Not many people entertain the idea of buying a van as a second family vehicle these days, preferring shockingly impractical sports cars and the like – but I can tell you that in today’s entrepreneurial, uncertain and individualistic society, a handy little commercial vehicle can actually make commercial sense writes Syd Taylor.

Take Peugeot’s Bipper Professional 1.4 HDi 70 for example.

As a high specification Bipper at £13,781.87 on-the-road, it has all the creature comforts of a family saloon, with the added advantage of carrying capacity.

(Parents with offspring at university called upon frequently to serve as removal personnel take note).

There’s air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity, powered windows and lots more to make van driving an enjoyable experience

There’s so much you can do with a van – furniture removing, trips to the waste disposal centre, the supermarket – and not forgetting those amateur and professional musicians with bulky instruments, techno-electro young freaks and their happy bands, friendly local DJs and their enormous speakers, animal lovers – you can fit at least a St Bernard in, (although a Dartmoor Pony might be a struggle), pigeon fanciers . . . (Readers please note that this is the censored list).

I haven’t even mentioned lawnmowers, mountain bikes, ecological water butts and sofa beds.

The nicest little ‘Pug’ this side of Peking, the Bipper has won many accolades including International Van of the Year and ‘What Van’ of the Year Award.

It’s a sub-compact van based on car technology but it’s slightly bigger than most car-derived vans and is aimed at urban businesses where decent payload, ease of loading and light handling plus lively performance are key requirements.

I’m pleased to report that on all counts it excels. A load volume of 2.5 square metres with load-securing rings on the floor and a payload of 610 kgs is ample for most small businesses.

And it’s fantastically easy to load too, thanks to rear doors that open to 180 degrees and a large sliding side door. It certainly ‘cuts the mustard’ in the kerbside struggle to ‘load and away’.

Driving it is a real pleasure. Perfect seating in a warm and comfortable cabin with good storage space and robust fixtures and fittings set to withstand hard use, makes for relaxed driving and this usually means ‘safe’ driving – so on that score the Bipper is ahead of the opposition.

From the driving seat you look through a low windscreen that enables you to easily judge your road position in the heavy city traffic where light vans spend much of their time and reasonable size mirrors help you significantly in the traditional ‘cut and thrust’ on crowded urban streets.

Available with either a 1.4 petrol motor, or the most popular 1.4, 68bhp diesel engine or the 1.3 HDi 75 Stop-Start (available with 2-Tronic electrically controlled manual gears).

And in specifications less generous than the high spec. version on test, prices start at £9,095. There’s a Bipper for everyone.

The little 68bhp diesel in the test van is a gem. Its 68bhp doesn’t seem much – but let me assure you: it pulls splendidly.

Not only that, it’ll wizz along at speeds up to 95mph but always remains economical.

Your correspondent didn’t properly test the fuel consumption – but if talk in Fag Ash Lil’s transport cafe is anything to go by, most vandoliers are getting around 65/68mpg. (Chip shop owners please note. It will run on a 30 per cent bio diesel mix).

Handling is reassuring and loaded or unloaded it is nimble and safe.

Responsive and light electro-hydraulic steering makes for easy work around town and there’s a sense of well planted security when thrashing the daylights out of it on the motorway – as many van drivers do, secure in the knowledge that Peugeot diesels are unburstable.

Understandably, one might sometimes be encouraged not to spare the horses because no matter what speed you do, it’s never too noisy or ‘boomy’ like some rivals I could name – but all is relative; so if you have only ever driven your Lexus you might find my words suspect.

After my most enjoyable experience at the wheel of the Bipper, which proved a refreshing contrast to the usual luxury saloons and jet powered projectiles on test, I’m thinking of changing my name.

If not to Van Morrison or Sainsbury, to Van Poundland – because you’re ‘quids in’ with this little beaut.