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Hi Folks,
Current VW Touran at end of life, been fabulous, but now with 3 kids, dog, bikes, etc etc it is just too small.
We rented a van (Scudo 8 seater) by accident last summer in the highlands on holiday, and it was bloody fantastic - we both loved it - just chuck all the kit in and go.
Looking at Vito/Tourneo/T5 as a replacement for the Touran, but I think the missus is a bit hesitant now after a test drive yesterday - fine for weekends, but she fears it too big for a daily driver shuttling kids and doing shopping etc.
So - please post your thoughts here, real life experiences, positive stories around day to day use of a T5, from the point of view of my missus.
She is aware that everything is a comprimise, however, STW, this family needs YOU to swing things back in favour of the van!
Will post Mrs BSNs thoughts as we go along.
Photos also good (lady drivers, kids etc - the current T5 thread is good for me, but pics of 5 bikes stuffed into a pimped 4motion T5 does not, for some reason, emotionally connect with my better half 🙂 )
Crack on, looking forward to the opinions, experiences and photos.
ta muchly!
This type of thing?
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We had a Touran (great car). We now have a T5 as our only vehicle. Foot print is small than A6 estate and you can look at the 4 x 4 lot straight in the eyes. We all love it.
Send her round for a test drive of our Berlingo, that should do it!
*Bookmarks thread*
Changing our Octavia estate in the next 12 months or so. Now needing to move 4 bikes and 2 kids on a more regular basis, and/or camping trips. MrsMC wary about multi storey carparks and the sheer size of tbe things, as she is only 4'10". Though we would still have the Fabia as a ru around.
Plus she needs an automatic......
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doesn't really reinforce the 'it's easy to park in a standard bay at the shops' message 😉
We chopped in our estate car for a T5 4 months ago, 2011 140bhp SWB.
Just completed a basic Camper Conversion on it.
I drive it everyday, average 37mpg, its easy to park, nice driving position.
Comes into its own at weekends and holidays, when we ram it full of kids and bikes and head for the hills.
My wife finds it easy to drive.
No regrets.
T5 is:
Same footprint as a Passat
Low enough to go in almost all multi story car parks
Adaptable and practical way beyond what you thought you needed
Secure for bikes and kit inside and relatively unaffected by loading up
Car like to drive, light clutch, gearshift and power steering
Kids love vans, cool at skool
Go with the 2 seats up front, personally, not a bench. 3 Seats in the back (kombi spec)
Never loose it in a car park
Better visibility when driving than the Touran (no silly quarter lights and that big A pillar)
Fish and chips on a snowy day overlooking the sea.
Vans are awesome.
repost.
I recently changed Iveco camper van plus Focus estate for a LWB T5 kombi. No regrets here, it's been a great chnage for us, ideal for an active / outdoorsy family. The T5 is my 'car' although I don't have to commute daily so it's mainly a weekend and holiday thing. Missus has a Scenic for her daily use (this not really helping your argument 😕 ). I'd be happy using it everyday, although maybe a SWB would then be preferable due to being that bit easier to park. Most car parks I've encountered have been 2.0/2.1m or heigher, just fits under 2.0m barriers.
All loaded up for a family camping trip, there a couple of bikes and an inflatable canoe in there, and all the associated kit. Plus a load of baby paraphernalia including buggy.
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Beach side BBQ picnic
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I don't have kids, but I do have dogs (so almost the same!) and have recently bought a T5 to help with going camping and biking.
It's great. I love it.
It's arguably as comfortable as my Passat, almost as fast and not that less economical. Ok, I can't see out of the back, but a Kombi would not have that problem. It is almost as easy to park and, apart from a few buttock clenching moments in some multi-storey car parks, it's not been a problem taking it into town. I would argue that it's actually a more pleasant way to drive than a car, but that my be due to the height and volume of it, rather than the speed/handling.
Sorry if this is a bit of a thread hijack- i'm in a similar position, currently have a Passat, but its not really fit for purpose for family days out, when we have two kids, two dogs, bikes, etc to factor in- Last weekend was a camping trip that needed us to take two cars!
