RE: PH Fleet: VW Transporter Kombi Sportline

[Hellbound]

Daniel1 said:

I have the pre facelift version just like the one below. 205bhp or so. Fast, smooth but really thirsty.

Nice, back in 2006 I had a 109cdi, the same shape as that one and in red too. It was the best van I'd driven, even in basic spec, simply because it was rear wheel drive; It was nice to be pushed around rather than pulled by the front wheels. I'd love a 4motion VW though, just for a change. Or go nuts with a MB Vario!

[_g_]

If a van has rear passenger seats (least windows, I believe; I suspect the fixing rails would help.) and has an unladen weight under 2040kg, it is subject to car speed limits.

I have failed to find the page I had previously seen on government sites, but PH comes to the rescue to some degree:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Oh and does the 10mph really make that much difference?
Any would do that fine - now if you're towing a race car up a hill with a fully laden van of tools and spares or trying to win the Traffic light GP, it might help .

[urquattro]

Hellbound said:

Daniel1 said:

I have the pre facelift version just like the one below. 205bhp or so. Fast, smooth but really thirsty.

Nice, back in 2006 I had a 109cdi, the same shape as that one and in red too. It was the best van I'd driven, even in basic spec, simply because it was rear wheel drive; It was nice to be pushed around rather than pulled by the front wheels. I'd love a 4motion VW though, just for a change. Or go nuts with a MB Vario!

I bought VW VR6 4 motion as replacemen car for he wife !! - I have some other quick cars but that VR6 is something special and value re cost performance comparisons is a hidden bargain. in my view.

[macdeb]

Daniel1 said:

B17NNS said:

Nice but silly money.

I'd take a Brabus Benz Vito Sport X instead.

http://www.vitosport.co.uk/vanx.php

I have the pre facelift version just like the one below. 205bhp or so. Fast, smooth but really thirsty.

I have that on too but in silver, phuck it does go well for a van and traffic lights are hilarious.

[_g_]

What sort of 'thirsty' out of interest?

I have a 111 (chipped). 32mpg at a steady 70-75, 37mpg or so at 56-60.

When money is better, do fancy upgrading to a higher spec one.

[splitpin]

£39K OMG!

White works well on regular 'Van' Transporters, but add the passenger glass and things get much more difficult for white - IMHO, (like on a lot of cars) those black alloys actually manage to make it worth about £10K less/more like a Halfords hopped up basic van.

Some decent 'regular silver' ones (even if less extreme than these in terms of diameter) would make it look a whole lot better >

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3867263.htm

But as they say, each to his own.

Edited by splitpin on Sunday 1st July 23:46

[wst]

Shiny Side Up said:

In order to have the same speed limits as a car (i.e. 60/70/70 on single/dual/motorway) a commercial vehicle (van, truck, anything) must be both car derived and have a max laden weight less than 2 tons. If it does not meet both of these requirements then the speed limits are 50/60/70. Link here to the source:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Roa...

In practice most vans bigger (and many smaller) than an Astra Van fall outside of this so should adhere to the lower speed limits. Many vans that are under the weight limit are not car derived (e.g. Citroen Nemo or Berlingo) so also have to adhere to the lower limit although I've not managed to find how car derived is defined in law. I've had a quick look at VW's website and the entire Caddy range is too heavy so must adhere to the lower limits.

trickymex said:

Well you learn something new every day, thanks for that, I wonder where my van falls in this, I have a VW caddy maxi, it's got five seats like a car with sliding doors to get to the back ones, like a people carrier then it has a van section at the back to sling your tools and what not in. It's a little unusual. It's also indecently quick for a van.

jakeb said:

You need to check the speed limits for these things before you get carried away!

I have a Transporter 2.5TDI which goes like a rocket however one of my guys has been done at 65mph on a dual carriage way and another one at 57 on an A road (speed limit for vans over a certain weight is 60mph on dual carriage ways and 50mph on A roads)

http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/DefensiveDri...

The speed Nazis in their little vans know this and seem to target vans. A car derived van under 2tons have the normal limits. Morris minor van at 70mph safe?

Not sure if having windows in the side doors gets around this (i very much doubt it) or whether different limit applies to the mini bus versions.

It also applies to a Ford Transit connect which is about 50Kg over the limit but doesnt classify a car derived van. A Fiesta obviously does.

Edited by jakeb on Saturday 30th June 07:17

A little known of law. How strict are cops on this?

(Luckily the only non-CDV I drove was a 2.0 Ducato which gets into difficulty on slight hills so I haven't triggered Mr Gatso (Domo Arigatso) with it...)

[splitpin]

wst said:

A little known of law. How strict are cops on this?

Tends to depend on which particular Force is employing a twot as Chief Constable this week, but/so more often than you might think. It's great wheeze for having a look in the back.

So next time us PHers are stuck behind a Transit etc on an otherwise 'derestricted' single carriageway thinking why doesn't that bugger keep up with the speed limit, a little bit of patience/understanding me thinks i.e. our speed limit is 10mph more than his.

[jakeb]

splitpin said:

Tends to depend on which particular Force is employing a twot as Chief Constable this week, but/so more often than you might think. It's great wheeze for having a look in the back.

So next time us PHers are stuck behind a Transit etc on an otherwise 'derestricted' single carriageway thinking why doesn't that bugger keep up with the speed limit, a little bit of patience/understanding me thinks i.e. our speed limit is 10mph more than his.

