Electric van is a no go , Renault Trafic etc questions.
Discussion
Hi everyone, I was looking at getting an e-NV200 combi, it was a little small but possibly manageable with the seats out 10 or so times a year. However with the new Leaf due soon, there is the possibility that they will also upgrade the e-NV200 from its small 24kwh battery. It seems 80 is a reasonable mileage on a charge, However alot of areas I will visit have poor charging point options (ie very few) and until charging points have become more numerous and unified a small capacity battery is just not practical.
Buying a larger diesel van instead will allow 3 seats in the front for occasional use which will remove the need for a crew/combi van. However, having not driven a van before and being a big guy, ie seat right back, it's a bit odd looking over your shoulder and just seeing bulkhead instead of viewing what's coming out of the rear window. looking directly right just gets me a view of b pillar. How do those of you who are van drivers cope with this?
Engine wise, I was planning on buying the lower powered twin turbo 1.6 version of the Trafic or NV300. Most of the cheapest trafic deals are for the 95hp versions with the base Business spec, however the business+ and Sport spec include some useful features, eg under seat and through bulkhead storage. Air con is important and Cruise control would be good as well, always useful for those 50mph zones that are getting more and more common.
Also are there any major or minor problems with the latest generation of trafic based cars?
I plan on buying with HP. I'm a sole trader but not VAT registered, so no way of claiming back VAT.
Renault seem to have the cheapest pre reg cars, with 4 year warranty. Nissan slightly more expensive, however get a 5 year warranty. I'm unlikely to do anywhere near 20k miles a year, so the warranty's will be time rather than mileage based for me.
I haven't had a diesel before, only driven a very old montego maybe 15 years ago, so what kind of mpg should I expect out of these vans in the real world, empty with driver and maybe with 800-900kg ini the back.
Any useful info and experience is welcomed, thanks everyone.
Buying a larger diesel van instead will allow 3 seats in the front for occasional use which will remove the need for a crew/combi van. However, having not driven a van before and being a big guy, ie seat right back, it's a bit odd looking over your shoulder and just seeing bulkhead instead of viewing what's coming out of the rear window. looking directly right just gets me a view of b pillar. How do those of you who are van drivers cope with this?
Engine wise, I was planning on buying the lower powered twin turbo 1.6 version of the Trafic or NV300. Most of the cheapest trafic deals are for the 95hp versions with the base Business spec, however the business+ and Sport spec include some useful features, eg under seat and through bulkhead storage. Air con is important and Cruise control would be good as well, always useful for those 50mph zones that are getting more and more common.
Also are there any major or minor problems with the latest generation of trafic based cars?
I plan on buying with HP. I'm a sole trader but not VAT registered, so no way of claiming back VAT.
Renault seem to have the cheapest pre reg cars, with 4 year warranty. Nissan slightly more expensive, however get a 5 year warranty. I'm unlikely to do anywhere near 20k miles a year, so the warranty's will be time rather than mileage based for me.
I haven't had a diesel before, only driven a very old montego maybe 15 years ago, so what kind of mpg should I expect out of these vans in the real world, empty with driver and maybe with 800-900kg ini the back.
Any useful info and experience is welcomed, thanks everyone.
If it's a big concern could you remove the bulkhead? Or go for the crew version instead and then you get the 2nd row of side windows?
But as said before, big mirrors make things a lot easier. I don't drive a van, but occasionally have hired one to move house and find them easy to adjust to, even a big 3.5T Luton.
But as said before, big mirrors make things a lot easier. I don't drive a van, but occasionally have hired one to move house and find them easy to adjust to, even a big 3.5T Luton.
Zetec-S said:
If it's a big concern could you remove the bulkhead? Or go for the crew version instead and then you get the 2nd row of side windows?
But as said before, big mirrors make things a lot easier. I don't drive a van, but occasionally have hired one to move house and find them easy to adjust to, even a big 3.5T Luton.
I think technically I could remove the bulkhead, however i'd need a pre reg'd crew van to have rear side windows, the crew van versions seem to have a more permanent rear bulkhead behind the seats, so limiting the loading of long items, eg plasterboard, which could be useful when building a garage soon in the future.But as said before, big mirrors make things a lot easier. I don't drive a van, but occasionally have hired one to move house and find them easy to adjust to, even a big 3.5T Luton.
Also I would buy a combi version, over the van with glass allround (and preferably M1 rated for normal car speeds) but they are out of budget really, especially once you go up spec to add useful features and engine spec, for more power and better economy.
However the feedback seems positive that the large wing mirrors help with the blindspot somewhat which was one of my main van driving concerns.
My ideal van would be a Vito with 7g autobox, but they are well out of budget unfortunately.
Krikkit said:
To be honest I find the big, accommodating mirrors remove any worries about checking blind spots etc with vans...
This, the huge mirrors give a good view, easily enough to see the back wheel, rear corner and loads of road. I drive new Vivaros at work, I think these are still Trafics (the last model was a rebadged Trafic). They're alright. If you're not used to driving a van be careful when joining a major road at a junction that is not a square junction. You cannot look over your left shoulder and as good as mirrors are these days it's often best to square the vehicle up so you can look out of the n/s window to check left properly.
Loyly said:
Krikkit said:
To be honest I find the big, accommodating mirrors remove any worries about checking blind spots etc with vans...
This, the huge mirrors give a good view, easily enough to see the back wheel, rear corner and loads of road. I drive new Vivaros at work, I think these are still Trafics (the last model was a rebadged Trafic). They're alright. The Trafic, Vivaro, NV300 and a Fiat one are all based on the same van. I think the Nissan has a 5yr 100k warranty, most of the others are the same mileage but 3 or 4 years. The NV's haven't been out very long though so don't have the same number of pre reg discounts.
FiF said:
If you're not used to driving a van be careful when joining a major road at a junction that is not a square junction. You cannot look over your left shoulder and as good as mirrors are these days it's often best to square the vehicle up so you can look out of the n/s window to check left properly.
Thanks, i'll definitely take extra care pulling onto Motorways etc whilst getting used to it.BlueMR2 said:
Thanks, i'll definitely take extra care pulling onto Motorways etc whilst getting used to it.
That's all very well but I'm really referring to joining major roads where you are turning right but not at 90 degrees, ie traffic from your left is coming from over your left shoulder. See the map below, entering the A443 from the minor road and turning right to go North. You would need to square up your vehicle so that you can look down the A443 to your left.
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