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Ive currently got an old Berlingo which has bee very reliable and cheap to run but it would be good to get something a little bigger. Something which I can fit a bed down one side and have room to stash the bike still. Would be looking at second hand up to around £5000 but cheaper would be better, mainly concerned about it being reliable over performance/features. Ive seen a couple of Transit connect lwb vans which look good. Any one had any experience of these?
Be realistic with your expectations, nothing, just nothing comes close to a Berlingo. It is a king amongst lesser vehicles. If you own a Berlingo, other Men will want to be you, and Women will want to be with you. If James Bond was a bit cooler, it’s the vehicle he would drive.
Whats your budget? I have a 2015 L2 (long) Connect. Been very reliable and nice to drive etc. I had an mk1 as a company van years ago, again, very reliable and I loved it. Shame it got wrote off.
Have a drive of one and see how you get on with it.
At that budgt I don't think you'll get one of the new shape lwb connects. You can get a bed and a bike in a berlingo multispace as the passanger seat folds flat you can extend the bed over this.
NisssN nv200. Just that bit bigger than all the other small vans
How old is your Berlingo? If pre-current body, then a 'newer' one will be slightly longer and wider (and maybe taller). I'm 6' 1" and can sleep in the back with rear seat out - not perfectly straight, but if I put my feet between the 2 front seats then I'm sorted - I'm about an inch too tall to be straight out in the back - that leaves room for the bike on the other side of the car and my gear in front seat footwell and middle of rear and under bike.
This was a small air bed that fitted from rear of van to rear of front seat...rear seats were removed and it left a very flat area to lie in - footwell of rear seat was the only 'gap' and that was filled with my clothing so ended up being flat anyway.
I'd agree with everything @angeldust mentions, even though it has never happened in reality!
With the more recent versions, you can get the longer Berlingo as well - only in van though, but that would sort out my sleeping issue as it is about 8+" longer.
Renault Trafic is worth a look, you get SWB, LWB and high top versions.
Its an older (2003) Berlingo I currently have, and yes its pretty awe inspiring! Ive just seen a 2017 nv200 for £9000 which is about twice what I was looking at paying but seems cheap for what it is. Ill look at the newer Berlingos too, I hadnt realised they were that much bigger than the old ones.
I hadnt realised they were that much bigger than the old ones.
they come in two lengths.
A size up would be the second generation (I think) scudo/dispatch/thingy. Near to transit sized inside but the floor is very low so seems to fit a lot of van into a fairly small package - comes in two lengths and two heights but the shortest/lowest seems to fit your brief.
Quite underrated /unpopluar so you can tend to get a lot of van for your money.
Same engines as the blingo but counter intuitively the larger engine is the most economical in the size of van
I test drove an NV200 once, it was the worst driving experience of my life! Noisy, crashy and badly put together. Made my old Pug Expert feel like the king among vans (it wasn’t btw)
Had my NV200 for a few months now, test drove back to back with a Caddy. It was miles ahead in comfort, driving and noise. The Caddy was a huge disappointment as I thought it would have been pretty close to car like.
Previously owned a 2005 Transit crew cab which was quieter than the Caddy.
Positives - getting 40+mpg out of the NV200, bike fits in length ways (big positive) (20er Whyte T-129 and Whyte G160 both in medium and Airdrop Edit in large have all fitted in with little/no turning of the front wheel), ok to drive (110bhp version would have been nicer), fits in my garage and most parking spaces, bluetooth and reverse camera as standard, seriously light steering for town stuff. Really hoping this will be accurate long term but they don't seem to suffer from rust as much as Fords (please, please!).
Negatives - gets pushed round in the wind a bit, not fast at all, wouldn't say I've bonded with it as much as the Transit, hmm there's not really any other negatives jumping out...
Best of all was the price, was looking at much older and higher mileage Connects/Caddys/Others to get the same length and height, missed out on a mint looking long/high Connect but it was what I paid plus VAT. The LWB Connects/Caddys tend to go very quickly when they come on the market.
When van shopping go with your bike, check what will fit and buy on condition rather than picking a make & model before heading out.
Loved my wee caddy, but priorities changed, really need a car far more often than a van.
I'm 6'2" and could sleep in there, single mattress, seats put forward, and XL Bronson next to me with front wheel off. I actually slept better in there than I ever did in the much roomier LWB T5
Current shape Berlingo in L2 version?
XL version of Kangoo / Mercedes Citan?
Doblo Maxi?
Some of the above (not all) might come as car derived van on V5 so will still be car speed limits.
New Berlingo out in September so might be some deals on current shape.
Second generation Berlingo was slightly wider, longer and taller than the previous version (the one you have) - I think it is only a couple of inches in each difference though.
The second generation L2 Berlingo, has the extra length, but only in a van (but I think it has 3 seats up front).
I'm biased, this is my second 'Berlingo' (currently a Peugeot Partner Tepee) - the first Berlingo would still be going if it hadn't rolled me down a slope and crumpled every panel on the vehicle except where the passengers would have been.
