[Closed] "Real life" mpg for mid-size vans?

transit connect lwb loaded up with plumbing gear stop start around town mid 30's

I got a lwb connect for my business. 57 plate. T230 I think so the more powerful of the 2 engines back then. Now on 100k. Averages 45 mpg. Worst- short laden around town in winter 35. Best on a run 49.

Load space is around 6'3 so I'd say sleep 2 easily.

Reliability seems good (I got it used ex lex lease with every wiper blade change detailed from new). Only issues were a new clutch at 100k, alternator loom (Caused a breakdown - common problem!) at 75k and central locking issue (£5 sliding door switch).
Main reason I got it above other vans was the solid / security/ deadlock feeling versus a partner that I thought I could have opened with a bread stick. It also drives well and shares running gear with a focus so parts and garages are Ok / reasonable.

I'mm a fairly recent van convert. Mine's smaller, (Kangoo) so not so much use telling you the mileage, but I wish I'd bought a Dispatch size one over that for the third seat. Just something to perhaps consider if you are likely to be taking mates as well as bikes anywhere.

I was getting about 35mpg on a LWB transit (T230) with the 90ps engine - which is the more powerful older engine. They do a 110ps engine, which may be more efficient.

Strangely I get 32-38mpg from a LWB high top transit with the 140ps engine.

2010 2litre LWB Trafic here and I get low 40s.

I've had/have both.

The LWB transit connect was a 90bhp 2003 and I only achieved low to mid 30's although it always carried a fair amount of weight and had a full roof rack system on it, a tall guy would 'just about be able to sleep in it at a push. no real problems along it's life, the odd electrical issue etc but mechanical gremlins eventually killed it, it only had 60k on the clock but required 2 new injectors, a DMF and clutch and the gearbox was starting to pack up, would have been £2k to fix so it got retired.

I currently have a 2009 Expert with the 2.0HDi engine and it's night and day a better van for my money, much better to drive and a lot bigger internally with out being much bigger on the outside, but out of your described budget. It returns high 30's to early 40's and touch wood, no problems so far!

We have vivaros on our fleet and a dispatch, they average about 35-38 depending on who's driving them! Fully loaded they only manage about 32 tho!

caddy. mid to high 30's. bit poor imo.

85PS 1.9 2006 T5 ~ 40

transit connect ...
drove like its possessed 300 miles to a tankful

Fiat Ducato camper van here, areodynamic as a brick with roof windows, awning, etc> 31mpg on a longish run.
Not much worse than the fat blokes SAAB I used to own.

I got a Scudo, it's an 07 so probably the newer shape to the one your looking at?

Doesn't normally have much in the back (weight wise) and everytime I work out the mpg it's been 40 point something fairly consistently.

It's the lower of the two outputs 90ps (I think) which again is more than enough if you don't have it weighed down.

85PS 1.9 VW SWB Transporter 37-39 typically.

As expected short runs kills it - nice surprise is that loaded up/ mountains/ both doesnt effect it.

2004 LWB Vivaro, 1.9, 100bhp

33-35mpg stop start round town.
38mpg commute to work (60/40 A roads/town)
40-42mpg motorway (have had 44 a few times)

If I go over 75mph motorway or 60mph A roads economy drops off a fair bit.

Figures above are for empty or <100kg load, but will only drop a couple of mpg between empty and 500kg load. Over 500kg it drops off a bit more.

As an aside, vans with 6 speed boxes are far more economical than a similar van with only 5.

Main reason I got it above other vans was the solid / security/ deadlock feeling versus a partner that I thought I could have opened with a bread stick

Don't know about a breadstick, but you can easily pop the rear door lock on a Partner with a screwdriver.

2007 vivaro 130bhp 31-35mpg killing it.

Interesting. Thanks guys.
Hadn't considered the locks, and there will be bikes worth £lots kept in it. Was vering towards Dispatch etc due to size and 3 seats but now Coulda has confirmed a Connect is long enough to sleep in do I need that extra space? Very rarely need the extra seat.
Payload isn't really an issue, bikes take a up a lot of room but don't weigh much.
Currently getting 28mpg from a petrol MPV, not used for comuting so only does long runs. Sounds like anything would be an improvement!
Vivaros seem nice, but it will be my only vehicle. Is it too big?

andrewh - when I was looking at the Trafic/Vivaro, I started by looking at the SWB version as I was worried about the length of the LWB. Once I'd considered it a bit further, I decided to go LWB anyway. TBH, I don't find it much of a problem, though I don't have to drive it and park it every day.

