Currently have a VW T5 Kombi. It does what I want on the whole. Carries 5 people plus plenty of stuff, easy to get bike into and happily tows our caravan or trailers loaded with work stuff.
I am starting to get a bit tired of it getting bogged down on wet work sites, fields, caravan sites etc though. I know that this should reduce once more for a few months in summer but will only start again once the weather turns. I did try swapping my 18″ wheels for std 16″ with decent winter tyres but that hasn’t helped off the Tarmac.

I’m therefore pondering selling & getting a crew cab pickup. Still a reasonable amount of room (if not so much as the van) certainly for 5 guys. Tools/wet ropes separated from people which would be a bonus. Security though?
I assume it would be harder to get bikes in the back/would need some wheel off action.

I know the towing performance would probably be better if not at least as good.

I had Landrovers for a good few years before the van so I’m not used to modern car levels of fuel economy, noise etc!

I like e look of the Isuzu and also the Nissan, would be buying 2nd hand outright up to the 12-13k mark. Anyone got either of those, or the alternatives and can offer any advice/input? Anyone fancy a swap?

Still a reasonable amount of room (if not so much as the van) certainly for 5 guys.

How big are these 5 guys and how well do they get on? Space is certainly not at a premium in those things, we use them for uplift here – it’s best to make sure you get in one with the juniors if you own shoulders 😉

FiL has one. As above the cab is not that roomy in the back and the ‘boot’ while pretty decent isn’t huge an can’t take anything long. They are a bit compromised at both IMO. Much prefer the flexibility of a van style where you can make the passenger space bigger or the boot space huge as required.

The most unsatisfactory vehicles I have owned for utility were crew cab pickups no load space no pasenger space and crap handaling.

Don’t think I’ve ever been in a crew cab pickup that could seat 5 comfortably.

T5 syncro?

If you like the van but want 4×4, how about a Sprinter 4×4?

Agree with above, bulky body with limited space inside and for load, and generally crap handling on the ones I’ve used. If you do go down the route, the only one I liked and was totally reliable was the Toyota Hilux though mine was just the 2 seater single cab and could carry much more kit obviously. Or as above 4wd van. Years back I had a Toyota Granvia 4wd which was ace on and off road, if a little thirsty.

Well, that’s pretty emphatic! Thanks for that.
Maybe a synchro would be a shout. Also pondered fitting M&S tyres to a set of steels for winter when I know I’ll be around muddy sites.

I had a Mitsubishi L200 4life from my work. As stated above not great for day to day stuff seats uncomfortable for long drives, load space good but no doubt the thing you most want will be as far away from you as possible and you will need to climb in to retrieve it.
On the plus side you would very rarely get stuck and when it snows then the rear wheel drive fun starts!

Also pondered fitting M&S tyres to a set of steels for winter when I know I’ll be around muddy sites.

Just bin the bling wheels and put ones on that can do the job, permanently.

only vw van ive seen that looks remotely cool is not the ones with the blinged up alloys off some other car , the colour coded plastics and predictably a black or chequer plate wrap to hide the enevitably rusty bonnet….

its pictonroads syncro with its BFG ATs on …. streets ahead in terms of good looking over the “scene”

Ergo fit some BFG ATs

Yank pickups (eg f150) have a good amount of room on the seats and are comfy, tow better than any thing, have a largeer load area but are lhd and will be returning fuel consumption on the 20s.

I have driven a few. Navarra, Ranger and Hilux.
Buy a 4wd transit or a 4motion t5.
The 4×4 pick ups a in my opinion are rubbish.
drop the tailgate you can’t reach into the back fully. The rear seats are for miniature people. They handle terribly.
you can get a cheap discovery3 commercial, purchase the rear seats separately and avoid the financial implications of that one.
They tow, are secure, comfortable and drive okay.

As above, BFG AT’s on steelies before you ditch the van.

Pickups are crap, the rear seats are usually really uncomfortable and a bench arrangement so you slide about all over the shop, limited leg room, funny seating position in general, and the heavy duty cart springs on the back of most crew cabs make for a horrible ride, bobbing about all the time.

As said, with tailgate down, access to bed is poor, sides too high to reach over, and without spending ££££ trying to waterproof the back is very difficult.

Good for towing trailers, chucking dead sheep in the back of and carrying assorted (inexpensive, due to lack of security and restraint) tools and crap.

Best vehicle I had that ticks those boxes was a Mitsubishi Delica 4×4 bus great bit of kit in its day.

My old bus (now sold sadly..) wasn’t a syncro… 😳

It did have BFG all terrain tyres though and never got stuck on wet fields or tracks.

Stick some VW steelies on with some BFG’s, crew-cabs pickups are tiresome space wise, it’s all just slightly in the wrong place for anything other than proper contracting work.

“Best vehicle I had that ticks those boxes was a Mitsubishi Delica 4×4“

That’s what I wanted originally, but my wife has an irrational intense hatred of the Delica so it was a no-go.