Great vehicles, but they have their limits - like every vehicle does - you can fit 4 washing machines in the back of one - but that is fine for very rectangular shaped objects - probably not much benefit for biking/camping and people stuff. It works, but I suspect any van-esque vehicle is going to work much better than a car for lugging kit about.
Original Berlingo shape owner here and I am saving up for the "new" 2018 model to be released late summer. My 160K is puffing out blue smoke when putting foot down after an idle 🙁
The long wheel base 5 seater looks ideal to me.
http://www.citroen.co.uk/new-cars-and-vans/future-vehicles/new-citroen-berlingo
Agreed - long wheelbase 5-seater for me as well.
According to the video on that Berlingo page, it is Citr-o-en - clearly I've been saying it wrong for decades!
Does look a nice update, I think we'll be keeping this one for another 2 years and then 'upgrade' to the new body on the second hand market.
Unsure which one I prefer though - the Berlingo looks 'styled' (loud) and the Rifter (assuming that is the same vehicle) looks more 'classy' (understated)...suspect they both have the same finishing kit, but the Pug seems to look more appealing in the inside - suspect that is the top-end model on the site, but it seems to appeal more.
I've driven one or two small vans recently including a newish plate Berlingo which I thought was good ..but was more impressed with the Fiat Doblo than anything else ..
That new Peugeot looks the business!
The second generation L2 Berlingo, has the extra length, but only in a van (but I think it has 3 seats up front).
they come with either two or 3 seats up front - be bear in mind.... in the place where the third seat would be the two-seater has a cubby hole thats about the size of a loaf of bread. Its not a very roomy/practical way for 3 people to travel
I have a 2014 Berlingo, all the van I need. I think its the same van as a Peugeot version though, Brother has the Peugeot and just about everything is identical.
Easily sleep in the back (but I'm 5 foot 8), 3 bikes can get in easy enough and can get 3 adults in the front, but its a squeeze for the passengers.
I don't recall how much my van was, but it wasn't expensive. Cheap to run, getting close to 50mpg (I do a lot of long motorway type runs).
I'd say my van has been my best cycling related purchase.
Small van you say? How about a 4x4 Subaru?
Big fan of my Caddy Maxi as a compromise solution.
A mate built this awesome slide out bed that's simply brilliant for day to day bike usage converting to a compfy nights sleep.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/0V9sWcseI1JtzVWH3
I am tempted to trade it in for something bigger however. Head height is an issue.....
NisssN nv200. Just that bit bigger than all the other small vans
This looks good.
That is a belter of a machine
My work 16 plate Berlingo lease is up on 18th June, 32k miles not been a problem, I can fit both my road bike and Camber in the back with a little gap for mattress and sleeping bag, did this on a trip to Ireland in Jan. Very practical. Going to miss it. Have just bought a Yeti as a replacement. Going to miss getting changed in the back of the van in carparks and laybys.
3 years in a 2012 Doblo Cargo. Absolutely brilliant. Multiple trips to the Alps, all over the UK and it’s been great. 47mpg, cruise control, air con etc. Love it
Berlingo b9 owner here. 5ft 11. Plenty of room to sleep and have bike next to me. Installed some led 12v interior lights and it's all gravy.
Shhhhh lads angeldust will get jealous.
In my third one now.
Had a m59 berlingo nultispace and m59 partner van concurrently for me and wife sinces2009
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">And have a b9 currently for the wife. </span>
B9 is a good bit wider and taller and longer . Really obviously when I parked it next to the m59
It also has spring rear beam suspension rather than a torsion bar. Ok so it's not independent but works well and rides better on the road in rough stuff. Torsion beam was better over rough roads though.
Don't think and of the new vans come as car derived models due to weight. They are alot heavier than the older models (of which only the lower payload 600kg model was subject to the higher limits)
OP - also look at a later Toyota Hiace SWB van with the D4D engine, should get a good one for budget, very reliable and enough room to kip in with bikes without being too big - will fit in normal parking spaces and in car parks with 2m height restrictions. Had a few over the years and never had to do anything other than change oil/filter once a year.
I had a scudo (same as expert and dispatch) and size wise it was good comprise. 7' load area (maybe a bit more) low floor not too tall. Bad thing was that I had the 1.6 and it was under powered unless empty on the flat about town. I was ragging the engine all the time on hills or out on the open road / motorway. I think the 2.0l (or it may be 1.9) would be a vast improvement. 5k would get a really great good one. Reliability wise depends on what you initially buy imo. Mine was crap from when I bought it but that was my fault!
Plus 1 for a scudo and yes 2.0l is better than the 1.6. I've had a scudo crew van (the 2.0l six speed version) for the last 5 years. It's been a great van. Taken us down to the alps then further afield to Lake Garda Italy for the last 3 years. I've recently sold it and bought a newer 2.0l Dispatch (same van as the scudo expert etc). The Scudo was mostly reliable one or two problems in the last year of ownership, power steering pump went and the EGR valve went a few times. I think they have sorted that in the newer scudos, dispatches experts. EGR valve is easy to fit.