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Choice is pretty much mine, money is limited though so no super duper vw sportline beast will be considered.
Currently riding round for work in a standard sw base transit, it's ace when me and Laddo go biking, my bike also lives in it, racked out with a selection of tools and bits and bobs, it's also great when camping locally and we can take two vehicles without any drama.
However something with 5 seats would be even better, if we go truck type thing like a Ford ranger which I had for 6 weeks , that's ace for camping as loads of room in the back dog cage in etc, all 4 of us in the same vehicle so camping further afield is no drama but not as good for tools or bikes.
Or a van with 5 seats, can we still get bikes in, don't want anything over sw base as it would hang off the drive, still good for camping still good for tools? rarely do I fetch anything large these days as everything is usually delivered.
Fire away!
Oh it will also be new.
I’ve got a t5 Kombi but my mates transit custom is betterer.
Van with 5 seats, none of the impractical sides of a pick up. More room than a pickup, no need to waterproof and the if proof everything New transit custom is very nice
Have had a Navara for 2 years now. Ended up putting bikes on the roof (too long for the bed). Dogs in the bed.
The alternative has been to take the wheels off the bikes. Then put the bikes in the bed and the dogs on the roof.
That didn’t work out too well when in a multi-storey carpark. Plus they’re far less aerodynamic on the roof than bikes.
My fuel economy suffered horrendously.
No towbar-mounted rack was feasible as then I couldn’t easily get the dogs out at service stations.
Then with the hounds in the back, you need to pack around their crate if you’re off to the wilderness. That’s a ball-ache.
I’ll be replacing it soon and likely going for a van.
Truck advantages:
1. You feel like king of the road
2. Easy to hose out
3. Nice and clean interior as the dogs are separate
Van advantages:
1. People don’t immediately make assumptions about your relationship with your mother
2. Actually far more practical in every sense. Number of seats is entirely configurable dependent on if you actually need any (aside from the obvious)
3. Better to drive
4. More economical
HTH
Have a look at Vito Dualiner vans, probably in 'Long'. For me these offer best value for money. Like for like they are cheaper than the VW, and you can find them older (and therefore cheaper) than the Transit.
Like having a truck (ranger) also have a Vito which seats only three. Both have their benefits if I had a long drive to do I would always choose the Ranger.
My bike fits in the back without taking wheels off and I have a box on the back. It is dry in there. Have a look at
Gearmate.co.uk for truck tool storage.
Swb transit custom will struggle with a full bike if you have the second row of seats fitted. Unless it will fit diagonally, but then you will struggle with racking.
i have a viano which is a vito but without the lower speed limits and fhe tolls are cheaper. you can remove all or some of the seats too.
Swb transit custom will struggle with a full bike if you have the second row of seats fitted. Unless it will fit diagonally, but then you will struggle with racking.
How long are your bikes? Had one this weekend and both bikes went across the bulkhead with the front wheel turned.
Does it fit in the back of the crew cab ranger?
I'd also say have just done 500 miles in a brand new transit cutom it's a very comfy place to be, all the toys and quite civilised up there
I've got a truck: Mitsu L200. It's great. Bike carrying with wheels on can be done with a bit of carpet over the tailgate a bit like this:
It's also good for pulling big vans out of snowdrifts. Fuel economy is about the same as my BIL's Transit, would have been better if I'd gone for the manual gearbox. Don't know how the post above reckons vans are better to drive though, they're big and slow and you can't see behind you.
Don’t know how the post above reckons vans are better to drive though, they’re big and slow and you can’t see behind you.
Well I was driving one of these
https://www.ford.co.uk/vans-and-pickups/new-transit-custom/features/performance-efficiency
Accelerated well, handled well, sat nice and easy at motorway cruising speeds and comes fitted with mirrors to see behind you. Take one for a spin you might be surprised.
I have a Navara and a Peugeot Partner, the truck is better for the long lazy cruises, we have been on holiday to France quite a few times in it, for bikes it's not so good I use a towbar mount rack, car parks are a pain.
The van is so easy for bikes, easily get 3 in, much cheaper to run, can take it anywhere, seating is it's only limitation so i might look at getting something a little bigger.
If i had to make a choice I would drive my Mini 🙂 but seriously van would always win.
I'm thinking van. Not sure I'm gonna be able to swing a 5 seater van though. It would be perfect I reckon bar the limited load space. I really need to go see a few variants.
I have just put some seats in the rear of my van. I can still pack a lot around them. It's only the really big single items I loose out on.
I went for twin rear seat so can still do long items.