Thinking of a T5, this would be my ideal spec- Probably similar to what the OP is looking for. Any comments would be useful:
T5 SWB with 2 front seats and 2+1 rear.
Bulkhead to divide the rear, with a dog cage in the back (So I can stack luggage on top)
Rear mounted bike rack for 4x bikes.
A pop-roof bed (for events, and would combine with a driveaway tent for family camping)
Spacious enough or would it need to be an LWB? And which model/engine is best?
Leku - wwaswas' pick up of your parking photo is pure LOL! But, thanks all for the photos, it helps! More please!
We would only have one car, there would not be another for running about in as you highlight Mark90 - but great to see van being put to family use.
Great to hear relative parking ease comments, more please!
More family/wife driving based stories (and photos) please!
More - "bought a T5 and it changed our lives" stories please.
I think, a bit like having kids or getting a dog, there are lots of rational reasons why it is not a good idea, but the few overwhelming positives outweigh the long list of practical negatives.
I think, at the mo, we are somewhat constrained in our weekend activities as it is just to much hassle to get the roofbox and bikerack on and have everything hanging off the outside of the car just to go for a family bike run.
I have sneaky feeling if we went for it, it might actually be a bit life changing in a positive way (bit like me getting a fatbike! 🙂 )
Our T5 / car combo worked really well with the van and a Smart car. Seemed to cover all angles.
I we rated our van so much that I think we should have brought it out to Germany and paid to get it Lhd converted. It would probably have been a lot cheaper than the Touran which I would give a AA rating ..
Average
Adequate
My parents have had a T4, now a T5, as their primary car since 1997. They initially had a run around but that went long before the T5 arrived.
I would have a T5 if I had the money. As long as you know its height to the cm you'll be fine. All other parking is easy once you get used to it.
Wish I could afford a T5... 🙁
But!!! good T4 2.5TDIs are starting to get closer to what I can afford- so I'm happy.
OP- sounds like maybe hiring one for a weekend, or getting your missus to get a good look at one would help?
I think you're daft. Or possibly American.
I'm currently van hunting as we're in the same situation. 2 kids, dog, bikes and camping kit makes it an easy choice. Can't afford the VW tax so its a Vivaro or Trafic for me.
Where my situation is different is that I'm under orders to find one 😀
everyone will think i bet he had an M3 about 5 years ago?
Does it HAVE to be a T5 or is it just the transporter image that you NEED.
Sorry its your money, just make sure you get tinted windows when the fad passes by just like the M3 / scooby / evo / pick up truck etc...
Just had a quick browse on Autotrader.
😯 followed by 😥 followed by 🙄
we have a t4 not as bling as the t5 and not as refined but i bloody love it and the missus finds it fine to drive/park. its was our only car untill we moved out of town.
VH- ta.
I'd happily look at other vans if they were the same dimensions as a T4/5, but all the alternatives seem taller, wider and/or longer.
At least when I try measuring them wearing my rose tinted VW glasses
Why not get a boring family car that hasnt got the aerodynamics of a brick then hire something appropriate when your away?
New Touran?
t4/t5 swb type vans are v easy to drive. Barely bigger than a large car, fit perfectly into a standard parking space. High up seat gives great visibility and if you get rear parking sensors, then they are a doddle for anyone to park.
T5, SWB kombi 174ps. I average 33mpg running around with kids and a few longer runs. Mrs Yak averages 31mpg driving it like a rep-mobile.
We were like you - roof box, bikes on the roof, hanging off the back, just hassle every w-e. Now, just lob it all in and off we go!
It's my daily vehicle, and I can't really see any practical negatives, bar fuel consumption compared to a modern efficient car. My day to day mileage is low though. I wouldn't go back to a car now.
Though Vivaros seem to be about the same size, shame they don't have her beloved DSG gearbox.
I'm on my second T5.. Bought brand new this time which was a bit scary but bought and paid for.
I have caravelle rear seats in mine as we have 4 children and a Labrador. They all love the van. Even the wife doesn't know how we managed before with touran/discovery 3 etc.
