[Closed] Car and rack or van.

Get a T6, best solution all round. Can get 5 or 6 people in plus bikes and kit

Should have said I don't really want to spend an absolute fortune.

Its up to you, given that you do 20000 miles a year for work, would you rather drive an a6 or a van for those 20000 miles?

For what its worth, a roof rack works brilliantly for carrying bikes in my opinion, and there's no way I'd be swapping an A6 for a van

Towbar rack on A6 Avant here. Takes seconds to fit, minimal impact on consumption. Hefty initial outlay though..

Get a towbar fitted and pick up a good bike rack, you'll be able to do up 4 people and bikes with the correct rack. Towbar will cost around £350 and a rack is around the same again.

I do 20000 a year in a Transit Custom for work no problem. Lots of bikes and kids I’d go for a van every time especially if you want future trips away.

I'd say towbar rack.

What MPG does the A6 get, 60-65ish? A T6 will be more like 38-40 so you're adding 60% to your fuel costs (and have to buy a van) and deal with low car parks etc. I want a van, but that's because I ride for 90% of local trips, and the remaining 10% are things like B&Q where a van would actually be better than a car anyway! Which means 90% of my (relatively low) mileage is weekends away biking/sailing where again a van would be better than the car. So I do appreciate the advantages of a a van.

Towbar and rack on a new-ish car (i.e. professionally fitted with the properer electrics not scotchblocks) is probably going to be £500. Not cheap, but a fraction of a T6!

On the costs. My A6 Avant towbar was fitted by an independent specialist and the best deal I could get, earlier this year, for supply and install on a 2 yr old car, was £750, which included required car software updates. Rack (an Atera ebike one) was £350 from Roofbox.co.uk

Vans, unless dual purpose, have lower speed limits and with the proliferation of average speed ANPR cameras I'd be going with the car and rack. If it's your only vehicle I'd also be concerned about low emission zones which affect commercial vehicles more.

I like the idea of a van, very practical, easy to deal with the bikes and all the kit.

However I've already got a tow-bar fitted, I will have to buy a new 4 bike rack, current one is a 3 bike carrier.
I do appreciate the comfort of the A6 and the performance, took it to the alps a couple of years ago and my mate took the bikes in his van, there was no question which was the favorite with the passengers.

I think the sensible option is to just get a new rack and be done with it.

We have both.

I have a big estate car, but it drives me up the wall with filthy kit all winter & no matter how hard you try, the car ends up getting trashed.

The van, well even a nice £50k T6 is a POS compared to a £50k car, but we have a cheap van which if I look in the back probably has half a forest inside it, but I can wash the bikes off easily, get changed in the warm and dry in the back & if it gets full of mud, I don’t care.

I really wouldn’t want either as my only vehicle though (been there & done that before). If I had to though, I’d probably have to go with the van again, and put up with it being a not very nice place to drive.

I think the sensible option is to just get a new rack and be done with it.

If you already have a towbar its a no brainer.

Agree with hobnob about the mud though. Car seat covers (get two sets, one waterproof set from screwfix tonprotect the seats and some washable boyracer ones from halfords to go over the top). That protects the car. As for getting clean yourself, not much that can be done other than wear waterproof shorts/trousers over lycra, strip those off and have a clean top layer and trainers ready in the car. Its not perfect but it'll get you home or into the pub.

My next car will be a van, but thats mostly because ive sorted my life out so i dont need a 'car'. And I'll probably still try and stop the cab from turning into a festering mess 😂

I love vans. It's amazing having a mobile bedroom/changing room/workshop/kitchen etc. They're brilliant for a bit of privacy especially when the weather is minging and my girlfriend adored it for that reason.

But, I'm finding a nice one very hard to justify price wise. Especially now that I've driven a few nice, comfy estate cars that come in considerably less expensive. In the new year I'll be test driving Octavia's not T6's.

How about a galaxy/smax and a towbar rack/roof rack?
We've had ours for 9 years now and in that time it's done almost 100k miles ranging from holidays (family of 6) here there and everywhere and has doubled up as a van for tip runs etc... 4 bike rack on towbar and even on occasions 6 people and 6 bikes (2 on roof rack).
For those foreign or long distance holidays with a big family a converted bike rack with a large storage box attached is excellent for extra luggage capacity.
Much nicer to drive than a van and more room than any estate car(changed from an a6 avant myself)
Still can't find anything that I want to replace it with.

@transporter13

We had an older VW Sharan, the model where the rear % seats could be removed independently. Loved it it was really flexible and could carry 3 bikes inside and 3 people in comfort.

I'm not so keen on the newer versions as they don't appear to have as much room in them. I would consider a Caddy Maxi Life or the Ford Tourneo Connect, they seem like a decent compromise.

