[Closed] T6 Transporters

Don’t think you get a sixth gear in that variant. I have the 150ps version and it’s fine. You could remap the 102 version but you wouldn’t have a sixth gear for the motorway.

Oh yeah, just noticed that. Cruising gears are good

We went from a 204 E Class to a 180 Caravelle (T5.2), yes it's slower put oodles of grunt when loaded. Caravelle is an MPV on the V5 not a commercial, more mod cons and we run ours with only the bench seat in, but have the option of 7 seats. Tows better than the E Class too.

That's the t6 I have. Does fine for all.round biking duties and it'll be fine pulling the caravan on the motorway to the south of France returning 30+mpg. Normally 45mpg three up with bike kit.

I drove the higher powered 6speed one and it was pretty nice but mine will sit at 70 on the motorway with no noticeable strain.

Remember it's 50 on an A road, 60 on a dual carriageway and 70 on motorway.

Remember it’s 50 on an A road, 60 on a dual carriageway and 70 on motorway.

I get the motorway thing, but why the other speed restrictions?

I get the motorway thing, but why the other speed restrictions?

because they know no van user has ever properly loaded or lashed down their load

So is it a legal requirement?

Yes, not exceeding the speed limit is a legal requirement 😉

Unless you get a Shuttle or a Caravelle, my Shuttle is an MPV on the V5.

Pretty sure you're not allowed to speed in them either tbh, its just that the numbers are different

Oh right, so it's because it's classed as a commercial vehicle with a payload, thanks.

Commercial vehicle with a gross weight over 2 tonnes. Which is pretty much every van other than really small ones, and even then you need to be wary (e.g. Caddy is on lower limits, Berlingo isn't)

This thread makes me sad - we got rid of our T5 Mutivan (what they call the caravelle over here in CH) last year. We miss it really badly! It was the 7 seater version, during the week we left the 2 pilot chairs in the middle, but weekends and big trips we took them out, slid the bench forwards and had an epically large load area.

Flexibility was awesome.

We had the 204ps BiTDi 4motion version - not exactly economical, but with winter tires on it kicked anythings ass in the snow.

big_scot_nanny

Subscriber

This thread makes me sad – we got rid of our T5 Mutivan

I feel your pain, we got rid of our T5 Kombi last year and miss it badly

Can I ask those who sold, why they did? Just interested as I would like to get a van at some stage (which would have to do double duties, as most seem to).

Remember it’s 50 on an A road

Yep and the amount of car drivers who don't seem to realise this is amusing. I'll be happily rolling along at 50mph with a rep-mobile inches from my rear bumper trying to push me faster.

I’ll be happily rolling along at 50mph with a rep-mobile inches from my rear bumper trying to push me faster.

I'm not sure they would moderate their behaviour if they did realise. Thing is, the closer they get, the less you see of them in the blind spot, so it's rather pointless anyway.

We honestly wish we'd not bothered with the Merc and gone Caravelle instead rather than when we did, always makes me smile to drive it. Great for load lugging on hols for four of us plus two dogs. I built a huge shelf last year that sits over the dogs crates, made a huge difference for carrying a lot. VW service and support has been excellent compared to a car dealer too, perhaps that's just my experience. Hoping our engine niggle is sorted too as we don't plan on getting rid anytime soon. It will be replaced with a T6 version of similar spec.

Yep and the amount of car drivers who don’t seem to realise this is amusing. I’ll be happily rolling along at 50mph with a rep-mobile inches from my rear bumper trying to push me faster.

Driving along a single carriageway section of the A303 the other day , with a mountain of traffic behind me, I would liken it to a rolling start behind a pace car on a race track. The BM's and Audi were snaking left and right ready in anticipation for the upcoming dual section. Then it's the race up to 60 for a couple of miles 😜

If you are buying second hand it might be worth looking at late T5s. Same body/shell, same engines but no ad blue too worry about.

Can I ask those who sold, why they did?

Company wouldn’t let the missus hold onto her company van after she left them - bastards

Early T6's don't have adblue, well mine doesn't.

No adblue in mine.
Sold a T5 years ago missed it bought a caddy, not quite right, accidentally drove a t6 bought one. It's just to make my life easier for bikes and holidays.

102 is enough, good torque. 5 speed gearbox is also fine, 6 is a little quieter on the motorway but that's all you gain. 102bhp version is most fuel efficient.
I do a bit of selling transporters and depending on budget etc might be able to help.

I didn't know that, about 50mph limit. Does that apply to MPV type vans? Mine is a multivan which is registered in Spain as a turismo, ie family car, so you don't pay commercial rates on the toll routes. The M6 toll charges full whack though, so I'm guessing the 50mph limit applies.

we left the 2 pilot chairs in the middle, but weekends and big trips we took them out

I did that once... What are they, 40kg each! Left them in since then.

