Car like vans....
Discussion
My car boot is beginning to fill up with kit. I need in the next few months to add another decent sized box. I'm also not a fan of leaving it on display overnight etc.
So at lease end I wonder about a van. But it's got to be a van that's decent to drive, has some toys, but most importantly has decent noise, vibration and harshness levels. In other words, it needs to be quiet like my Volvo, have AC, Cruise and Bluetooth, and rattle less than the Volvo.
The last transit I drove would be too noisy on the motorway, the last Vivaro (some time ago) was really loud. So is there anything out there that looks like a van, but drives like a car....?
ETA - auto and 4WD would be nice, but probably not achievable.
So at lease end I wonder about a van. But it's got to be a van that's decent to drive, has some toys, but most importantly has decent noise, vibration and harshness levels. In other words, it needs to be quiet like my Volvo, have AC, Cruise and Bluetooth, and rattle less than the Volvo.
The last transit I drove would be too noisy on the motorway, the last Vivaro (some time ago) was really loud. So is there anything out there that looks like a van, but drives like a car....?
ETA - auto and 4WD would be nice, but probably not achievable.
surveyor said:
My car boot is beginning to fill up with kit. I need in the next few months to add another decent sized box. I'm also not a fan of leaving it on display overnight etc.
So at lease end I wonder about a van. But it's got to be a van that's decent to drive, has some toys, but most importantly has decent noise, vibration and harshness levels. In other words, it needs to be quiet like my Volvo, have AC, Cruise and Bluetooth, and rattle less than the Volvo.
The last transit I drove would be too noisy on the motorway, the last Vivaro (some time ago) was really loud. So is there anything out there that looks like a van, but drives like a car....?
ETA - auto and 4WD would be nice, but probably not achievable.
VW Transporter or new Transit Custom are both nice places to be, I know the high end VW's have 4WD as an option, neither will drive like a car, but both are comparable to a 4x4 type vehicle and neither is particularly unpleasant!So at lease end I wonder about a van. But it's got to be a van that's decent to drive, has some toys, but most importantly has decent noise, vibration and harshness levels. In other words, it needs to be quiet like my Volvo, have AC, Cruise and Bluetooth, and rattle less than the Volvo.
The last transit I drove would be too noisy on the motorway, the last Vivaro (some time ago) was really loud. So is there anything out there that looks like a van, but drives like a car....?
ETA - auto and 4WD would be nice, but probably not achievable.
For a true "like a car", then surely a car derived van e.g. astra van would be your best bet, but I'd say either of the above vans are much nicer places to be!
Or somewhere in between, again the new Transit Connect is pretty much a focus from the B-Pillar forwards and again is hardly unpleasant!
surveyor said:
My car boot is beginning to fill up with kit. I need in the next few months to add another decent sized box. I'm also not a fan of leaving it on display overnight etc.
So at lease end I wonder about a van. But it's got to be a van that's decent to drive, has some toys, but most importantly has decent noise, vibration and harshness levels. In other words, it needs to be quiet like my Volvo, have AC, Cruise and Bluetooth, and rattle less than the Volvo.
The last transit I drove would be too noisy on the motorway, the last Vivaro (some time ago) was really loud. So is there anything out there that looks like a van, but drives like a car....?
ETA - auto and 4WD would be nice, but probably not achievable.
There are commercial versions of various 4x4s, but once you start stripping trim out, you start losing "quiet". Aircon, cruise and bluetooth is going to be fairly standard.So at lease end I wonder about a van. But it's got to be a van that's decent to drive, has some toys, but most importantly has decent noise, vibration and harshness levels. In other words, it needs to be quiet like my Volvo, have AC, Cruise and Bluetooth, and rattle less than the Volvo.
The last transit I drove would be too noisy on the motorway, the last Vivaro (some time ago) was really loud. So is there anything out there that looks like a van, but drives like a car....?
ETA - auto and 4WD would be nice, but probably not achievable.
Big estate or 4x4 with priv glass?
This week has been interesting....
I've had to pick up a meeting room table while on my travels so it's been hire van time...
Renault Traffic Business. 115 hp (which is slow....), Bluetooth Satnav, and not a lot more.... My main issue is that the Bluetooth can't cope with the cab noise on the motorway. I ended up being better unpaired and just using speaker mode while phone on the holder...
Other than that I can live with it. I think I'll probably look at a slightly more horse power Transport, with an autobox. Not so bothered about 4wd. That's a nice to have. Looking at the VW specs, the Highline models appear to come with extra trim that hopefully reduced noise.
I was very impressed with the economy....
I've had to pick up a meeting room table while on my travels so it's been hire van time...
Renault Traffic Business. 115 hp (which is slow....), Bluetooth Satnav, and not a lot more.... My main issue is that the Bluetooth can't cope with the cab noise on the motorway. I ended up being better unpaired and just using speaker mode while phone on the holder...
Other than that I can live with it. I think I'll probably look at a slightly more horse power Transport, with an autobox. Not so bothered about 4wd. That's a nice to have. Looking at the VW specs, the Highline models appear to come with extra trim that hopefully reduced noise.
