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Following on from the hot hatch thread, now most of us are 'older' and need something practical/bike carrier/shizzle lugger, show us your hot/fast van ? Not so fast ones are allowed too ! 😎
How fast are vans? A genuine question! The few I've hired have been super slow. My first car was an ex royal mail diesel escort van. While it was economical at 600 miles to a tank it accelerated like it was towing a tank 😀
Outside lane of motorway sprinters excepted!
Also smileys are back 🤓 🤓 🤓 🤓
Slow?! My Berlingo has 130 rampant French horses under the bonnet I’ll have you know!!
my caravelle 180bitdi. Someone had previously turned the scene setting to “max”. As with all t5/6 on 20s it rode worse than a BMW with sport suspension. Set itself on fire, twice, then disgraced itself by eating its head gasket a week prior to trading in. It was lush, but utterly loathsome. 
Not slow - the one I've just bought has 180 bhp, 8 speed auto and shifts like shoot off a shovel. You've got to watch the speed on a motorway as a quick press of the accelerator to overtake has it over the speed limit very quickly without trying.
my caravelle 180bitdi. Someone had previously turned the scene setting to “max”. As with all t5/6 on 20s it rode worse than a BMW with sport suspension. Set itself on fire, twice, then disgraced itself by eating its head gasket a week prior to trading in. It was lush, but utterly loathsome.
Had a Vito sportX Brabus. The 3.0l V6 one, with 222bhp and loads of torque. Loved that can, 5 diamond stitched seats, drop down TV from the roof, auto, climate, electric doors, blah blah. Wish I’d never sold it, but got swayed post Covid when pricing went nuts and I sold for more than I’d paid after three years and 50k miles.
Want another but pricing hasn’t come down and they’re 11 years old for the last ones now so mileage is also high in 99% of cases.
My T5.1 came with those wheels when I bought it. Truly dreadfull!! Swapped back to the origional 16" steels which were loads better before getting some 17" factory alloys and Michelin Cross climates
180 Very Rampant French Stallions here
Unfortunately no photos, but i used to be on a surveillance team and we had a few great vans, notably an astra van with a superb hide in the back and a toyota hiace. The toyota was a petrol engine and up to about 80 was fast enough and great for spending a few days in - ie you could kip in it. If i’d had the money spare i’d have bought a hiace for myself - great vans.
Tourneo Custom Titanium X 170hp auto
Tourneo Connect 1.6 Ecoboost 150hp auto
My old dented but now mint mechanically t5.1 Caravelle DSG 4motion with its new BiTDI engine by Retro Resus. Currently 180, but tempted to go higher.
- Possibly the best vehicle i have owned for big trips across Europe. In two years we have done winter and summer French Alps, Corfu, Italian Alpes, Switzerland etc. Fully loaded with family, bikes etc
Stage1 tuned 2.0hdi - 130hp in the weight (and crash protection) of a tissue box.
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Sure I read somewhere about someone putting an rs3 engine into a caddy
Sure I read somewhere about someone putting an rs3 engine into a caddy
My wife’s t6 caravelle has 200bhp, 450nm and 4 wheel drive. It seems to top out at about 125mph on the autobahn, but its natural gate is 82mph. It properly shifts, when it works.
the one before that had been scenes to the max by a previous owner. Consequently, like all t5/6 on 20s it rode like a BMW with sport suspension and was as reliable as a rover sd1. It set itself on fire twice, before succumbing to a terminal head gasket failure a week prior to being traded in. A bottle of bodge helped it limp to WBAC thankfully. Looked mint though. 
Hot vans? I’ve had a few Nineties Astravans and a more recent last of the the line Sportive.
I’m sure they used to lie about the power and wind the wastegate shut. The last one I had sounded like Zoidburg was under the bonnet with every gear change l.
