I’ve got a Volvo S40 thats been amazing.. never had any problems and never done anything bad ever.

Always comfortable and reliable the only downside is as it’s quite fast (or my right foots heavy) I average about 20-25mpg.

I’d also really like to not have to take wheels off my bike and want something that can return more like 45-50mpg

Not bothered about anything massive but it needs to be able to fit a 6ft guy in with a downhill bike and gear (to sleep).

Any suggestions?

I’ve been looking at Doblo Cargos but just seen some shocking reviews.. my mates got one and its a shame as they do seem quite good (however I am scared of the fiat brand).

not seen much else but the Doblo seems the right size and economy (shame about the reviews).

I want to be able to drive at comfort with all my gear at about 70/80 (I’m living in France) and return good MPG!

any ideas?

So when you say get your bike in without taking the wheels off do you mean upright? or are you not that bothered about that? If so, we recently looked into that and found about the only things big enough were Seat Alhambra’s/Ford Galaxy’s/VW’s (all the same!) or a Renault Espace. We went with a Seat it’s AWESOME!

Ah cool whats the mpg on it though? I’d have thought It’d be quite a heavy vehicle so getting low 40s?

Looking at the Belingo Cars as their seats fold flat… not overly fussed with upright but it’d be nice

Thanks for your advice I’ll have a search

A friend lent me his Alhambra a few years back (we swapped company cars) and I drove around the Dordogne for 3 weeks with 2 kids.
Very impressed.

Don’t know if any van is going to get you 50mpg, but I’d say a Vauxhall Vivaro (or one of its clones, the Nissan Primastar or Renault Trafic) should be at the top of your list.

The Transit is also good but I don’t think your budget would stretch to a mk.7 (56 plate on) and the older mk.6 is distinctly van like to drive, whilst the above is much more refined.

VW too expensive, Iveco too truck like, the LDV Maxus can look a good deal but apparently its gained a reputation for having the worst engines/reliability in the world along with paper thin panels. Sprinters are rare in swb low roofs, also the badge is reflected in the price.

Going a little smaller, (Doblo sized) you could look at the Transit Connect, but you will probably need the high roof lwb version (still considerably smaller than a Transit) They have a love it or hate it driving position though, I’ve heard complaints they can cause back pain after long drives. Only driven one a couple of times so can’t comment.

Also the Vauxhall Combo, great little van based on the Corsa but think it will be too small and low for sleeping in.

Still, the Vivaro would be my choice.

I’ll have to ask Mr MC about MPG but I think so far its’ doing okay and he’s bimbling along at 70mph as he wants to save on the fuel after a tank was nearly £90. It’s great we got 2 MTb’s in there up right so easily the other day with BUCKETS of room for other stuff. I imagine you could get 2 6ft blokes sleeping in the back. Let us know what you buy.

I’d agree with Spooky about looking at the Vivaro, Trafic or primastar range, big ish but the 100hp or even better the 115hp are quite economical, as they come with a six speed gearbox and are very good on a run.

They’ll certainly beat your Volvos consumption, I manage 30-32 at 70-75 in my 120hp Master.

Thanks for all your help dead useful after truding over Auto Trader.

Belingo Car versions seem an okish option? the 2.0 hdi.

Can you tell me which the best Vivaro engine to go with is and what kinda miles I should avoid?

A little Googling has revealed ‘real-life’ reports of 38mpg ish for the Vivaro. Which sounds good if the much larger Master gets 32mpg.

Just a thought, if you find one with a tailgate (like the AA vans) then jump on it as they are great for sheltering from the rain!

Edit: I would just say don’t go for the lowest sized engine, the one I used to drive was a 1.9, which would make it either 82ps or 100ps. I suspect 82ps as it was slow, the luton bodied Transit I drive now is faster. The main problem with the Vivaro is gearbox issues, so do a little Googling before committing to buy.

I had a friend who had a Berlingo and he had quite a lot of space, not sure how big it is for sleeping in mind. Only thing he did point out was that the wheel arches are larger on the newer cars and hence you loose a bit more significant space preventing getting so many bikes in.

we are planning on driving the Alhambra down to the South of France. We looked at vivaro van’s, transit connects and the like however we liked the felxibilty of having something “car” shaped too, so if we did need or want to carry more than 2 people we could. Connect’s were very small as well and would struggle to get a bigger bike in upright. Seat was by far the BEST plus came in budget for us which was £4000.

Thanks again for more info, Do you think a Renault Traffic is a good option also?

Also the Vivaro’s are looking promising seem to get a fair bit for the cash just not too sure what milage to not look at?

I like the idea of the Seats flexibility but I dont need anymore than 3 seats and also like the idea that the van is a bit more van like.. think I’m leaning towards it more slightly now.

i don’t think you’ll be getting a very good Traffic or Vivaro for your money. I can also say that you will never get 38mpg from one. we’ve had ours from new and the best we’ve got is 32mpg. they also have some nightmare engine problems that can cost a fortune to fix. Our second van is a Transit connect. regularly returns 43mpg reasonably quick and comfortable. Ours is set up as a semi-camper.ie we have a cooker and 2 sleeping platforms in it which works ok.

The Renault Trafic is almost identical, the differences are pretty much limited to minor changes to the specification, and the badge. Its the same deal with the Nissan Primastar, they are rarer but you may also find they are cheaper as they are not the obvious choice.

I would just be sensible about the mileage, as I said, read up on the gearbox issues. (I’m not familiar with them but know its something to be aware of) I would pay more attention to service history than worry too much about the mileage. Also check at what point major items like cam belts are due, could be a good haggling point!

Thanks for further info 😀 also dropoff any pics in sleeping mode?

The MPG is obviously going to depend on the type of driving you are doing. The official combined figure is 34.4, extra urban is in low 40’s. 32 does sound low. But in 2009 the Vivaro got 55mpg over a 360 mile route in the Midlands.
http://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing-news/vauxhall-vivaro-proves-an-economy-champ-at-mpg-marathon/

My Toyota Hiace used to thrash along backlanes and cruise with the outside lane and give 35mpg give or take a bit. Cheap to buy, comfy seats and consumed miles but not parts. 180,000 miles on tyres, pads and a few bushings.

If you’re in France you should be able to get a 4×4 version too.

Alexxx, I have some on the other comp, will sort some for you. spooky, that mpg is driving very conservatively, the advertised figures just don,t add up. Unfortuneately it is now costing over £100 to fill up 🙁

The next thing I need to find out is whats the crack with insurance.. going to be doing 3 or so months in france and 1 in england with the vehical staying out there most of the time! might even be better buying a french van!.. sounds a ballache thou and I doubt they’d want an english volvo part ex’d lol!