I was very impressed with the economy....
surveyor said:
This week has been interesting....
I've had to pick up a meeting room table while on my travels so it's been hire van time...
Renault Traffic Business. 115 hp (which is slow....), Bluetooth Satnav, and not a lot more.... My main issue is that the Bluetooth can't cope with the cab noise on the motorway. I ended up being better unpaired and just using speaker mode while phone on the holder...
Other than that I can live with it. I think I'll probably look at a slightly more horse power Transport, with an autobox. Not so bothered about 4wd. That's a nice to have. Looking at the VW specs, the Highline models appear to come with extra trim that hopefully reduced noise.
I was very impressed with the economy....
Was your meeting in the woods? I think you're being a bit over the top on the Bluetooth, we sell loads of these and can't say anyone's moaned about the phone kit. Same with bhp vs fuel economy, you can't have both and most vans are now coming with smaller engines. I've had to pick up a meeting room table while on my travels so it's been hire van time...
Renault Traffic Business. 115 hp (which is slow....), Bluetooth Satnav, and not a lot more.... My main issue is that the Bluetooth can't cope with the cab noise on the motorway. I ended up being better unpaired and just using speaker mode while phone on the holder...
Other than that I can live with it. I think I'll probably look at a slightly more horse power Transport, with an autobox. Not so bothered about 4wd. That's a nice to have. Looking at the VW specs, the Highline models appear to come with extra trim that hopefully reduced noise.
I was very impressed with the economy....
We've just bought a VW caddy van - longer wheel base.
Metallic Silver, air con, satnav, alloy wheels, electric windows, cruise control, etc - it drives like a car except it has the practicality of a van! The dogs (3) love it as do my bikes - old Honda Cb750 fits straight in!!
Only downside we've found is the local dumps (sorry recycling centres) treat you as a commerical house clearance specialist, so you have to provide some proof of identity etc.
Average of 50mpg.
Vans are the future
D
Metallic Silver, air con, satnav, alloy wheels, electric windows, cruise control, etc - it drives like a car except it has the practicality of a van! The dogs (3) love it as do my bikes - old Honda Cb750 fits straight in!!
Only downside we've found is the local dumps (sorry recycling centres) treat you as a commerical house clearance specialist, so you have to provide some proof of identity etc.
Average of 50mpg.
Vans are the future
D
spreadsheet monkey said:
Double cab pickup with a canopy top?
Both the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok are available with large powerful engines and high spec.
They do have decent engines, the 3.2 5 pot in the Ford particularly, and a few toys but fBoth the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok are available with large powerful engines and high spec.
k me do they drive like a complete bag of st. Quite good fun getting the arse out at every junction in the wet though, and dead exciting at 80+ on the Motorway when they bounce all over the place.shake n bake said:
Was your meeting in the woods? I think you're being a bit over the top on the Bluetooth, we sell loads of these and can't say anyone's moaned about the phone kit. Same with bhp vs fuel economy, you can't have both and most vans are now coming with smaller engines.
My meeting was not in the woods. The telephone mast that I was hunting for was.... It might be the kit in this particular van was s
t. But my money is I spend a lot more time on the motorway and on the phone than the average local van user...And I also realise that more power = less economy, which is a sacrifice that I will make at the time... I never expected the economy I got this week though. Very impressive.
saaby93 said:
Do you want a van like car or a car like van?
Originally I wanted a car like van. Now I think I'm swaying the other way...
Ahem...
https://youtu.be/59grnM4dciI
We've recently got a new Transit at work. It has the bulkhead behind the seats so the NVH is pretty good. It drives well with great steering, and is easy to place on the road. Ours is a pretty poor spec, but the basics of the cabin are spot on.
https://youtu.be/59grnM4dciI
We've recently got a new Transit at work. It has the bulkhead behind the seats so the NVH is pretty good. It drives well with great steering, and is easy to place on the road. Ours is a pretty poor spec, but the basics of the cabin are spot on.
New Peugeot Expert may be worth a look. I'm very impressed with the 64-Plate Partner I have for work, interior plastics are a bit hard and scratchy, but it's the nicest small van I've driven. Very quiet, to the point that I thought the horn was knackered, as I could barely here it with the windows up!
Never been a fan of Transporters, I find them incredibly uncomfortable to drive. Much prefer a Transit for comfort and driving dynamics.
Never been a fan of Transporters, I find them incredibly uncomfortable to drive. Much prefer a Transit for comfort and driving dynamics.
surveyor said:
But my money is I spend a lot more time on the motorway and on the phone than the average local van user...
Are you sure about that? There are a lot of vans doing huge mileages. We have a 2015 Transit dropside pickup and I think it's a brilliant commercial vehicle. They fit a 3.7 Ecoboost to them in the USA, that would be great.
Something like the Discovery 4 powertrain in one of those would be very good indeed, but would probably compromise their weight too much.
I am surprised there aren't ore 4wd vans, that said the machinery dealers all seem to manage with Transits.
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