Vans vs. Pickup trucks

[white_goodman]

Unfortunately due to a garage flooding incident in February, I had to run a lot of stuff that got ruined to the tip at the weekend and my father-in-law, who is a farmer, very kindly lent me his Isuzu D-Max for the purpose. It was a slightly agricultural experience but ultimately quite enjoyable and I really appreciated having the utility of a pickup truck for the day. This got me thinking about the current fleet. My wife currently has a full-size MPV (Grand Voyager) and she has been wanting to downsize to something still family-friendly for a while but we haven't done anything about it yet due to lack of use/COVID. I have a small estate (Golf), which would probably be perfectly ample for us as a main family car but it's a bit too nice to be throwing messy crap in the back of.

I have long had a secret hankering for a pickup truck, probably since seeing Marty McFly's black Hilux in "Back to the Future". In my head, I could chuck stuff in the back of it and take it to the tip, pick up building materials for my home projects and chuck the bikes in the back and drive out of town to do some MTB with the kids and maybe some off-roading. The kids would love it! On the minus side, judging by the D-Max, they are quite agricultural and might be a bit of a pain to drive on a daily basis (a colleague of mine used to commute from Exeter to Andover every day in a Hilux in the early 2000s and it did his head in, so he ended up getting a Golf TDI for the commute instead). It does also rain from time-to-time in the UK, so my building materials would also get wet and possibly nicked! I guess that one could get a box cap but then that restricts the utility somewhat and you have to find somewhere to store it when you take it off. I'd probably most likely go with a current Navara or L200 crew cab (not the latest L200, probably the 2015-2019 one, as the current model looks very weird), as they seem less likely to get the "modded Urban-style" treatment as some of the other trucks and maybe more so the Nissan as Mitsubishi are pulling out of the UK imminently.

Two of my cousins are married to builders and their husbands drive mid-size vans and something like a SWB Transit Custom/Transporter also holds some appeal. I don't really want to go full van because I wouldn't be able to fit in the whole family (4 people) and if you're not a tradesperson, it looks a little "traveller's community" but maybe something with a rear seat and window and then a rear bulkhead so a separate load area right at the back? I'm not actually sure whether this load area would still be big enough to be really useful but mid-size vans tend to be a bit more refined and car-like than pickup trucks? You could still do the stuff that you can with the pickup truck but your stuff would be dry and secure and there would be somewhere dry to change out of wet clothes or picnic out on family day trips if the weather turns bad.

Driving standards in the UK are also slipping (certainly in my area) and other drivers seem to be becoming more rude and aggressive, I imagine that other drivers tend to treat you with a bit more respect and give you a bit more space when you're driving a pickup/largeish van? Not a dealbreaker but would be a welcome benefit.

Any thoughts from anyone who has run a pickup or a van of this type as a daily driver. Are they just less pleasant and refined than a car to drive day-to-day and does parking/height restrictions etc become a bit of a hassle or are the practical benefits worth it? Also, are you limited to 60mph in these vehicles or can you still do 70mph on DCs/motorways? My budget would be around about 15-20k.

[Horsey McHorseface]

white_goodman said:

Also, are you limited to 60mph in these vehicles or can you still do 70mph on DCs/motorways? My budget would be around about 15-20k.

If the pick-up has 4 doors, normal speed limits apply. 2 door pick-ups are restricted 60 in 70 and 50 in 60, iirc. Vans with no rear windows, the same speed limit restrictions as 2 door pick-ups.

[MrAverage]

Having spent a lot of time in and around pick up trucks my opinion is a van is a better vehicle for almost everything.

We have a DMax utah and it is good for a truck. Load bed is useful for some stuff and a complete pain in the bum for others.

I'd prefer a crew cab van for lower load bay and bigger useable area.

[WarrenB]

I've considered both in the past, but went with the van because of this exact reason...

white_goodman said:

You could still do the stuff that you can with the pickup truck but your stuff would be dry and secure and there would be somewhere dry to change out of wet clothes or picnic out on family day trips if the weather turns bad.

It's also a lot easier to chuck the MTBs in the back of a van than fixing them to the bed of a pickup securely, and obviously easier to keep things hidden in the back.

Speed limits are the same as a car, except NSL roads, 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on duals.

I think unless you have a specific need for a pickup I wouldn't bother, personally.

[WarrenB]

Horsey McHorseface said:

If the pick-up has 4 doors, normal speed limits apply. 2 door pick-ups are restricted 60 in 70 and 50 in 60, iirc. Vans with no rear windows, the same speed limit restrictions as 2 door pick-ups.

Can't speak for the pickups, but for vans the rear windows are irrelevant. It all depends on how it's been registered. Windows or not it'll be registered as a commercial, so lower NSL limits apply. If it's registered as a camper the higher car limits apply.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Love my Amarok, much nicer cabin than a van especially for family duties. For tip runs it has to be pointed out ours will require a permit as it's classed as a commercial vehicle.

[Mammasaid]

Horsey McHorseface said:

white_goodman said:

Also, are you limited to 60mph in these vehicles or can you still do 70mph on DCs/motorways? My budget would be around about 15-20k.

If the pick-up has 4 doors, normal speed limits apply. 2 door pick-ups are restricted 60 in 70 and 50 in 60, iirc. Vans with no rear windows, the same speed limit restrictions as 2 door pick-ups.

Also depends on unladen weight, under 1840 kg car limits apply, over that it's van limits. That means that the L200 gets car limits, but most versions of the Ranger and Amarok are limited, not that it seems to matter to most of them.

Google dual-purpose vehicles to get the full low down.

