or seven-seat passenger version of its Combo-e electric van, called the Combo-e Life. It's set to go on sale in the UK in autumn 2021, with pricing and an exact on-sale date to be confirmed in due course.
Two wheelbase lengths will be offered, with the Medium having either five or seven seats and the XL coming in seven-seat configuration only. Projected range on a single charge is up to 174 miles and the Combo-e Life will be able to recharge at up to 100kW, allowing for a top up from 10% to 80% capacity from a public rapid charger in around 30 minutes.
Topping up from a domestic wallbox will be possible at 7.4kW, while an optional 11kW on-board charger will allow for faster charging from three-phase setups, as found in some households and commercial premises.
A 134bhp electric motor – the same as used in other Stellantis Group electric models such as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e – provides enough power for an 11.2-second 0-60mph time. A two-mode regenerative braking system allows for the strength of the regen effect to be adjusted to the driver's preference. Both versions of the Combo-e Life can tow a braked trailer weighing up to 750kg.
Inside, the five-seater Combo-e Life Medium offers 597 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place, expanding to 2,126 with the back seats dropped. The Combo-e Life XL has an 850-litre boot with all seven seats in place, expanding to 2,693 when they're folded. The front passenger seat can also be folded down to make carrying especially long items easier.
The second rows of both Medium and XL variants are available as either three individually folding seats or with a 60:40 split (a 35:30:35 split is also available as an option). In both cases, each individual seat has its own ISOFIX child-seat mounting point, allowing for the fitment of three child seats next to each other.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity are standard on all versions, with other available on-board technology including the Vauxhall Multimedia Navi Pro eight-inch touchscreen, as well as safety and driver-assistance systems such as forward collision alert with pedestrian protection, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, driver drowsiness alert, traffic-sign recognition and hill-descent control.
The Combo-e shares underpinnings with the Peugeot e-Partner and Citroen e-Berlingo vans and electric passenger versions of those models are expected to appear in due course as well. Vauxhall also offers the larger Vivaro-e Life electric minibus, with seating for up to nine.