1000bhp RS4 Quattro running gear into a T5 😘
Great build
1000bhp RS4 Quattro running gear into a T5 😘
Great build
bfw - I came on to post that! Hot pink too 😎
My T4 has 136bhp and thats plenty torquey enough for slip roads, etc.
3l straight 6, 300bhp, 650Nm
And yes it IS officially a van
This. Had extensive custom work on the injectors, exhaust, turbo, mapping etc. Ended up around 180bhp but deep into 500s nm of torque.
Was genuinely fast and very surprising for other road users. Pulled past a mapped 180 T5 van on that big hill past Lyme Regis. The resulting cloud of black smoke wasn't very socially acceptable though.
It could torque steer a full road width if required due to unequal length driveshafts.
Fastest house I ever had.
This. Had extensive custom work on the injectors, exhaust, turbo, mapping etc. Ended up around 180bhp but deep into 500s nm of torque.
Was genuinely fast and very surprising for other road users. Pulled past a mapped 180 T5 van on that big hill past Lyme Regis. The resulting cloud of black smoke wasn't very socially acceptable though.
It could torque steer a full road width if required due to unequal length driveshafts.
Fastest house I ever had.
Let's see if the forum will let me do a pic.
What's going on here? This thread is a mess, multiple posts, no images. No doubt I will mess it up too.. 😀
Anyway, hot van? Not really, the blower is broken in the low settings so it's cold or really hot. The numbers say 174hp/400Nm but that was 18years ago so guessing it's well under that now. Not quick, but not that slow. Fine for long journeys when the stereo decides to work.
What's going on here? This thread is a mess, multiple posts, no images. No doubt I will mess it up too.. 😀
Anyway, hot van? Not really, the blower is broken in the low settings so it's cold or really hot. The numbers say 174hp/400Nm but that was 18years ago so guessing it's well under that now. Not quick, but not that slow. Fine for long journeys when the stereo decides to work.
What's going on here? This thread is a mess, multiple posts, no images. No doubt I will mess it up too.. 😀
Anyway, hot van? Not really, the blower is broken in the low settings so it's cold or really hot. The numbers say 174hp/400Nm but that was 18years ago so guessing it's well under that now. Not quick, but not that slow. Fine for long journeys when the stereo decides to work.
What's going on here? This thread is a mess, multiple posts, no images. No doubt I will mess it up too.. 😀
Anyway, hot van? Not really, the blower is broken in the low settings so it's cold or really hot. The numbers say 174hp/400Nm but that was 18years ago so guessing it's well under that now. Not quick, but not that slow. Fine for long journeys when the stereo decides to work.
Just checking. My posting on here not working?
What's going on here? This thread is a mess, multiple posts, no images. No doubt I will mess it up too.. 😀
Anyway, hot van? Not really, the blower is broken in the low settings so it's cold or really hot. The numbers say 174hp/400Nm but that was 18years ago so guessing it's well under that now. Not quick, but not that slow. Fine for long journeys when the stereo decides to work.
Just checking. Posting on here not working?
Caddy 2.0 tdi 140, Workvan/bikebus. Had a remap though so it's around 200bhp and 350ftlb's. Goes alright but handlings compromised by the AT tyres
Caddy 2.0 tdi 140, Workvan/bikebus. Had a remap though so it's around 200bhp and 350ftlb's. Goes alright but handlings compromised by the AT tyres
Multple post as per, Pics not working
@pictonroad what engine does that have? I’ve a mate who had a t25 1.6 n/a diesel high top westie. On one notorious surf trip to Cornwall I remember watching as a big fergie tractor eased past him on one of the long hills on the A30. Fred Dibnah’s traction engine could intimidate it!
see my previous post (tried to embed the image) this was a ridiculous machine, sold many years ago sadly.
I had several 1.6D and TD T3 Westy, same as your mate. They were a different level. 50bhp and 2200kg loaded when new...
2.5 tdi 5 cyl t5 in full stealth mode ie standard trim , factory steels, rust and dents.
Goes like an utter madman on full beans, I actually got it sideways on an alpine hairpin once.
