• This topic has 16 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by DeeW.
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  • T5 owners??
  • xcstu
    Free Member

    Have decided the family estate is just too small and now looking at a T5 Kombi 140bhp or above…

    Anyone have any experience on here and what to look out for etc

    Any pics with mtb would be a bonus too 🙂

    Cheers
    Stu

    redstripe
    Free Member

    Prepare for the usual raves & wrath….
    I became a sheep and got this T5 Kombi a while ago, it’s a 130 auto, I’m not that attached to it…, prefered the jap vans I previously had to be honest

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    Get a LWB. Bikes go straight in behind the back seats. I’ve got a SWB and they need the wheel turned. Fine for one/two but get more awkward the more you put in.

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    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    Piddly little things!

    I went big (again)

    cloudnine
    Free Member

    You can get loads in the back (there’s 4 bikes, 3 children and a Labrador in there somewhere too)

    allfankledup
    Full Member

    Not wishing to sound rude, but use the search function to find all of the threads on here about t5

    Use the vwt5forum to find out all sorts of stuff

    I have a t5 – we like it, others don’t see the need

    RoterStern
    Free Member

    I’ve got a Multivan T5 (apparently have got a different name in the UK) but it’s the one with seats you can slide about in the back. I can fit three bikes in the van itself as well as the family. One bike fits nicely between the front two seats and the second row of seats which we swivel round to face backwards. If you do get one parking sensors are a must as you can’t see what’s immediately behind you at all. So far this van has had no real problems in three years. Our last one needed a new clutch after 60k and the air con packed in a few months later. Our biggest problem in this part of the world is that they are very popular with eastern European car thieves.

    boxelder
    Full Member

    We’ve a 2007 2.5, 130 van.
    It was the shortest lived of any VW engine apparently – dodgy water pumps, oil coolers and cam shafts. Difficult to access too. A lot of work should have been done under warranty, so check if considering that engine.
    On the plus side, no fan belt and it pulls like a train.
    No regrets here.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Pffft. Van. No thanks.*

    .
    In true STW stylee, I have to recommend what I have.
    .
    The Galaxy is flippin’ huuge. It took five of us to France for a fortnight, with four bikes on rack, one in boot, two canoes on roof, full paddling and biking gear and usual holiday paraphanalia.
    .
    It is not limited on speed. It is more comfy than any van I have yet been in, especially for passenger front and rear, has usual tilt/slide seats in rear, not bench. It lies about mpg, but long runs do see 40+, even loaded with canoes. Cheaper on tax I think, less to insure.
    .
    Do you *need* a van, or would a people carrier do?
    .
    .
    .
    *this view may change as the lads get even bigger…

    *edit*

    kitebikeski
    Free Member

    Got a T5 Kombi and love it.
    Lots of miles round British XC series from N Scotland (Inverness to Cornwall for weekend..), over past 2 years with 2 teenage kids. Way fewer family arguments as everyone has more space than in previous Freelander. All kit goes in easily, don’t have tower of kit collapsing onto them from boot.
    Had brilliant trip to Alps last summer – 3 teenagers, 2 adults, 10 bikes (7 inside), along with all kit.
    Fuel consumption no worse than Freelander, with all benefits of more space.

    mattbee
    Full Member

    When you’ve got back from a night ride at 9pm, soaking wet, muddy & freezing cold the ability to wheel the bike straight in the back & use 1 bungee to secure it then stand next to it to get changed without flashing your shrivelled bits out on the roadside makes a van is a million times better than an mpv.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Fair point.

    I just could not justify the £14k van over a £6k car and a towbar rack, of same age and miles, just to be able to put a bike away a few times a year in bad weather.

    sharkattack
    Full Member

    There are dozens of Transporter threads on here now and I always get sucked into them.

    I’ve got a T5 and it serves my purposes. It’s not a full conversion but it’s insulated and carpeted and very cosy. It’s like a mobile tent which is always warm and dry. My girlfriend loves having a private changing room and it’s great being able to hide from the weather and lounge in some camping chairs. I also use it for work as a mobile office/B&B. Just had some jobs confirmed and getting excited about weekends away. Also great for stealth camping in public places which I wouldn’t fancy trying in an all glass MPV.

    Also been around Europe 3 years running with plans to go back this year.

    I’ve got the ‘troublesome’ early T5 with the 130bhp 2.5 and in 30,000 miles it’s only had an oil cooler. You don’t need to buy one with 140bhp, most of them have the same engines with different ECU settings. A remap at a reputable tuner like Pendle will increase power way over standard if you want it.

    I don’t go into the whole VW scene but I find a van indispensable. When my Mrs. gets a car I want to buy something bigger.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    A proper T5, seen recently.

    🙂

    I’ve just picked up a new (to me!) XC90 though and it’s as big as a barn inside. Like Matt says above,

    Pffft. Van. No thanks

    luket
    Full Member

    We have a LWB T5 kombi. With the 180 engine. It works for us alongside a car. I have strapped some stands in behind the seats that allow 2 bikes to be wheeled straight in the back, which I like a lot.

    It was considerably more expensive to buy than the cars I might’ve bought at the same time but it has its advantages. Whether those are worth it is very subjective. Driven the same, it uses a shed load more fuel than a car, whatever the claims, however we do drive it more slowly than we would a car. 35 mpg is easy enough to maintain if you want to, 40 takes quite some effort. “Scene tax” led me to decide buying one at the age I’d normally buy a car (say 40-70k miles) was too expensive for what we’d get. So we splashed out crazy money on a 20k mile one, working on the basis that we’d get on the other side of that “tax” and it would last a long time, but also because it was at a time when we could do this. Plus we were confident we’d be happy with it for a long time after 8 years getting good use out of a much older van.

    The 180 engine is unnecessary and as others say you can remap anyway, although the 180 is slightly different hardware as well. having said that, I’m very happy with it so far, gut feel I’d be less happy with a 100 but probably wouldn’t notice a drop to 140. I can’t comment on reliability – ours has only done 35k.

    Ours is a T32. I reckon the suspension is harder than would be ideal and this makes it noisier. I’m tempted to do something about this with insulation.

    We do find it nearly as comfortable as a car for long journeys with 3+ people in and parking a LWB doesn’t bother us in the slightest. But it’s still a van – not as quiet or comfy as a car, interior is rattlier and it’s more expensive.

    Think hard about the variations between one and the next. There are many and to me having a single passenger seat was essential for comfort. And I really like having arm rests. Swivelling seats we have but don’t use, although others seem to love them.

    xcstu
    Free Member

    Cheers everyone for your comments 🙂 totally understand t5 threads coming up often but wanted some fresh advice off fellow cyclists 😉 Do a fair few events and being a family of 4 the estate with roof box and bike rack has been wearing thin! Liking the idea of everything been thrown in one big boot and plenty of room up front for the kids! Not a huge fan of people carriers :-/

    Have eyed up a few to test drive and get the wife to have a proper go! Parking sensor will be a must haha

    DeeW
    Free Member

    We’ve got a 2006 Shuttle (with up to 9 seats). We are thinking of downsizing to a Galaxy or similar. Ours is a 1.9tdi generally as bullet proof as an engine can get. Ours is remapped up to 130bhp which makes it far more driveable than standard, but its still a big heavy lump to drive and park.

    Fairly comfy inside. Shuttles have the benefit of air con, decent seats, proper headlining, lights and air in back etc.

    Great if you actually use the space on a regular basis. Perhaps too much of a compromise if you do not..

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