[Johnnytheboy]

Bear in mind that many tips will not allow commercial vehicles in.

[white_goodman]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Love my Amarok, much nicer cabin than a van especially for family duties. For tip runs it has to be pointed out ours will require a permit as it's classed as a commercial vehicle.

Good point. That was another question. My local tip didn't have any issue with me turning up in the D-Max but I hear that some are funny about people turning up in large vans.

[Johnnytheboy]

It seems to depend on area. Best to enquire locally.

[smithyithy]

Mammasaid said:

Horsey McHorseface said:

white_goodman said:

Also, are you limited to 60mph in these vehicles or can you still do 70mph on DCs/motorways? My budget would be around about 15-20k.

If the pick-up has 4 doors, normal speed limits apply. 2 door pick-ups are restricted 60 in 70 and 50 in 60, iirc. Vans with no rear windows, the same speed limit restrictions as 2 door pick-ups.

Also depends on unladen weight, under 1840 kg car limits apply, over that it's van limits. That means that the L200 gets car limits, but most versions of the Ranger and Amarok are limited, not that it seems to matter to most of them.

Google dual-purpose vehicles to get the full low down.

The big DPD vans regularly pass me at 80-85 on the motorway to be fair

[samoht]

Dan Trent went for the van option, with similar use case in mind I think

https://twitter.com/trent_dan/status/1372937584180...

[sjg]

Pick ups only make sense to me if you’ll be carrying stuff like manure that you want to be separated from. The US ones are a bit more useful but only because you can get a double cab and a reasonable bed length at the same time.

T5/T6 are in every trail centre car park and make a lot more sense. Kombi with no bulkhead lets you use it like a family car, easily get bikes/camping gear/DIY stuff in, and you can remove the seats if you do need proper van space.

Worth looking at the Japanese MPVs, they love a tall, boxy, sliding door, practical thing but without the grumbly Diesel engine and commercial underpinnings. Or indeed tip issues or speed limits.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

white_goodman said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Love my Amarok, much nicer cabin than a van especially for family duties. For tip runs it has to be pointed out ours will require a permit as it's classed as a commercial vehicle.

Good point. That was another question. My local tip didn't have any issue with me turning up in the D-Max but I hear that some are funny about people turning up in large vans.

To be fair, mine has a colour coded truckman cab back in it with tinted windows, I pointed out it was a commercial and the lad there simply said is it? Thought it was a 4x4?

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say a van makes more sense also take a look at people carriers as they'll do everything the van will plus you won't be paying VAT on one:

i800

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101067...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103150...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010064...

The Ford Galaxy is another option:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102249...

Transit Custom

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102209...



Commercial

Hyundai i800

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202007311...

Fiat Ducato

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202102068...

Space Tourer & remove the rear seats

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202102239...

Dispatch

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202101298...

[MarkJS]

sjg said:

Pick ups only make sense to me if you’ll be carrying stuff like manure that you want to be separated from. The US ones are a bit more useful but only because you can get a double cab and a reasonable bed length at the same time.

T5/T6 are in every trail centre car park and make a lot more sense. Kombi with no bulkhead lets you use it like a family car, easily get bikes/camping gear/DIY stuff in, and you can remove the seats if you do need proper van space.

Worth looking at the Japanese MPVs, they love a tall, boxy, sliding door, practical thing but without the grumbly Diesel engine and commercial underpinnings. Or indeed tip issues or speed limits.

These are my thoughts. I don’t actually think you can get one 650b bike on most pickups fully wheeled unless it’s installed diagonally - and then you’ve got to secure it from bouncing out the bed.

Pickups don’t seem very practical in many other ways to be used as a replacement for a car IMO.

If I was in this position, I thing I’d just buy a van.

[sjg]

You put a tailgate pad on and hang the front wheel off like this:

(and hope no-one follows you home or grabs your expensive bike out of the back when you’re stopped at the lights)

[cologne2792]

Mammasaid said:

Horsey McHorseface said:

white_goodman said:

Also, are you limited to 60mph in these vehicles or can you still do 70mph on DCs/motorways? My budget would be around about 15-20k.

If the pick-up has 4 doors, normal speed limits apply. 2 door pick-ups are restricted 60 in 70 and 50 in 60, iirc. Vans with no rear windows, the same speed limit restrictions as 2 door pick-ups.

Also depends on unladen weight, under 1840 kg car limits apply, over that it's van limits. That means that the L200 gets car limits, but most versions of the Ranger and Amarok are limited, not that it seems to matter to most of them.

Google dual-purpose vehicles to get the full low down.

It's 2040 kg kerb weight.

All of the new Rangers are over that and are at commercial limits.

Needs to have 4wd and be able to carry passengers too.

In theory, a bench seat, 4wd single cab under 2,040 kg would qualify for car limits.

The construction and use regs are rather long and obscure.

[Register1]

Regarding the vans speed limit comments
I understood, that CDV "Car derived vans"
meaning that there is a similar car made first, then they made a van "out of the car"
Then the speed limits for vans is same as car, ie 70 on a motorway.

I have a Peugeot Partner, and it is able to travel on the motorways at normal 70 mph limits.

[Johnnytheboy]

Register1 said:

Regarding the vans speed limit comments
I understood, that CDV "Car derived vans"
meaning that there is a similar car made first, then they made a van "out of the car"
Then the speed limits for vans is same as car, ie 70 on a motorway.

I have a Peugeot Partner, and it is able to travel on the motorways at normal 70 mph limits.

All vans can do 70 on the motorway.

A Partner is not "car derived" therefore has to do 10mph lower than cars in NSL roads other than motorways.