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looking at getting one of these.
Scudo panorama, Expert teepee, dispatch altlante(?) i think they're called.
Seat backs folding flat, and seats easily removeable is a big plus for use as work van as well as family/'life' van.
important question? can i fit a sheet of plasterboard between the wheel arches?
i'm sure i could in the van version, but they seem to have a fair bit of lining in the combi versions.
which motor do you have if you have one, and do you wish you had bigger/smaller?
any opinions welcome : )
I presume you mean the previous shape approx 2007-2017? We had a Dispatch Combi basic spec so headlining and rubber floor but otherwise almost untrimmed so arches were bare metal / full width available. 6 seater L1H1. Did 100k miles generally fine then sold to a colleague. 90hp 1.6 hdi was very very slow but drove OK (main gripe was couldn't hold 70 up some long dual carriageway inclines) so I'd go for the bigger engine (which might be higher spec and panelled boot). It did develop a cough at first startup which I did lots of faffing around glow plugs, injectors, egr but nothing fixed it and wasn't really a problem beyond lumpy for the first few seconds.
Now got a new shape crew van with 120 hp 2.0 and it is a lovely drive. Can't get a full sheet in that due to fixed bulkhead and no load through slot.
I've got the same as Mick's old van. I don't think plasterboard fits in between the arches. I can get 4-5 sheets in if I move the drivers seat forward and fit diagonally to the passenger rear corner. It has marked the roof a little so is quite tight.
I used two Experts for work between 2014 and 2018. First was a 1.6, the second a 2.0. The 2.0 was noticably faster but the 1.6 liveable with.
Considering how good the Berlingo/Partner are, I was always amazed at how badly thought out they were. The side doors were a real pain to close - you had to use much more force than on other vans to start the doors moving. The clips to hold the rear doors open were flimsy. The radio was unreasonably complicated. The seats were terrible, and the bolsters prone to collapsing. The battery was in a stupid place (and different between the two vans). The windscreens cracked very regularly. The 1.6 was offensively loud.
I'd struggle to recommend one. They were reliable, though. I now use a Transit Custom and that's fine (although the radio is stupid and the speed limiter doesn't work how you think it should).
right thanks everyone.
doesn't saound that practicle as a work van then. tho i do only put plasterboard in about for times a year i'd say, and don't need it to go in lengthwise.
other option would be a long version partner/berlingo, with the second row of gruau fitted seats which fold forward. generally for work i don't need the full volume of the scudo then clearly, though it is more often handy to have the length inside to shove in a couple of sticks of wood and close the door...
I had a brand new one in 2015. Never again. So many faults. Very very poor build quality. Went wrong in many ways.