Suits biking/family life perfectly, I've chosen a LWB this time for my particular needs.
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Sorry its your money, just make sure you get tinted windows when the fad passes by just like the M3 / scooby / evo / pick up truck etc...
Yes thanks - already tinted.
I have my own company so once you have claimed back the VAT and put the cost against income it worked out cheaper than a large estate car. We intend to keep ours for ages and have in converted to a camper at some point.
Just had a quick browse on Autotrader.😯 followed by 🙁 followed by 🙄
That'll be the scene tax.
@big_scot_nanny - If the Scudo was ace, why a T5? I'm assuming that's a new-body, i've got the old-type.
When you do persuade the missus.
make sure you get the tailgate version. invaluable for sheltering under when cooking on that rainy campsite.
T5 is the perfect size van for 3 kids, bikes, dogs and all the crap you need for a day out.
People driving people carrier type cars always look miserable and wife beaten... When you go out in a van everything is more of an adventure.
I think you'll find I look miserable and wife beaten even when I'm driving the Ferrari 😕
Should be clear - having a van with 7+ seats and space was ace, the scudo itself was just OK. Sadly, they don't come with auto, are not that cheap, with hiedous (!!) depreciation.
Keep me coming folks, great stuff!
& LOL @ MCTD 🙂
More family/wife driving based stories (and photos) please!
A mates missus has had a SWB T4 Caravelle for quite a few years as her only car. She was a childminder and needed something with plenty of seats. It was used for everything from shopping trips to holidays (not school run as that's walkable). He's recently bought a LWB T5 kombi as his biking van.
One really great thing for parking and kids is the sliding door. Can go much closer to columns, walls etc and they can still get out. This more than outweighs the slight increase in width compared to a car.
When me and the wife got together 17 years ago, I was on the verge of getting an old Beetle but never did. Always retained a keen interest in the aircooled VW scene with the view of getting either an old Beetle or bus one day.
Anyway, fast forward 10 years and we start talking about getting a T5 with the imminent birth of mini-DBW#1. Never did it although it never really out of our minds and kept on coming back up in conversations up until the present time. We've finally decided to stop talking about it and actually try one (never even sat in a T5!). We're off to look at one tomorrow night (a fully loaded camper conversion) but I think we're going to want to try and rent one for a weekend first to make sure it 'works' with two little kids.
Plus points for us which have led us to this:
- size: as mentioned, the SWB vans are barely bigger than a normal car (think they're about 30cm longer than our 3-series)
- driveability: its not as van like as other vans. A bloke we got chatting to in Tesco car park about his said its as easy as his Golf to drive and was the best thing he ever did (used for his business but said it was ace for karting wife and 3 kids around in).
- the 'scene': oh dear. The VW scene. Well fk it, because we like it. They're a good bunch of people from all sorts of backgrounds who are into their cars. We like that. We like the events they put on, especially the camper fraternity who focus on having a good time with music, food, stuff for the kids etc whilst living out your van for the weekend.
- value: they hold it stupidly well it seems.
- weekends away: this is the key thing for us. We've finished all the major jobs on our house and we want to spend as much time as possible exploring that big outdoors thing you can see out the window with our kids. The van will easily allow self sustained walking/biking/surf trips at a moments notice vs fixing roof bars, carefully packing stuff into the boot of the car. By the time we've sorted our car out I could have chucked a load of stuff in/on a van and be in Wales/the Lakes. And when I get there I'll have the ability to turn my seat around and make a brew. You can't do that in a normal car. And when I get back from a wet ride, I'll have somewhere warm and dry to get changed in. No more naked Dave stood in rural car parks up and down the country.
Bad points?
- they're not cheap whichever way you look at it. Yes you can get a Vauxhall etc cheaper but from what I've seen you do get what you pay for. Loads of T5s on 150k+ miles still commanding well into 5 figure prices.
I think thats just about the only bad point I can see.
As for the daily driven bit, I think we're going to fulfill another 'dream' at the same time as buying our modern equivalent to an old VW camper... buy a modern Beetle as well to knock about in for little more than shed money.