Or next time when you get pulled for speeding when you have been following a van, ask why they didnt pull the van....

Its the camera van twots you need to watch for as they WILL do you as we have found out twice now.

[iain1970]

The speed limit thing is lost on most of our van drivers, as is what a dual carriage way is in reality. You can only issue so many memos...

[AtomPilot]

Three reasons i chose the Vito SportX over the Transporter are 1. Less common, 2. twin side loading doors (i know the one in the article has them but not many do), 3. the rear interior trim compared to the Transporter's basic spec. Here's mine

Edited by AtomPilot on Monday 2nd July 10:58

Edited by AtomPilot on Monday 2nd July 13:37

[a11y_m]

What I'm unsure about is where larger 4x4s/pickups fit into this, as sure they exceed the weight limitations and should surely be subject to the same restrictions as vans? Something like a LR Discovery 3 (not sure on the 4) is definitely above the 2050kg (or so) limit.

White paintwork, black wheels, but certainly not a £39k pricetag despite the full interior conversion:

[Krikkit]

splitpin said:

wst said:

A little known of law. How strict are cops on this?

Tends to depend on which particular Force is employing a twot as Chief Constable this week, but/so more often than you might think. It's great wheeze for having a look in the back.

So next time us PHers are stuck behind a Transit etc on an otherwise 'derestricted' single carriageway thinking why doesn't that bugger keep up with the speed limit, a little bit of patience/understanding me thinks i.e. our speed limit is 10mph more than his.

I've done this, and now I feel like an absolute arse. Well noted!

[garypotter]

jakeb said:

You need to check the speed limits for these things before you get carried away!

I have a Transporter 2.5TDI which goes like a rocket however one of my guys has been done at 65mph on a dual carriage way and another one at 57 on an A road (speed limit for vans over a certain weight is 60mph on dual carriage ways and 50mph on A roads)

http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/DefensiveDri...

The speed Nazis in their little vans know this and seem to target vans. A car derived van under 2tons have the normal limits. Morris minor van at 70mph safe?

Not sure if having windows in the side doors gets around this (i very much doubt it) or whether different limit applies to the mini bus versions.

It also applies to a Ford Transit connect which is about 50Kg over the limit but doesnt classify a car derived van. A Fiesta obviously does.

Edited by jakeb on Saturday 30th June 07:17

That was my thought when reading the article, and also £30,340 + VAT = £36,408 + extras for a 5 seater van!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spouse has an S MAX (Yes a FORD for the badge snobbers) which must feel very luxurious against the van based people carrier, yes the van may have a larger rear load space opt for the galaxy or any of the other large people carriers that ar 2/3rd of the price.
People who buy these vehicles obviously buy them through there business for tax reasons possibly??

[Andy ap]

Love to see that even in modern guise the VW vans still have kudo's......i'd have one but 40k who on earth is going to buy that? love to see a race between this and a sprinter....

[jbi]

meh... this will do 0-60 in 8 seconds and it's not even a sports model :P



if your going to make a sports van... bloody well do it right

[Sivraj]

Love the van but its well out of my price range!!
Just boght a T4 with the 2.4D and a camper conversion for £7500 and am very pleased with it.
Probably a little to bling for the tastes on this site but I love it!!!

[supersingle]

Sivraj said:

Love the van but its well out of my price range!!
Just boght a T4 with the 2.4D and a camper conversion for £7500 and am very pleased with it.
Probably a little to bling for the tastes on this site but I love it!!!

A T4 with a 2.4D engine is likely to be a hell of a lot more reliable than any T5. Good choice!

[Daniel1]

_g_ said:

What sort of 'thirsty' out of interest?

I have a 111 (chipped). 32mpg at a steady 70-75, 37mpg or so at 56-60.

When money is better, do fancy upgrading to a higher spec one.

• takes a deep breath*

Well, my one is loaded and has done 55,000 miles, admittedly a lot in London, and is averaging 22 mpg. On a motorway it might do 26mpg. I'm sure it will do more but traffic lights and dual carriageways are far too tempting, especially as it will keep up with a V8 range rover sport up to and beyond 100 leptons (apparently...). Mine is an auto though.

The V6 is silky smooth (same engine as the 320 spec cars of the same era), it's comfortable and an infinitely better drive, both in handling and ride, then any UK domestic pickup. Not sure if it was an option but mine has the Merc speed limiter that I love and also the same stereo/satnav as the cars. So it has an aux/iPod connection and can control a phone. Only downside is mine has two seats and so the space between them is a little "unfinished". It does have better dials then the standard Vito's and the gear knob is leather and quality plastic, rather then the normal Heavy duty plastic. I personally don't regret buying it as you get all the practicality of the van but driving 115 vitos and this back to back, there is no comparison.

Terrible in the snow though

[_g_]

Cheers. I haven't worked it out exactly, but don't think I get good mpg around town.
A little better, because I also like the traffic light GP regardless of the vehicle I'm in, but have managed to reign it in.

Mine is pretty much poverty-spec, bar alloys. Doesn't have a mechanism to adjust mirrors inside the van!
Did look at a much higher spec 115, but mechanically it was in a lot worse shape and the buyer messed us about, including making us wait for an hour, then conveniently having us view with another set of people waiting for the same vehicle. We walked pretty quicky.