Freezing in winter, boiling in summer.
About as reliable as Donald Trump's sphincter control
Used to have some vans with 'Ryder Rental' written all over, some of those were pretty quick 😆
Got one of the sensible Vito's now, 160 seems to be the best of power and economy.
Aging Caravelle tuned to 207bhp. On the way to Ainsa carry 7 bikes (there's one inside), getting hard to maintain now just had to put a new cylinder head on it. Currently the eklecric windows won't work, the drivers door handle is broken and needs a new door card to fix and bonnet cable snapped last week. But its part of the family an will be with us until they've all gone. 
Another 200hp 2.0tdi Caddy here care of Celtic remaps. I have a e-motion box with it so I can put the standard map back on for the German TUV inspection. The software took the rev limiter off but keeps the dpf filter on. Goes well on the autobahn. Been totally reliable over 140k km's
Previous in the UK, a 5 cyl T5 174 that went off to Pendle Performance. It was the first one of these that they did. Martin at Pendle is an interesting character... I think its well on the way to 250hp and a member on here bought it when we left for Germany 10 years ago and still has it.
I'd post a picture but they just look like a Caddy Maxi and a T5....
Martin mapped mine. I really wasn't sure I'd make it home when I accidentally walked through the wrong door in his workshop. Interesting character doesn't really cover it...
Martin mapped mine. I really wasn't sure I'd make it home when I accidentally walked through the wrong door in his workshop. Interesting character doesn't really cover it...
Hot?
It's well insulated, got a cracking heater, it's red and everyone notices an (XL) Reimo high top T5.1.
Bilbo's Komba FTW
How does insurance companies deal when you have re mapped one of these vans? Do you just keep schtum and like Manuel "I know nothing" when asked if it has been modified
Fast vans or just fast drivers?
Fast vans or just fast drivers?
How does insurance companies deal when you have re mapped one of these vans? Do you just keep schtum and like Manuel "I know nothing" when asked if it has been modified
Isn’t not declaring a modification a bit risky (as in declining to cover or as in having cover cancelled, which does bad things to your premium)? Not sure how they’d know though…
the best and such a shame she is gone
the best and such a shame she is gone
the best and such a shame she is gone
Oh man, Sabine! She could make anything hot.
My mates caravelle goes like stink, it must have been remapped previously. 90mph and still pulling away…
When they built the XJ220 in Bloxham at TWR they stuck a transit body on one, I guess that went okay as well.
My traveller cousin bought an ex riot van, V6 and tuned I think, that thing was massive and could fish tail away from the lights when bothered by a hot hatch.
How does insurance companies deal when you have re mapped one of these vans? Do you just keep schtum and like Manuel "I know nothing" when asked if it has
I assume it’s like a car. My insurance company asked any modifications? I told them and they asked the estimated power output and I told them. Didn’t make much difference to my policy adding a third more bhp to a 944 turbo.
They’re unlikely to put the car/van on the Dyno after a crash but it wouldn’t be that hard to find it’s not standard I’d have thought.
I had a 130hp 2.5 T5 which was remapped to somewhere around 170. It went pretty well for a van.
I now have a Citroen Relay, it does not go well at all 😬
I’d quite like a caddy but with GTI running gear because fast is better if it handles well, I think apart from the rear axle / suspension it’s a fairly “easy” conversion.
Vito Tourer 119
Remapped to a comfortable 235bhp, 7 speed auto box. Fairly quick for a van, but also ridiculously economical. Averaged 58MPG for the first 100 miles out of Rotterdam the other week.
I bought @rickmeisters van a long long while back - it's around 180k miles at the moment - i doubt we'll ever part with it.
A little bit like triggers broom, we give it some more paint each year....
This is my wife's daily drive - it's not meant to go this quick.
Our other house on wheels is a 3litre Fiat based motorhome - motorhomes aren't meant to wheelspin - but they can....