No more naked Dave stood in rural car parks up and down the country.
*Countryside Alliance breathes sigh of relief*
We just did this - a few months of faffing, brought to a head by immanent demise of the Touran.
We to have 3 boys, 5 bikes and three canoes...and struggle for space.
We looked at vans, and could not justify the cost in our present (skint) situation.
The vans make sense new if you are happy to have a new van, £25k sat in metal on the drive, and running costs would be low. We did not.
The vans make sense if you run a company and can shove it through the books. We do not.
The vans make sense if you have a few hundred quid a month to throw at a car. We did not.
One step slightly down is a Galaxy - which we have bought, second hand it was half the age/miles for the same cost as a T5, or half the cost for the same miles/age. This leaves us enough money for a towball mounted bike carrier, and a trailer to be converted to carry three boats and maybe 6 bikes (at once).
I would like a van. But the Galaxy is the (boring) sensible choice.
.. buy a modern Beetle as well to knock about in for little more than shed money.
Please never offer anyone other than children a lift in it, there is sooo little room in the back!
Leku - are you on the Wirral? Just seen an identical van to yours at the emergency training centre.
Not enjoying this thread, toying with the idea of a van for years 🙂
No - Bristol. It's a standard T5 colour - just not very common.
We're only really getting a Beetle to ferry the kids to nursery/school etc. Anywhere other than that we'll take then van*
* this is all theory. We may look at this lovely leather lined bus tomorrow night and think that the ability to pull up in a remote layby, pop the roof, put the kettle on and go for a quick ride/surf before the sun sets is a stupid idea.
Another vote for the T5 here. We have a Kombi (2 plus 1 seats in the back) and it's great. It had parking sensors already fitted when we bought it and they are pretty handy, even if they do make you lazy! It's great for transporting people and stuff. I just drove the two of us, three parents, two bikes and two dogs down to the Alps and it was great for comfort, speed and economy.
We also have a Fiat 500 and I'm looking to sell that as the van does everything we need.
Oh, and I'm female and the only driver in the gozarch house - does that help? 😀
Before I bought my ex-plumber's van, I'd looked at Vivaros and seriously considered one, having been in my mate's earlier model. However, the T5 is just a little better on economy and does not rust as badly.
The Vivaro/Traffic route is a lot cheaper, with new kombi/crew vans going for the same as a second hand T5, but they are a lot less refined to my judgement and, having driven an earlier version for six months that killed two turbos, I personally would steer clear. However... I think they are bigger inside the load area, so may be worth a look if you want pure load area. I could be wrong though.
I love my van. Even if it is dented and old.
My wife and I had an argument this morning on this very subject.
we had a renault megane scenic which was too small for all of our needs and bought a T5 kombi four and a bit years ago.
it's my partners daily drive so does the supermarket, local shops, nursery runs, ballet, coffee at friends, visiting family and she loves it.
it's my weekend toy so it does boys weekends to wales, scotland, cannock, it does moving house(s), it does picking up 38 sheets of insulation or that bargain xyz you just found on gumtree, it does shifting all that garden waste because you forgot to put out the bin again (thereby saving you from a fortnight of nagging), it also looks great and is a bit of a hobby in itself and I love it.
it's the kids main mode of transport and they sit high up, have plenty of space and have the cool factor of mum driving a van and they love it.
it fits all the bikes in, camping gear (or tows a caravan like a breeze), is great for a changing room when the kids come off the beach soaking wet through.
it hasn't got parking sensors and we park it wasy enough, we've never had an issue with a multistorey, you can eye ball 4x4 users, people don't argue when you want to filter lanes.
it started making a noise about 6 months ago and i seriously looked at alternatives just because we'd had it a while and my missus got really upset! the noise turned out to be a missing grommet making the engine sound louder!
We bought quite well, looked after it, maintained it at our (very good) main dealer and after four years i don't think i could have bought something the whole family could have enjoyed as much for the amount of money it has cost in depreciation (i.e the majority of the cost of running a car).
it's bloody great.
ps. ballet mums four years ago completely ignored it in the X1's and Evoques now she gets comments about how smart and "trendy" the van is! how times change!