Car and a rack all the way. I like a roof rack because it gives you easy access to the boot and you can just leave it on, which makes it even easier if you don't have a garage. You're always ready to go if you decide to squeeze a ride in somewhere before the daylight fades.

Vans aren't nice to drive compared to a car. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves. They're big, where I live they're a pain to park compared to a car (but then your current car is bloody massive so that won't make any difference), they don't go in a lot of multi storey car parks, they're not fuel efficient and they're built to a price for fleet managers so are less comfortable than a car.

Either one is going to be a faff or uncomfortable sometimes so just go for whatever burns the least fuel.

I'm having this debate at the moment. I have an awesome saab which i love, with towbar and rack.  However, the rack is a pain in the arse. it doesn't take seconds to fit.   it goes like this:

Collect it from shed, carry for 60-80m  #humblebrag (weighs a fair bit)  to car . screw on hand tight. find wrench somewhere in car to tighten it. grub around on the floor to plug it in so the brake lights are connected etc. then collect bike, lift it on, struggle to fit it, tie it on securely etc. Curse a few times as the fat tyres and LLS 29er doesnt really fit properly.    if another bike goes on, make sure they are not smashing against each other etc. Do all that in reverse after the ride, x 3x4 times per week.  BORING

But yeah, half decent vans seem expensive. looking at caddy maxis and they are £££ for not much.

However, a van does seem cool for the kids, bikes, maybe even sleeping in every so often.

@BigM

A friend had the older mk2 galaxy which shared the same chassis as yours (if that's the version you're referring to) and mine is wider by a few inches but with the seats removed his had more space vertically.
The seats don't remove in mine but fold flat into the floor... I can also easily fit 3 bikes and 3 people inside with room for kit/luggage for trips etc... Its only wen a 4th person comes along when I opt for the rack.

Van.
My recent vehicle history (last 5-6 years) has been T5, assorted 4x4, then Galaxy, then Berlingo, then Trafic. (Wife now has the Berlingo.)

Of the cars, the Berlingo is the best for bikes. The Galaxy is indeed huge and was good for family and dog carrying type of stuff but I still had to piss about taking wheels off bikes etc and still ended up with scratched trim and dirty head lining. At least the bikes go in the Berlingo with both wheels on.
The van is much better at holding lots of stuff at the same time; work kit (rope access so pretty bulky a lot of the time), the dogs and I can still get two complete bikes in so there’s no need to faff swapping kit/bikes out when I get home from work and need to take the mutts somewhere or whatever.
As far as driving, no the vans aren’t as ‘nice’ to drive as a car or indeed quite as fuel efficient but they aren’t far behind.
My 2.5 Trafic gives low-mid 30s mph against the Galaxy in the mid 40s and the Berlingo high 40s.
Van in SWB form is shorter than the Galaxy and easier to park even with less glazing and no parking sensors as it’s squarer and the mirrors are bigger. Some multi storey are too low but the majority are ok.
Cars (especially the Berlingo at £20 per year) different tax to commercials.

I am definitely a van convert, just first my life so much better than a car.

Van.
Best thing I've ever bought.
Having bikes inside is a major consideration for me but they are just better in every respect. Once you've had one you will wonder how people manage without. I've got an LBW Transit as my only vehicle. I would never be without a van. Yes, sometimes it is overkill but I can't justify a second vehicle for those occassions. Maybe an Elise one day...
Cheap insurance and tax (compared to big, fast estates anyway), easier to DIY spanner than most cars of a similar age and it is surprisingly comfy (for drivers, the double passenger seat isn't!) Bit noisy.
Downsides - PITA to park sometimes, but it's probably bigger than the OP is looking for. Bit thirsty, but the SWB I had before did 40mpg and I was happy with that.
I do half the OP's mileage mind, but that does include some 2k+ mile road trips, Edinburgh to Finale and back for example and it's great for big miles, not too thirsty on a motorway, horrendous round town but I very, very rarely drive in a town anyway so I'm not fussed. By the sounds of it the OP will be doing a lot of motorways to hit 20k. A sixth gear helps a lot here, but most newer ones will have that.
Is it a company vehicle? If so a commercial will be loads cheaper BIK tax

https://roof-bars.co.uk/products/thule-clipon-high-2-9106-2-bike-cycle-carrier?variant=26277795299428&currency=GBP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9ovdhv-65gIVCbrtCh0LHgNZEAQYAiABEgKrl_D_BwE

I got a demo one of those for the civic, it's bloody good, only downside is only 2 bikes.

Think I'm gonna get a single seasucker for 3rd bike, or for when I'm just going myself somewhere.

I've tried everything bar a seasucker, wee van, big van, in car, roof bars, Tow bar, and now high mount.

