I’m looking for a van and I’ve narrowed it down to either a LWB Custom Crewcab or a LWB Tourneo. It’ll be my daily driver/family at/MTB van. Which would be better? I guess it would be nice to have dirty bikes separate from the main cab in the Crewcab but I can see the tailgate of the Tourneo being useful and it’s maybe more versatile. Does anyone have experience of these vehicles? Are there any other advantages to either?

We were in the same situation with a Dispatch (Combi vs crew) and had a last gen Combi Dispatch for 10yrs prior to that.

Crew is quieter, less smelly (bikes and kit) and heater / aircon works faster in the small cab.

Combi better if you need to carry occasional long things (eg diy stuff).

Combi will be M1 so car speed limits. Crew will be N1 so reduced on A road and dual carriageway. Crew may meet dual purpose vehicle requirements (so gets car limits) but nothing goes on the V5c so you’d have to argue any speed tickets.

Combi maybe safer regarding rear airbags etc. But crew could also be safer in other ways due to bulkhead segregating cargo from passengers.

Combi better if you want to remove seats / sleep in it etc.

Crew might be less tax.

We went for a crew in the end.

We bought a LWB Tourneo Custom on impulse as a Black Friday deal that was too good to miss as a daily driver and for the bikes.
We removed the 3rd row double seats straight away as wouldn’t be needing them and can get four 29er with the wheels on by folding forward the second row of double seats which also allows for four adults in comfort and enough room for all the gear.
Its the Titanium 170 hp Auto and came with all the extras so its kitted out like a car inside.

We were loaned a LWB Crewcab Sport for the day when ours went in for a service and recall last month.
Impressions were that we had made the right choice for our circumstances. The crewcab wasn’t as well specked, it felt more like a van in the front, one and a double seat instead of two singles, it was noisier than the Tourneo but more importantly to us was that due to the bulk head we had to remove wheels to get four bikes in.

Even though ours was heavily discounted we still have to pay the additional tax as its calculated on the new price if that makes sense.

@Tracey that’s interesting. A mate has just got a crewcab as his self confessed “lifestyle” vehicle and I was impressed having just had a quick look at it rather than a proper comparison.

How is the autobox – if I can ever get MrsMC to go down the van route it would have to be an auto due to her disability

Auto box is great had no problems with it but have always preferred auto boxes.
We have the manual one in the camper as auto wasn’t an option on a 2015 Transit when we bought it, it it had been then we would have gone for that then.

Thanks for that.

Thanks for the replies. Tracey – sorry, I may be being daft but can you get four bikes in and still use the front row of passenger seats? Do the passengers sit in the single seats in the 2nd and 3rd rows? I was thinking I would take the third row out and all bikes would fit behind the second row. How big are the bikes you’re putting in? I have an XXL Hightower and I’d rather not take any wheels off! Do you have any photos with the bikes in?

Cheers,
Matt

Passenger and driver in the front and then use the second and third row single seats for the other two. Bikes are a mixture of any of our medium and large Stumpjumpers, Enduros and Turbo Levos up to four, but wouldn’t need to take any more as there are only four in the family.

If we leave the 2nd row double up and remove the 3rd row altogether then we can’t get four in with the wheels off. Don’t have any pics with the bikes in as the photos were taken just after we bought it.

We also use bike shrouds over the bikes to protect the van and the bikes from rubbing against each other and then anchor down between the bottom of the seat frame and the eye at the back with a ratchet strap.

Thanks for that Tracey.

I’ve got a short wheelbase crew cab, and I think the issue about them feeling like a ‘van’ is due to spec. The basic specs are very crude, but I have the Limited spec and it’s got all the toys – proper interior lining, multi adjustable heated seats, air con, bluetooth hands free phone, voice control stereo and phone, cruise control, the lot. The think I like about the van vs the Torneo (which my friend has) is that you can’t see into the van bit because it has no windows so it’s more secure. You can have piles of bikes and kit in there and no one would know. You can also specify the lift back on the vans so that’s not really a differentiator if you are spec-ing up a brand new van.

Does anyone have the LWB Doublecab? If so, how many bikes (modern 29ers) could you fit in with wheels on?

I must say I love the Transit cab design from a bottle / flask /cup holder point of view – they really thought about what the user needed. The Dispatch is much worse in that respect (but more car like in general feel and driving position).

The crewcab wasn’t as well specked, it felt more like a van in the front, one and a double seat instead of two singles,

They just didn’t give you the hi-spec one 😂 Mine has heated leather seats, etc etc. The single front seats & tailgate are available as options for vans, quite expensive though so you don’t see them too often.

Depends on what you want whether the van or car is better. Van has better security & possibly safer due to payload being separate. Car version is more versatile. The VR46 variant looks nice!