You guys are brill!
Going to test drive a V-Klasse merc on Friday am, and T5 on Friday pm. Merc is coming out bloody cheaper, even though the 7 seater is equipped like a tarts palace, and bizarrely we get a 10% discount through my employer.
But, fact remains that is a family decision so I will now pass this on to my good missus...
Wife's response - not looking good people, we need to bring out some heavy artillery here! Baby robins? Childs faces? Come on!
oooh orange is pretty!sadly we live in Swissland and parking spaces are TINY! So i'm liking the sideways/2 spaces route. Would probably get a fine for that mind you. We're not allowed to ferry the kids to school so 0 points for coolness. So its a massive expensive wagon for popping to the (tiny carpark space) shops.
but orange is fab!
Help!
T5 kombi
2seats in front
2+1 in the back
Rubber floor
Carries me, mrs, 3 kids, big dog - kids don't want to travel by merc estate when given a choice - lots of room in the van in comparison.
Rubber floor means that I don't freak out when the kids make a mess / wet dog climbs in to the car.
Twin sliders (must have)
Tailgate to hide under when it rains
Low sill - easy to load, makes a great seat.
The only challenge really is putting the shopping in - tends to slide around, so everything goes into crates.
Mrs loves driving it. Pretty good to park.
Don't get big wheels - noisy and a harsher ride, go for 16" if you can...
We may look at this lovely leather lined bus tomorrow night and think that the ability to pull up in a remote layby, pop the roof, put the kettle on and go for a quick ride/surf before the sun sets is a stupid idea.
OK, so that didn't happen 😀
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Thread resurrection! For good reasons: we got one! T5 Multivan, 7 seats, 2012 model 15K miles, White! (bit bling)
It is fully awesome. This is all the family bikes in the back, with still acres of space for 3 kids, dog, 2 adults and piles more shit if needed.
Its fab!
Good on you! They are a nice thing for kids and kit.
Has it been remapped yet? Getting that done makes a huge difference to the economy of the van and is good for extra pulling power as well.
[i]good for extra pulling power as well[/i]
he's got a wife, 3 kids and a dog - pulling's probably not high on his list of priorities when driving a motor vehicle 😉
*boom tish*
With a fine vehicle like that, he would not have any problems.
Mattbee on here has one - his opinion? If he had the cash again - he'd buy the maxi Life that I have.
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Just to put a spanner in things 😉
Yup, I love my T5 Swb but I'd go for the Maxilife if I changed it. Only thing I'd miss would be the full width R&R bed but I reckon I could do something similar in the Caddy.
Not sure about a remap, its a 180ps engine 4motion - can I get more out of that 2l lump?
Pulling power you say? Hmmmm, yet to experience any benefits there but it can't be any more asexual than a touran! 😀
Niggles - 1) thought was economical, getting about 750km from first tank, then went to fill up for the fist time last night (DIESEL - remember DIESEL (first time derv driver)), and realised the tank is "quite" a bit bigger than the touran. Oof! Might need to calm down the right foot a bit!
2) Why the **** nora do you have to fold the bench seat before you can slide it forward or back? With small kid 5 point harness seats that take a fair bit of faffing to fit, that is a **** pain in the ass!
Apart from that: T5 FTW! teh awsumz!
The only driver I've been jealous of is a friend and the owner of a high spec T5. It's their only vehicle, dark grey, black leather, all the toys etc etc. They have 3 kids and a dog and the van takes surfboards, bikes two weeks of kit and extras with loads of room to spare. His wife loves it and often uses it during the week for the odd shopping run etc.
So now I'm jealous of quite a few of you.
