CONFESSION time. I have been a secret van fan for years.

As a youngster struggling to cart about ridiculously large amounts of angling gear on a bicycle, I envied those with four wheels.

But the one vehicle I really coveted was a red van which appeared regularly beside the county's better known lakes.

Owned by a fishing fanatic, the loadspace had been skilfully converted to accommodate a host of specially designed compartments to carry a host of tackle. Even now some of my best friends have vans in their vehicle armoury.

Putting sopping wet dogs or hay bales inside a painstakingly polished family car is not prudent, but vans, with acres of space and easy-to-clean interiors, make good sense.

As well as common sense, Vauxhall has come up with a van that's a real green machine.

Gas powered vehicles in themselves are nothing new, but the Combo Dualfuel is the first compressed natural gas/petrol-powered van to come with a full manufacturer's warranty.

Despite being environmentally-friendly, up to now running a CNG vehicle has been bundled with red tape.

Owners had to apply to the Government for a so-called Special Vehicle Order, which could take up to a week to issue and had to be renewed every two years.

Just before Christmas the Government at last saw sense and scrapped the bureaucracy, allowing you to drive a CNG-powered vehicle straight out of the showroom and on to the road.

Running the Combo is as simple as any other vehicle, with the switch from petrol to gas power carried out at the touch of a button.

For longer journeys, and out of town driving, you simply drive off as normal with fuel being taken from the petrol tank. In town, before you start off, simply push the dashboard CNG button and the engine switches to gas power.

On the move it is simply impossible to tell which fuel source is being used, with indistinguishable amounts of pulling power and cruising speed.

If anything, gas power appears to deliver slightly better acceleration.

The gas tank, fitted in the loadspace, holds 60 litres of compressed natural gas, which has the energy equivalent of four gallons of petrol, giving a range of about 130 miles.

An on-board computer automatically displays the appropriate fuel level, depending on which energy source is being used.

If the gas runs out, the 1.4-litre, 16-valve 54 horsepower engine automatically switches over to petrol power. It's as simple as that.

The Dualfuel is aimed at firms with local delivery fleets and local authorities who are keen to be seen to be doing their bit to go green.

The environmental claims for compressed natural gas are impressive:

20 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions

<font face="Arial, Vauxhall Combo Dualfuel autofacts Price: £10,635 on-the-road

Comfort: Good

Length: 166.5 in

Width: 79.1 in

(with mirrors)

Loadspace

dimensions:

maximum internal height 47.5 in

maximum width 59.5 in

Load floor length:

(to gas tank cover) 52.4 in

Fuel tank capacity:

11 gallons (petrol)/

13.2 gallons (gas)

Payload: 482 kg

Gross vehicle weight:

1620 kg

Story date: Friday 19 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.