VR|46 Transit Custom Kombi

Might be worth a visit to your local Transit centre and get both vehicles side by side. Take a bike(s) with you to see if they fit how you want them to. They are usually quite accommodating.

Does anyone have the LWB Doublecab? If so, how many bikes (modern 29ers) could you fit in with wheels on?

Me. LWB double-cab in van (DCIV aka crew cab), 130ps Limited spec so plenty of toys. Specced it from new ourselves so added the tailgate and swapped the front seats from double passenger bench to single passenger seat. Added leather/fancy seat pack. We wanted the bulkhead to separate bikes from our kids, and as mentioned it makes driving a LOT quieter.

Without bikes and before fitting it out:

Large 2012 Yeti SB95, wheels on – unfortunately I never tried it with more than one large 29er with wheels on.

I always expected I’d have to remove front wheels to get multiple bikes in. Big bikes – bike on left is Nukeproof Mega 290 XL with a 1283mm wheelbase and chunky tyres, and plenty of length to spare:

Bikes are secured using fork clamps raised at bulkhead – avoids issues of bikes touching one another. Need to turn bars to get 4 in but I can manage 3 without adjusting bars:

Tracey – where do you get those bike shrouds from ?

RB Sails. They are the same as most of the importers use for their demo days. Took a while to track them down.
We have had 4 of them for 5 years and still going strong. They were bought so that we could just shove 4 bikes in the camper garage and not worry about them been damaged. Don’t even bother lashing them down when they are in the camper

I can get my XL RocketMAX and another big 29er in the back of my short wheelbase without taking the wheels off. You just load the diagonally top and tail. More than that and you just need to pop the front wheels and you’ll get five bikes plus kit in no worries. Long wheelbase will be super easy to get bikes in.

Argh bloody vans!

Every time I decide that what we need is a nice sensible estate car with a bike rack, people start showing off their proper vans. To be fair my T5 was the best thing I ever bought. We went all over Europe in it and I ran it into the ground and sold it for a ridiculously high sum of money. I really miss having one and the constant weekends away that came with it.

There seems to be a great deal of pros and cons for both double cab and Tourneo. I guess that speed limit on the Custom van could be a pain. I like the sound of the versatility of the Tourneo but I suppose the security of the double cab would be good. Decisions, decisions…

I have a SWB limited custom that’s been converted into a Kombi. Has 6 seats & twin sliding doors & tailgate. Full leather interior & all mod cons of limited. Drives like a car compared to my old Vivaro van. Pulls like a train. Rear seats can fold & be removed, don’t have a bulkhead but don’t mind. With single seat folded can get my XL 29er in plus other bike, more room with single seat removed.

I guess that speed limit on the Custom van could be a pain.

I can honestly say it’s never bothered me. Depends what sort of driving you’re doing I suppose (and what sort of driver you are! 😉) It’s not a factor in town, on the motorway, or when you’re behind someone doing less than the speed limit anyway!

I thought the speed limit would piss me off but in reality it’s rarely an issue. Biggest one is I’m not far south of Perth and there’s no motorway north of there, so I find the restrictions on the A9 dual-carriageway south of Perth a PITA.

Yeah, I live in Stirling and head north fairly often so it was the A9 I was thinking about.

Cy, why did you go for the SWB over the LWB? I’m veering towards the Custom doublecab. Is the SWB easier to live with as a daily driver?

The auto on the new shape transit is short geared, it revs too high at 80 on the motorway to be relaxing, the manual revs 500rppm lower at the same speed. Demo before you buy if you do a lot of motorway miles and want an auto. In every other respect though they are superb vans and drive very well

With regards to SWB v LWB it really comes down to how you use it and where you tend to drive most.
I have to thread my way round (and parallel park on) all the little back roads of Portsmouth often for work, so SWB easier to manoeuvre and park. Same goes at home where it’s parked down a private single track lane behind our house.
It’s not a massive difference in manoeuvrability but it’s enough to make like slightly easier on a day to day basis at the cost of a little load space.
If I didn’t have to access such awkward places so often I would definitely have got a LWB van for sure.

Has anyone looked at the Peugeot Traveller LWB as an option? I saw one in an airport over the weekend and it looked superb inside. They seem cheap second hand too.

@beamishblue It’s because it’s my family wagon and daily driver as well as my work transport and it’s much easier to get in and out of tight spots. It’s plenty wide and tall compared to a regular car so it’s tricky at times anyway. My experience of Boo and Betty (the Cotic demo vans, L2H2) and how much harder they are to place on the road, I just wanted to smaller van. I’ve yet to fill with family stuff. Euro road trip holidays with 5 bikes, inflatable boats, outdoor gear, tonnes of luggage, still only about 3/4 full.

Thanks Cy. Out of interest, did you spec yours with barn doors or tailgate? I can see advantages for each.