I considered a pickup, I like the look of the Amarok but (apart from the fact they seem very expensive) I decided a pickup was a lot less practical for us. Didn’t want the dog on the back seat, nor separated from us right at the back. Load beds are actually not very long, shorter than a bike, so you’d always be taking wheels out. And no chance at all of getting anything long in there.

So I have a LWB T4. 2.8m load space with all the seats out, or nearly 2m while seating five proper adults.

I’ve never tried the full-on muddy field test but with normal suspension and decent tyres I wouldn’t expect any issues.

We used to have Mitsubushi L200’s:( and replaced them with Toyota Invincibles (equivilant):-), both with double cabs, they’re OK for short journeys, we use them around the site etc so only a few miles at most, but I wouldn’t want to go very far with four other blokes.
In addition they’re not so nice to drive as a modern van, I much prefer driving our ’14 plate Transit, even though it’s one of the BIG ones!

+1 on no space inside a crewcab pickup.

Thing that annoys me is how short they are to the roof, as I’m quite tall and the floor level is high.

Back seats mostly useful for carrying crap you don’t want bouncing about the load bay.

Drive across a desert a lot better than a van though.

Nissan Navara is a nice place to be even with 5 people on board.

Ford Ranger is rubbish wherever you are sitting and certainly no fun with 5 on board.

Not had much experience in the Rodeo, L200 or Hilux.

With regards to the ‘bling wheels’ thing I did say in my op that I’d replaced the alloys wi 16″ steels, just that the winter tyres were no better off Tarmac than the summer tyres on the 18″ alloys.

I have now been well and truly put off crew cab pick ups, although I may investigate the LR options…

Best vehicle I had that ticks those boxes was a Mitsubishi Delica 4×4 bus great bit of kit in its day.

Waddayamean in its day? Still running ours. Great weekend vehicle. Takes loads of bikes, kit and people can also tow a trailer across a muddy field (an essential requirement for us)

Just to be contrary, I have an ISUZU and love it.

3 in the back is a little squashed but what vehicle can take 3 adult arses side-by-side?

We have a Carryboy back and driving in monsoon rain you’ll get a very slight damp patch in one corner. I’m sure it could be waterproofed if I wanted it based on the fact that the other side is dry.

Seats (f&r) are leather, comfy and nicely supportive. We done an 11 hour drive with only a brief lunch stop and it was a grand drive.

Re. Bikes in the back; tailgate down and you can get 3 in. As ours is used as a family car, I can’t really comment on its true load carrying capabilities. Did well for a 3 week road trip with suitcases, buggy, folding cot and home via IKEA.

I find it pretty car like to drive and the torquey 3.0l makes for nice relaxed overtaking. Not especially wallowy, bouncy or otherwise untoward. Very light steering but not a complete disconnect from the road.

Off road, we easily snatched an Astra sized car out of soft sand. We were too. Driven up hardpack mud that I struggled to walk up.

When it’s wet, unladen and RWD, you do need to be gentle on the throttle. I’ll never forget putting my foot down to overtake at 80km/h and spinning the wheels.

One thing I would say is I couldn’t afford fuel for it back home. 18-20 MP/g.

What is this ‘bogged down’ you speak of?

8)

Nissan Navara is a nice place to be even with 5 people on board.

They’re too polite to say anything, or you have short arsed friends, or by ‘5 people’ do you mean 2 adults and 3 kids?. I’ve taken a few adults in the back on long journeys and had nothing but complaints. I do however like the way they fold up like cinema seats to make a biggish interior space.

I’d pretty much reiterate what others have said, not very practical. good for moving large objects, towing and launching boats, off road etc

Those that have tried the BF Goodrich All Terrains…how did you find them on the road?

Lots of my journeys involve towing a trailer to a muddy field, parking up, and then getting off the muddy field and back home. My old van had M&S tyres and generally coped with care, but the new one has bigger wheels which means I can get a proper all terrain tyre with the correct load rating.

I was thinking about the BFG’s but got put off by the poor braking/wet grip, and am now leaning towards the General Tire all terrains as they are a bit more of an ‘all-rounder’. Also concerned about the tyre noise of the BFG’s?

General Tyre:

I’m under pressure at work to replace my Freelander with a pickup. We’ve currently got 2 here, a Toyota and an Isuzu, plus a Ranger at our French operation. The Isuzu is better to drove than the Toyota, but that’s not saying much. If forced, I’ll have a Ford (I’m currently holding out for a Disco Sport). One thing, the Isuzu is hugely better on fuel than the Toyota – it will do early 30s if driven sensibly.
I don’t really like any of them. They are not remotely car-like to drive and the interiors are awful, in spite of all the toys. By the way, we had a T5 Synchro for a couple of years, too. It was OK on wet grass, but there’s no ground clearance for anything remotely rough.