I put some removable seats in the back of my van. It's not luxury travel but ok for trips of an hour or so, at least. And easy to pull out when I want the full load space (though the positioning of the seats means I can still put a tandem up the side no problem).
Currently have a 3yr old VW Caddy highline 1.6tdi which is a great vehicle but since driving a mates new VW Caddy with every possible extra (£33k) I’d settle for something similar, but a caddy maxi such as
and it would need to have similar Audi RS4 seats fitted - like my mates, fully treated inside with sound deadening and perhaps a remap to take it up to 190 bhp and 450nm torque, maybe an amp and a few speakers/sub as well
I had a crew cab Navara for 8 years and thought it was the bees knees, then I swapped it for a lwb VW kombi and realised how much better van life is. More room in the back, a lot more secure, bikes can just be thrown in. I can sleep in it, I can get changed in it, I can sit in the back and make a brew. Yes, the pick ups look cool with the bikes over the tailgate, but you can't leave it out of your sight. Anything in the back has to be strapped in if you want it to still be there at the end of your journey too. Honestly, buy a van.
I have a pickup (L200) and would buy a van if I wanted something practical and more suited to carrying bikes.
But the truck looks great, get 40mpg and better for carrying lots of dirty crap.
As much as I'm affected by the MTB scene romance of a truck... you know, carpet over the tailgate, and sling your bike over the back for another shuttle to the top... but this is the UK so you'll likely never need the 4WD, your kit in the back will be wet and your bikes are going to get nicked quicker than you can do 0-60.
I'm on my 4th pickup, love the things - family wagon, tow vehicle, workhorse, van, 4x4, use it for work etc. These days they're pretty comfortable, relaxing to drive and have all the luxuries you'd find in most family cars.
Saying all that, if I was buying something purely for family/bike duties it'd be a van every time.
My bike fits in the back without taking wheels off and I have a box on the back. It is dry in there.
Really? Road bike maybe, no way I'd get hardtail in the back of our Range with the wheels on (XL Nukeproof Scout) never mind the Airdrop.
We did a trip to the IOM in a SWB Crew Cab Vivaro. That was 6 guys, 6 bikes and all our kit.
Van all day long
"It’s also good for pulling big vans out of snowdrifts"
Big vans are also good for pulling big vans out of snowdrifts 🙂
Also I'd be surprised if an swb transit custom is along as a dual cab pick up so I would check the measurements carefully. If you have room for a dual cab pick up a long wheel base for all the extra couple of feet is is far superior to an swb. - will still fit in a regular parking space.
Best get my tape measure out then. 👍
Been to have a nosey round today. Lwb transit custom double cab is 20mm shorter than a Ford ranger and a he'l of a ot more practical for what i want. Also went to Merc and VW, jeez eyewatering prices or what?
In the spirit of recommend* what you run, We have a 2012 Navara D40 double cab and it suits us brilliantly, apart from maybe the fuel consumption. Our requirements were;
Ability to carry 5 bikes ✔️
Easy clean interior ✔️
4wd desirable but not essential ✔️
Ability to get three kids booster seats across back and still access seatbelts themselves ✔️(Just)
versatile load carrying ✔️
Enough room for 2 adults and 3 kids 1 dog plus camping gear for a 4-5 day camping holiday ✔️
Civilised to drive ✔️ (Depends on what you compare it to though)
Things it potentially falls down on;
Load security; bikes unsupervised I the back are a worry ❌
thirsty; though probably not much worse than a van; 32mpgish ❌
Slow and cumbersome if you compare it to a car ❌
Limited ‘in car’ space; mostly rectified by a decent laid bay cover. We have a roller shutter one. ❌/✔️
Back seating area actually pretty spacious (as neither of us adults have particularly long legs possibly) but very upright seating. Fine for little’uns, I wouldn’t recommend it for adults ❌/✔️
*I don’t actually recommend it as such, but it suits us fine. A van may have worked for us too, but didn’t fancy a panel van.
Having owned 4 VWs (T25-T5) I found a van to be brilliant for MTB duties.
I drive estates now as my work commute is 70 miles each way (5 x month max) and all on minor A and B roads.... my current ride (325i touring) is costing me a fortune in maintenence.
So was going to ask what the opinion of the Berlingo Multispace is. I need to carry my 2 teenage sons to the beach etc.....
I’d go van over pickup. Currently trying to convince Mrs Madhouse into getting a Kombi/dayvan* but she reckons I need to re-train as a plumber first.
* in my book a dayvan = half window, tintop, removable seats and barn doors at the rear.