Hmm, I've a 150 6 speed T6. It's the same drivetrain used to pull a fully loaded Crafter. I only use the thing for bikes and firewood. My only gripe with the 6 speed is that first gear is too short for everyday driving with a light load. Otherwise, plenty of power and returns 44-ish mpg. I'd drive the 5 and 6 speed before deciding.

It's not exactly the same dave as crafter is RWD and the same engine is also used in a golf, it's just the general 2.0tdi that is used in lots of places. Crafters also come with a 109bhp variant and the 2.0tdi in them has problems that transporter ones don't.

Can I ask those who sold, why they did?

My knees, well, especially my dicky right knee.

I'm tall, there not a massive amount of true leg room for the driver, I could not get my right leg stretched out which was very painful after a days skiing or biking, or on long drives.

Other than that, stupidity and rashness!

Cali Beach here - super flexible, like a Caravelle but better 😉

Oh and eye-wateringly expensive these days. Sorry.

Check the V5, N1 is designed and constructed for the carriage of goods with Commercial speed limits, M1 is designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers, and has car speed limits.
Hence my Shuttle is M1 and car speed limits apply.

On paper the Euro 6 diesels are more economical and lower emissions, however in real life driving they aren't, factor in Adblu and repeated DPF regens where the T6 struggles to do 30MPG for 25 miles. My T5.1 was actually cheaper to run.

The new transit customs are better equipped, have a nicer interior, are more reliable and are cheaper. Of course they don’t look as cool to middle aged men in animal t-shirts if that’s your scene but if it isn’t they are worth a look.

On second T6 here used mainly for work & occasional family / summer trips stuff, bit of a mobile work shed really. Couchy has points, once with one though they do seem to hold the price well because of the 'scene'. Last one bought for £24K, sold for £20.5K 3 years and another 30k miles later so not too bad a loss over that time. Mine have been Highline DSG autos, original was a 140 non ad blue, latest one is 150 ad blue type. Lovely to drive especially in stop start traffic. Newer one is a lot quieter for some reason. Fuel consumption 30-40mpg depending on how driven. OP if you have not tried a DSG one yet, give it a go, you'll be a convert. Some people will slag off reliability of DSG but I only keep mine under warranty period. My original one did have a DMF failure at only 12k miles but was replaced under warranty. For me it's something that does what I need without taking too much of a hit over the ownership period but I
did always really like the old D4D Toyota Hiace's we used to have years ago, they never ever went wrong, I wish they were still made as proper Japanese ones with auto boxes available over here (not Proace), I'd have one tomorrow.

On paper the Euro 6 diesels are more economical and lower emissions, however in real life driving they aren’t, factor in Adblu and repeated DPF regens where the T6 struggles to do 30MPG for 25 miles. My T5.1 was actually cheaper to run.

Except my euro6 t6 has no adblue and on the journey from Yair to home 18miles returns 45mpg. Which is pretty much what it returns when sitting at a nice 50.

COuchy - more reliable? that's the not the info I'm seeing with 5-7k service intervals due to ad blue contaminating the oil. A number of other problems too. Not saying transporters are perfect but transits definitely aren't either.

Are the door hinges fit for purpose yet on transits? I prefer my T5 to the new Transits we had at work, despite having about 5x the miles on it.

If we’re pointing out flaws - do the rear sliding windows still let in water like they’re wide open on Transporters?

Transits also have issues but not as many as a VW and they are cheaper, with regards to the doors ford sorted that whereas out 14 T5.1 still had leaky windows same as our 06...The new tranist with its big touchscreen is much better in the cab than the VW. Spec a T6 to the same as a limited transit and it’s very expensive.
But each to their own as the VW still looks better and a tranist will always have a builders image. Buying privately you can’t ignore the easy resale on a VW either

T5 owner here & will give my opinions.
T5/6's do hold their money, but as Transits are cheaper in the first place, ownership costs aren't that much different.
More aftermarket customisation options & people to do it for the T5 (i've just had caravelle sliding seats in leather/alcantara installed in my Kombi).
The cab area of the new T6 is a massive improvement over the rattlebox T5 (try driving down a rough road with the cup holder pulled out in a T5).
Transits are probably no worse to drive, neither compares with a car despite how much koolade you drink.
The Transit custom Kombi think has a fixed bulkhead & seats. Not as versatile as the T5, unless you go for the minibus type tranny.
180 DSG on 45K miles, 3 yrs for me with no problems.
180 DSG 4wd with superchips 220bhp on 60K, 8 yrs with no problems for my dad.

Edit.
Second set of leaking sliding rear windows for me though. No probs for my dads.

Well, I've spent a few days looking at the vans on various websites and went down to a place today to have a look at a few that caught my eye on their website.