They're all a compromise, Tow bar mount was one I stuck to longest though tbf.

I do similar mileage. I'm going to guess some wearing a suit, work driving in there too from your op. So pretty similar to my usage.

IMO car is the way to go. Not just for speed limits but comfort and efficiency too. I always come back to how many miles do I do with four bikes on the roof (in my case) and the answer is maybe 10%-15% of my total.

With four bikes watch your nose weight limit on the rear as the lever effect on the rack reduces the effective weight you can put on the rack.

My Passat is close at 90kg published nose weight, hence I've gone for the roof option.

I've toyed with a galaxy or transit Tourneo connect recently for camping duties, think I'd rather go that route than full on van.

I'm currently thinking of downsizing to golf/focus sized car and a trailer for camping/tip runs for lower running costs.

Vans are less comfortable, less economical, poorer VFM and usuallky more awkward to park.

Wouldn't be without mine though, it just makes things so much easier.

Full disclosure - I also have an old Fiesta for driving to the station and/or ferrying the kids around.

Could you get a reasonably priced mid-size van and a reasonably priced small/mid-size car as a compromise solution?

I'm using car with roof rack at the moment but also have a biggish camper van

One thing to think about with racks is that you really risk the bikes getting nicked if you want to leave the car parked. Maybe that isn't a biggy if you just want to go riding then home but
I would probably go for a small van lwb caddy, connect or simmilar if the mrs would drive one!

I’ve been pondering this for a while and I don’t do as many work miles as you a year (more like 12k) and I wouldn’t want to drive a van of any description for those (I love driving my Jag XE). When it’s due replacement in a years time I’ll probably get a hybrid 3 series estate for more kit to go in the back of.

I’d love a van too (but not getting that past the wife) - I figure an older one of a less trendy male might do the job without too much cost. Seen both a Fiat thing with 2 seats in the back and a Peugeot that are that inbetween sort of size. Not as big / high up as a transporter but bigger than a Kangoo / Berlingo. Looks like you could get 3-4 people in them plus bikes. One day it’ll happen hopefully......

Van.

I'm looking at an ex-British Gas Caddy Maxi.

Bought a second hand Vito dual liner long about 4 years ago and would be reluctant to go back to a car.

So much better than my estate and towbar rack that I had before with the added advantage of not advertising the fact you have bikes when driving home.

So much more comfortable than a car, very easy to drive (even my wife enjoys driving it). Only had a problem parking once and that was in a city car park with a low entrance. Fitted a reversing camera recently (wish I had done it ages ago).

Went mountain biking Sunday and was able to get out of my mucky gear in the back then check the bike in without removing wheels.

In summary, get a van!

My brother had a caddy maxi. You can fit 3 bikes and people but not 4. 3 with front wheels out that is. You might get four with major deconstruction.

Felt like a van (compared to my passat) and fuel efficiency was not much more than half my passat. About the same as a passat with a 4bike rack on top in fact!

How about a small box trailer for bikes / changing / security towed by the estate as a leftfield idea?

Trailer could be an option for those longer trips like the Alps.
I think I'll stick with the rack, fuel economy is important. Love the idea of a van but not sure I could do all those miles in one, would hurt my pocket in terms of business mileage.

Stick with the car and - you spend more time commuting than cycling by the sounds of it so that’s it’s primary purpose and you’ll lose loads of cash swapping vehicles and on MPG. A decent rack and/or roof bars and get the right tidy boxes for the boot for clean and muddy kit and a DryRobe to change in and youre away. I’ve been doing this with an E Class estate for years. Would be great to have a van as well but having thought about it a lot the outlay doesn’t justify it for me. The car does the business and gets us there more cheaply and probably quickly. Did a big euro trip in it this year without any problems.
The main down side of a car for me is security of the bikes on a rack. The bikes are worth more than the car lol. Have a massive chain when stopping and try and keep them in sight and never ever leave on overnight.

Done vans and cars and now on car + rack.

I also do 20k a year and for the last 5 years have been in a 3 series estate that has had 4 plus bikes etc. Previously had T25/T4s/T5 and a Bongo. Beemer now has roof rack on 24/7 and sometimes fit a towbar rack.

Driving a T5 for 20k a year on minor A roads was exhausting!! Plus I rarely used all that space in percentage terms. The car is much better and more comfortable. The Beemer is less economical than my last van at about 28mpg (versus 33), however.

Now have a Leon ST in addition and that's going to be my commuting wagon (occasional bike transport) whilst the Beemer will be my main bike/surf wagon until I replace it with a van in a year. The Leon will hopefully do about 33mpg and the next van (Maxi?) will be pretty frugal. I can't fit a towbar to the leon.

Probably no help whatsoever but sometimes it's useful to see what others do.