I'll leave this here:
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I love my cars and my last three have been pretty quick estates and big hatchbacks with loads of toys so I was reluctant going from something like that to a 2.0 diesel van. Within 10 seconds of owning it I'd got my head around that fact as I sat in a comfy leather seat with the arm rests down thinking "this is bloody brilliant". Then I look in the mirror and realise I've also got the ability to sleep 4 people, cook a meal etc behind me! Still hanker after a silly quick estate (B7 RS4 is still on the to-do list at some point) but overall, theres little else on the roads I'd rather have to be honest. Toying with a late night jaunt over to CyB at the weekend, pull up somewhere late Saturday night, get some kip, breakfast at the visitor centre (after a brew in the van of course), ride and be back home mid afternoon...
Davyboy- if you are looking for a lovely "wild" campervan campsite, have a look at llyn geirionydd (lake just north west of betwys y coed) lovely car park and loos ! went there a while back and empty after 9pm - feels like you are in the middle of nowhere
Lovely nights kip and then bacon sardines but the edge of the lake
Cheers Andy, I'll take a look at that.
Had bays & splits for the last 18 yrs. Now the proud owner of a fully pimped out T5.1 camper. Absolutely love it! My motto... "With a campervan, you've ALWAYS got a holiday!"
after reading this thread, I'm not convinced that this thread would convince my gf that a T5 is better for us than a Focus estate.
How did you [b]prove[/b] to your missus that parking a T5 is easy???
My wife uses ours 3 days a week to drive to work. Parks in school car park no problem. Its only 30cm longer than our 3-series was and barely any wider. We got it with the intention of running it for a bit and then if needed, get a runabout like a Polo etc to use daily but the van is really easy to live with in 'normal' situations (nipping to supermarket etc).
This is the reverse of my current situation, where my wife wants one and I don't!
Where is the best place to look for these second hand.
At the moment my wife thinks we'd be better with a van as our new vehicle than an estate.
Budget is max £11k, for which we are looking at medium sized estates (Focus, Octavia, Golf or Kia Ceed) c.3 years old with 30-40k miles on the clock. This will get us something with a nice modern efficient engine, £30 road tax, some of them still under warranty. Lukewarm performance but at the moment practicality of load lugging and low running costs is priority over excitment (sadly)
I think at £11k car will be cheaper to run and less hassle, on account of being newer.
Or is she right?
The only other vehicle I ever had, other than the T5, that my wife liked to drive was a Toyota HiLux pick up - not the poncy double cab thing, but a proper 2 seat, 4x4, tail-out when empty one.
The list of vehicles she hated to drive for various reasons included; Range Rover Vogue "too ostentatious", two Discovery 3s "wallow like ships", Audi A6 Avant 3.0tdi "stupid", Land Rover Defender "too difficult and everything is in the wrong place".
So, there you have it. Apparently, the T5 is better than any of these.
Kristoff has a cute missus.
Doug - she is right. Soz. 🙂
Doug - she is right. Soz.
I'm happy for her to be right, but I need to know where the hell I can find a decent van for £11k that isn't going to cost the earth to run as at the moment they are either too expensive, or anything within price range is older and expensive to run.
*bookmarks thread aswell.
ive been looking on ebay, gumtree, autotrader last few months and i cant believe the prices of T4/T5's!! high mileage and still asking for 10k, its mental, i guess in part it is an image thing causing this.
i do love them but cant quite afford one yet, in my eyes there really is no alternative, apart from the transit custom, im sure they will be fighting head to head with vw when the prices fall as they are so new.
Is the T5 front wheel drive? Would I be correct in saying the MB Vito is rear wheel drive? Does having a 4x4 van reduce the mpg drastically?
hora - Member
Kristoff has a cute missus.
Daughter? 4 children?
Tagged for reference.
Hora, old thread maybe, but if you are looking at the snap on page one, I suspect what you really mean is, Krisstof has a cute no.1 daughter 😕
If anyone wants a remap for a VW Van I can recommend www.ecdigi.com very highly, specialises in VW vans and knows them like the back of his hand. Well worth contacting.
i too like the thought of a van, kids are gone now, but me and wifes work patterns rarely align so i think itd be an expensive lump of metal stuck outside doing nothing most of the time.
tis a shame, but im bookmarking the thread for future reference in case anything changes. good thread.