Pulled in and noticed this one sat right outside their front door, it's a late '16 plate SWB T6 140 BHP / PS or whatever it is, with full electric pack and all that, nice low miles, one owner, can't wait to pick it up.

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180 DSG on 45K miles, 3 yrs for me with no problems.
180 DSG 4wd with superchips 220bhp on 60K, 8 yrs with no problems for my dad.

Look up egr breaking up and ending up needing a new engine..

I love our t5.1 caravelle. Proper family game changer. However, it’s also the worst built vehicle I’ve ever owned (and I’m an Italian car nut) Read as much as you can before you commit. 102/110/140 lumps are mechanically identical. Map just determines output and can be changed, easily. 180bitdi lush but potentially a time bomb (see below). 204/199bitdi different again, watch for cracked heads. 5sp box has a reputation for being temperamental. DSGs are reliable so long as they get their 40k Fluid changes. Headlights are comedy poor in both t5 and 6. LED factory option pricey but worth it. M1/N1 speed limit thing is cobblers. It’s down to Max Governed Laden Weights. (M1/n1 purely determines taxation class). Caravelle/Shuttle taxed as cars, hence mine costs me an eye watering £560/yr. Along with 23mpg it’s a right earner for the treasury.

Front suspension is made of cheese. Bushes from a polo, top mounts from god knows where, drop links that die every 20k. It’s not up to the job, but at least it’s relatively simple to work on.

The EGR thing is the worst bit about the 180bitdi. Beautiful engine otherwise. The EGR cooler is made from aluminium and so gets eaten by the hot acidic exhaust gases (who’d a thunked it?). This then gets re-ingested by the engine as aluminium oxide which is essentially grinding paste, destroying bores, valve gear, turbos and all the shells. Only fix is a £6k (£10k from VW!) transplant of engine, turbos, DPF and Cat. Thing to look for (and run away from) are EGRCs with either no revision number or A b or C stamped on them. rev D is sort of safe but maybe it was swapped after damage was done. I’m trying to stop mine for eating itself & have just fitted an oil cooler to keep the runaway temps at bay (130c oil temp was a regular occursnce ). I weigh the oil it uses and keep a spreadsheet to use as evidence when I have to go cap in hand to VW. We all will eventually. Issue affects T5.1 and T6 with this engine. 199/204 is unaffected.

Steve, that 140 looks awesome!

Pulled in and noticed this one sat right outside their front door, it’s a late ’16 plate SWB T6 140 BHP / PS or whatever it is, with full electric pack and all that, nice low miles, one owner, can’t wait to pick it up.

Hope you’re going to declare all those mods to your insurer? Might as well just send them the entire Demon Tweeks catalogue 😉

The vehicle tax class is important. M1 is for the carriage of people and gives you the same speed limit as cars. N1 is for the carriage of goods and you get van speed limits.

Hope you’re going to declare all those mods to your insurer? Might as well just send them the entire Demon Tweeks catalogue

Of course, theres not really a lot done, wheels, (suspension is factory), it's a Highline with factory electric pack, front air dam, painted side bars, windows and the upholstery so, it's coming out as pretty reasonable with me & the wife on there too.

It’s not as simple as that. m1 is indeed a car. T28 Kombis are classed as N1 though but still get car speed limits as their GVW is below the threshold and they meet the criteria for a dual purpose vehicle. T32 Kombis you would think would be the same, but their GVW exceeds the limit and so they get van speeds. It’s a minefield and the subject of thousands of posts in the various forums. DVLA site is nearly clear on it now.

T28 Kombis are classed as N1 though but still get car speed limits as their GVW is below the threshold

You sure about that? T28 = 2.8t GVW doesn’t it? That’s way over the 2t limit and it certainly isn’t a “car derived van”. As said earlier, Caddys don’t even get into car limits (having had one myself)

EDIT: ashas just been pointed out, our Kombi was a T28 - definitely not dual purpose (however older ones were, just to add to the confusion)

If a Kombi is registered as a car category it can attract a car road tax, one of ours was £500 a year to tax as it was registered as a car. Better to have it registered as a van and most are these days.

"If a Kombi is registered as a car category it can attract a car road tax, one of ours was £500 a year to tax as it was registered as a car. Better to have it registered as a van and most are these days."

And in doing so you lose the car speed limits.

Horses for courses really.

Still not that simple, if you have dual purpose vehicle (rear seats, middle side and back door windows and less than 2040kg (i think) unladen then you get car limits.

We had an interesting weekend considering whether to trade our 150k t5 174 (lightly oomphed by Pendle) or to buy a more up to date transporter. To be fair, the newer stuff doesn't have either the presence or the noise of the 5 pot beastie. We're going for a respray and the mechanic to do what is needed to make out much loved dub last another 80k.