We have a LWB crewcab Sport and it’s a superb piece of kit, much better to drive than a T5 and came very well equipped. In it’s first year we’ve driven it to the UK (we live in SW France) Italy and currently Portugal. It’s coped with Milan traffic and parking, the narrowest of Portuguese roads and some crazy switchbacks in the Pyrenees.

The only real criticism I have of it is the mirrors could be better when reversing into parking spaces. Although they are great on a motorway as there’s no blindspot.

At the moment there are four bikes in the back, all our clobber for six weeks away and a large dog cage (and dog).  The van swallows the lot and you hardly notice the extra weight.

The bulkhead in a crewcab also protects whatever is in the back from prying eyes, something that made it our choice over a tourneo.

If I was speccing another one, I’d go for an auto without a doubt, but then I’m old and lazy……

The security on the ford Van’s is terrible. Judging by the facebook groups I follow people can easily break into them.
I’ve a tourneo and it’s never been touched. Guessing because you can see in it easily. I never keep anything in it overnight, but at least theives can see that without having to punch the locks out.

I went for the tourneo for the speed limits, not because I drive it fast, but I would get caught out switching between cars

In about 10 years of driving a crewcab I have never been pulled for speeding. What police there are on the roads today probably don’t know the laws on vans and speed limits!

As for security, if you’re carrying something expensive then get extra security, but wouldn’t you do that any way?

Our van was broken into when we were on a ride, it was an organised event just outside Toulouse, so they knew we’d be away for a while. Major pain in the a*se as they smashed a small window which took months to source and fit.

In about 10 years of driving a crewcab I have never been pulled for speeding. What police there are on the roads today probably don’t know the laws on vans and speed limits!

My mate bought our ex Custom crew van and got done twice for speeding (on lower 60 limit) on A303 in 2 weeks!

We, not me, got a ticket for doing 36 in a 30 zone in the camper with a mobile camera van. We had seen the van well in advance but the Garmin sat nav was indicating 40 so didn’t even slow down as we thought we were well under. Checked the Garmin in a few places since and wont rely on it in the future as its wrong.

On the awareness course most of the van drivers attending had been doing 70 in a 60

Yeah, I live in Stirling and head north fairly often so it was the A9 I was thinking about.

@beamishblue, I’m in Falkirk so you’d have similar driving to me regarding speed limits. Genuinely rarely an issue and I’m not known for driving slowly, but in the van I just take a different approach – quite relaxing TBH.

Tailgate vs barn doors. Barn doors are probably easier to live with, but tailgate gives you the shelter from rain. The Transit tailgate is also a beast of a thing – longer/taller than our previous T5 and needs a lot of room to open.

Security; all vans are terrible for it. I’m tempted to add a rear glazed/tinted rear window to mine to make it easier to show there’s nothing left in it overnight (as @jwh mentions above with their Tourneo). It’d be a pain having stuff on show at other times though.

Rear window is also one of the criteria required for a double-cab van like this to be treated as a ‘dual-purpose vehicle’ and be subject to normal/car speed limits, although it’s not clearcut and been debated a lot on the Transit groups.

Be aware that all the Transit Customs (and other commercials) build Feb – Sept 2019 with the 2.0 ecoblue engine will need the injectors replacing as the lining detaches. It’s a Ford recall so won’t cost you but will be inconvenient. Some of them that had them replaced early will need them doing again as it took a while for Ford to figure the problem and not replace with injectors with the same problem. Nice vans though, was looking at changing from my T5, just saying, if your not aware.

Motorpoint have a load of customs and tourneo’s if anyones looking.

https://www.motorpoint.co.uk/used-vans/ford/transit%20custom

As for security, if you’re carrying something expensive then get extra security, but wouldn’t you do that any way?

this. Although I think it IS important to go on about the poor security, because most van owners seem unaware (or at least haven’t done anything about it!!).

The especially weak lock on Fords can be changed inexpensively, it’s an easy DIY job. I’ve also moved & secured the OBD port which prevents someone just plugging in a laptop & driving the van off should they gain entry to the cab. Additional deadlocks for the back are also vital IMO as they prevent the doors just being peeled open, again they’re inexpensive (I had mine fitted rather than DIY.)

Obviously the van does win here re. security as everything can be chucked in the back so there’s nothing visible in the cab, there are no windows, and the back can’t be easily accessed even if someone did get into the cab.

I’m just pondering almost exactly this – however I was looking at the LWB DCiV connect rather than the custom. Will I regret going that small (I’m coming from a fantastically inappropriate coupe with sea sucker rack which is getting totally impractical now my son is getting involved) …

We have the normal Tourneo Connect, our daughter takes it for biking and overnight stays, can get all her stuff in as well as sleep in it when she has to. Its great for all she wants apart from the fuel consumption which is diabolical.
She wanted to go on the insurance for the Custom but wasn’t worth the extra premium for a 21 year old