front-driven vans have a pleasurable ride

Took a ride in a Fiat Ducato semi-bonnetted van. That 2.3L Multijet turbodiesel really feels stout, could be a good replacement for nearly every petrol V6 altough its 120hp might be portrayed as underpowered at a first sight. Front wheel drive in a van might sound weird for many in the Philippines, but it doesn't perform so badly. Have also seen a handful of those Opel Vivaro mid-size vans available in Singapore, larger than the Zafira formerly available in the Philippines, seems like Southern Africans became more open-minded in regard of commercial vehicles and its drivelines. Even though their layout is not so smart regarding the overall vehicle extension as a forward-control van they get benefitted from the lower deck height, which in passenger vans increases the comfort and in cargo vans the cargo volume is higher due to the lower frame profile since there's no need to overcome driveshaft clearance. Car-like cornering is also possible due to the front wheel drive, enhancing stability. Our driver got a Volksie (as the T3 Volkswagen vans are affectionally called in South Africa) for his family use, which only advantage over the Ducato is still the ability to cope with rougher terrain in cross-country trips due to the weight balance and independent rear suspension, but wouldn't miss a chance to get its 5-cylinder petrol guzzler replaced by a Multijet...