[Closed] Galaxy/Espace/similar as a biking van?

had both those and yes is the answer - could even get a tandem in the espace - height is no issue - think mine was a 54 plate Espace supposedly more reliable model but all relative being typically French it was great until the electronics failed - crap keycard thing and electronic handbrake - for reliability I'd look at the Toyota equivalent. Galaxy is probably more car than van like to drive with I thought good mpg in the diesel- used to get better than published and that is rare - could turn the front seats round which was good for camping

Bikes won't fit in a Touran, wheels on. Go bigger.

Agree on Galaxy, very versatile, handles well and good mpg. I only have a rear seat in to help prop bikes up 🙂

I used to regularly nobble my old, old works, company Sharan (Galaxy / Alhambra) 7 seater for weekends MTBing, it was actually a really good vehicle for it. And yes you could get 3 people, their bikes and kit in comfortably.

Not the greatest car to drive, but not unpleasant.

+1 for the Sharalhambraxy. Get one with the 130bhp PD engine & you won't go wrong.

Came very close to a tdi alhambra (purely because it's the best looking one), it'll definitely do the job you want.

removing the seats (in a Galaxy at least) is a pain in the arse.

It'll do what you want well though. Definitely more car-like to drive than van-like; not a problem for long journeys.

removing the seats (in a Galaxy at least) is a pain in the arse.

I've always found removing the seats pretty easy in my Galaxy. Bigger problem is putting them somewhere afterwards - they take up quite a bit of space.

Brilliant - many thanks, all, for the input.

Guess I'll be looking for one of these, then!

I've always found removing the seats pretty easy in my Galaxy...

They're pretty heavy and I found lifting them out took a grunt, if you dont want to drag them across the floor. You must be stronger than me 😉

Oh, and don't ever drop one on your toe when removing them after a few beers*. I went to bed thinking, 'that hurt a bit', I woke up in the morning with a toe nail lying next to my toe.

*okay, more than a few!

Got a Zafira MkII. Boring to drive but at least it drives like a car rather than a van.

With the front wheels off, a long bike will fit sideways in the 'boot'. I have a feeling that 3 bikes will fit this way leaving enough room for 4-5 people in the car.

We've got a 7 seater Delica. It'll easily take 3 bikes with the wheels on and 3 people or 4 and a load of luggage with wheels off. Rear seats are easy to remove. Middle seats are a bit trickier, mostly because they are very heavy. By sliding stuff around you can get 3 bikes and people without removing any seats/wheels, just folding the seats but its not as neat. No issues with height. Pretty thirsty, though, but the 4wd is handy.

I've had 2 Delica LWBs, excellent all round except the dreaded fuel consumption!
I've had a Diesel Alhambra MK2. Watch out for the auxiliary heater, it's usually dead and the engine is very efficient and doesn't kick out a lot of heat so you will freeze in winter.

Got a Zafira MkII. Boring to drive but at least it drives like a car rather than a van.

Yeah a couple of friends have Zafiras, Both Hubby's dislike them, but cannot justify chopping it in as a cost effective child/load/camping lugger it certainly fits their needs, maybe not their "wants" but the same would be true of just about any MPV.

I think we'll be in a similar boat in the not too distant future, I generally much prefer smaller cars, I can happily enough live with a mid-sized Estate but we're going to need more Volume as the kids get bigger, and I'm actually coming round to an MPV instead of a family Car and Daddy getting a cheap Van...

Go bigger, Toyota Hiace won't let you down, disabled minibus ones are handy for removable extra seats, or if you are a sheep and have deep pockets get a VW T5