Newer stuff is greener to run, but they are really horribly expensive

Check mine out

Can someone tell me when the adblue was added to the T6? Looking at getting a late t5 or early t6 and wondering when the change happened. Thanks

T6 with the euro 6 engine is the one with adblue, all t5’s are euro 5.

Early t6 were euro 5, 66plate onwards is adblue, September 16 is when the law changed although you will see a few earlier ones with it.

If you want to check a particular van and it doesn’t say just bang the number plate into the London ulez checker.

Thanks Nick, that helps!

2016 the cahnge over happened there are some 16 plate euro 6 and some 17 plate euro 5 so check each van you are looking at.

Nice. Don't get too upset/angry when it repeatedly gets 'doored' in the supermarket car park though. Mine has 5 separate dents and a wheel arch scuff, all courtesy of others parking/getting out of their car. Such is life - I can't see them from inside.

no need to be bothered about the lower speed limits for vans, a lot of my mates(and me) drive vans and none of us take any notice of them(unless passing a camera van but it's not like you see them very often) and from what io've seen most other van drivers don't either. also even if the average copper knows the limits they don't seem to care.

no need to be bothered about the lower speed limits for vans

...until you pass plate recognition cameras. Especially in Scotland.

I’m on my holidays in Scotland so driving slowly anyway.

I have a T5 and it's great. All families should have one!

It's a bit trick (wheels, suspension) but also a bit dinged, so I don't worry about it too much. Once the kids get in they just chuck everything everywhere anyway. A mate also has T5 (LWB) with all the toys (steering wheel, cruise, stereo, rear seat/bed etc.) but I'm happy enough with the basic one.

Vans/transporters are great bits of kit. Huge overkill for a family vehicle but so what. the homes we live in, bikes we ride, food we eat so why should that matter? If you fancy one get one. You'll be accused of being woo'ed by the VW 'scene' and a mug for paying the scene tax...but you'll easily get it back when you come to sell and they are cooler than other vans....Ford Transit's possibly an exception. They're good motors and small enough to not be a significant inconvenience for normal day to day driving but large enough to get the benefit of a van over an estate and SUV so pretty practical. No more expensive to run than a VW Golf who's engine it shares and no worse to drive than an SUV so why not. Loved my T5 camper...kind of regret getting rid now but Ignore the haters. You'll enjoy it...

No more expensive to run than a VW Golf

Mine was. MPG mid 30's for the Transporter and mid 50's for the Golf. Tax was £250+ on transporter and nowt on the Golf...

Yep..mid 30'smpg on mine too...about the same as my old Golf maybe low 40's in the golf but not enough to make any real difference in fuel consumption costs. Same to service, tax similar. Obviously the same parts. tax in the same ball park too. Like I say, same engine same costs.

I loved my T5, but ended up getting rid as it was only really for my biking, amd was complete overkill, a bit selfish of me.

Ironically the wife has since rediscovered her live for the outdoors, hillwalking, running ultras etc, and a wee camper would be perfect for our needs now.

If I get another, it won't be tricked out, I much prefer the basic look on the outside now.

Even buying something with decent mileage and getting conversion done, struggling to see much change out of 30k.

I just sold my 2019 Beach before lockdown. I’d had a couple of Calis before and for various reasons had gone back to cars. We then decided a Beach would be good do factory ordered to a spec we wanted-LED lights and heater being main factory options that are useful. Anyway, ended up inheriting an almost new Motorhome in December which we would probably use more for camping so sold the van on. 1 year and 4000 miles cost less than 3 grand so held up well. I’m torn - I liked the practicality of it but the drive is pretty awful and the ‘scene’ is a bit OTT now. They arse a decent compromise though if you want a van and the beach to me despite being super basic spec normally and this expensive to get a decent trim level is a good all round van.

All I'll add is just make sure you get a test drive. I often drive our work kombi. It's a 19 plate 150 highline dsg with all the body kit, led headlights etc. Its a great looking beast and can fit loads inside, but if you're used a nice car, it's absolutely awful to drive and really dated inside. The 150 diesel and dsg box are lovely but the ride, steering, rattles, clattering, dash etc make it a miserable experience every time I have to use it. I notice they have just released a new one with a nicer interior but the looks seem to have gone backwards.

We got a 19 plate Kombi last summer after having a T5 Caravelle before that and an e Class estate before that. So in terms of refinement we've gone backwards, but I wouldn't swap it, the Caravelle was great, but we never used the 7 seats with having two dogs in crates, the Kombi just works for the four of us, two dogs, all our stuff for kids' activities and holidays where we pull a caravan. We (well I, with Mrs Spud's blessing) went for all singing, all dancing 204, DSG, 4 Motion and trimmed up. It'll be the last chance to get something like it I think, next time will hopefully be something with a hybrid drivetrain. So I'm going to enjoy this one. It's lovely, yes it's a van, but goes well albeit thirsty but you pass this way once and it's used much as previous cars.