Volkswagen has been making sporty-looking versions of its Transporter vans for a while now, but the latest version looks significantly more badass than the last one. The addition of the little “.1” appended to the T6 name indicates quite a bit has changed. The Sportline has always been a top-tier trim, but the T6.1 gets a serious injection of Golf GTI hot-hatch attitude—especially in the special Black Edition you’re seeing here.
All T6.1 Sportlines get a number of enhancements over the regular T6. The GTI-inspired touches are the most obvious: the red strip in the grille, a sporty front bumper skin, and the rear spoiler. The van is dropped an inch; the Black Edition additionally uses Eibach coilovers. Regular Sportlines can be had in grey, red, blue, or bronze, and in short- or long-wheelbase versions. The Black Edition only comes as a short-wheelbase panel or Kombi van.
Inside, there’s no mistaking it’s a premium commercial vehicle—hey, those exist!—with Nappa leather trimmed in suede, as well as honeycomb pattern stitching and Sportline logos throughout. A dark rear window tint enhances the Black Edition.
There also are unique alloy wheels, “Black Edition” decals, matte black side bars, and even a gift box. For nearly $63,000 (before VAT), you’d hope there would be a gift box. But other than the coilovers, the Black Edition doesn’t get any dynamic enhancements. All Sportlines use a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox mated to a 2.0-liter TDI engine that makes a smidge more then 200 horsepower, and can shove the T6.1 to 62 mph in 8.9 seconds.