Hiace lwb 120 horse power.
Haven't got any better than 30mgp around London with a ton of gear in the back.
Drove to Afan and it was worse! That was a bit above the national speed limit though.
Ran it on Shell ultra and the mpg went up but still worked out same pence per mile.
What you spend on fuel you will save on repair bills, they are basic compared to VWs and Renault with little to go wrong.
Rear wheel drive with heaps of torque will drift round roundabouts even with all that gear.
Any van will be a magnet to thieves especially parked out in the woods.
Vans will also change with any low emission zone laws so consider a people carrier version like Toyota Granvia, if V5 says light commercial vehicle Boris will have it off you in 8 years (if he lasts that long).
I love my van and prefer driving it to our car.

No need to worry about Borris. I've driven insdie the M25 once, not doing that again! Arnos Grove to Colliers Wood and back, 6hrs! FFS I can get from here (South Lincs) to Dundee in that time!
Good point about comercial vehicles though Bigad. As Connect is mostly Focus and Dispatch etc mostly C8/Synergie/806 do they count as derived vans or is that stuff that really is just a car with no windows like kangoos?

One of the smaller transits, 260 (SWB, Low top) would be a touch bigger than some of those you have mentioned. Find one with the 2.2 140ps engine and it will go well and do over 40mpg I'd imagine.

Cheap to run and cheap to buy as well.

do they count as derived vans

No

When I was looking at getting a T5, I talked to Pendle tuning http://www.pendleperformance.com/ who are about as good as they get.
They said that a tweaked T5 could get 45mpg for £275 as a result of getting more power out of it. I can't remember now, but I think that might have included removing the annoying DPF.

Anyway - I wouldn't do it on a brand new vehicle, but I would do it on one just out of warranty.

Food for thought.

Ive got a newer expert,an 08 model, 2.0 engine (120 ps ). It doesnt have a computer on board, but I get 700 ish miles to the tank, which is about 40mpg, and that's trying to drive as economical as possible, and that's just general driving and no motorways.
It's car like to drive and nice and comfy , I really like it, much prefer it to the car I used to have.

HTH

Scudo 2 litre JTD here, and driven carefully it does 700ish miles to an 80 litre tank. Will be selling it in the near future due to 10 week old baby and associated gubbins.

Got a van instead of a car as I carried bikes and tents more often than people. Owned from new, 3 seats up front, navy blue, windows in rear doors, 63k miles on motorways mainly going biking/camping, full service history, cambelt done last year, heaviest thing it's ever carried is a sofa.

I got it new because I didn't trust a second hand van wouldn't be clocked or battered. Although that's a contradictory salesmans statement... 🙂

Van insurance is more though isn't it?

I've not long insured mine, and it was £350 ish, and that's with business insurance on it.

I have an 04 LWB connect. 90bhp. Not sure what the mpg would be but for £60 of diesel I do maybe 450 miles? Most of that is motorway, more often than not with bikes on a rack on the back.

6 foot sleeping inside will be fine, they make a great camper.....

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/Hangs head in shame at the state of my Connect interior/

Very nice Matt. Is that a self-build job? If so, well done!
CSB, fancy a straight swap for something more family friendly? Got a 2003 Hyundai Trajet, 95k miles. Cambelt etc done at 87k, just had new discs and pads all round and a new cat (how much?!) 6 months MOT,7 months tax.
Best bit is it's a 7 seater. It's also a small van with no seats. It's also a camper, has a bed (not as nice as Matt's) which bolts into the places the seats go. Size of a standard single so will sleep two if you are very good friends and will take three bikes with just front wheel out next to the bed. Curtains too. What more could you want? Sounds ideal for you 😉

A man couldn't ask for more than that. But I'll have to get back to you on that one andrew.

i think my current partner is circa 350 pa insurance 200 rfl. tell em its sign written its often cheaper( a ikle stiker in the window will do the trick)
i use it for everything 3 seats is a real plus find driving the car or car based vans is a bit low down for me now like the upright driving position..
the only downside with vans is the snobby neighbours we have 2 new range rovers and 2 x5 and an audi rs4? in the 5 houses in our street and they dont like the vans when thier friends come visting ( one even asked me to move them once as they were having a dinner party.. i menioned that ours was the only house in the street mortgage free and shut em up..)

yes self build, really simple really, nice double bed when it pulls out, has done many a snowboard/bike trip to scotland wales etc... and all over europe surfing. 130,000 excellent miles so reccomended on reliability front.

was for sale...but new mortgage has put then on hold for at least 6 months!

Any more pics, Matt? looking for inspiration 🙂

here's another showing a nice little table that fits to the back door (folds against the wall when not being used) Feel free to email me if you want any specific ones, the cooker sits in the wooden cupboard near the front of the van. Don't really have many more as this is the most recent "update"

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Blimey, is it some kind of boudoir? How much for a dance?