Currently have an octavia estate, its fine to drive returns high 50’s mpg and is good for the family. Tempted by a van, will be used most days for work but needs to be big enough to get a rock and roll seat in, possibly add a pop top but looking at something at the cheaper end as not sure it will work out or not, so i’m guessing not VW money. Whats good out there in the world of vans and whats a realistic mpg to expect. Anywhere good on the internet to go for inspiration

ta

my T5 2.5 does about 33mpg everyday, 37mpg on motorway run.

Renault master used to average about 34 overall and more on long trips , was a 120 6 speed long high. But budget for a gearbox every 100-120 k. But everything else was spot on and spent far less on it than friends t5s and far less keeping it

Transit Custom?

mazda bongo

can get 42mpg on a run with my 2.5 T5.

friend has a transit (2008ish) that he has converted. no pop-top, but very stealthy.

I must have heavy boots, only get an average of 29.5mpg from my T5 2.5 (174) and best ever tank full was 33mpg (worst 27.5mpg).

The transit customs are nice and seem much better value than T5’s, but not been about long enough for many cheaper ones to be available yet.

^^ stick to 105km/h on the autobahns. sedate acceleration. avoid using the van around town.

it’ll drop to ~20mpg if caning it at 180km/h…. only do that if i’m not paying for the diesel. 🙂

bongos are generally terrible on fuel – most are petrol, auto, 4wd or a combination of the above. low 20s for most of them, maybe scrape 30 if you pay the extra for a 2wd manual diesel. They’re not quick either – but they are (relatively) cheap

Firstly I went for a bigger van, they are not that hard to drive or park and not spending any time in multistory car parks it was no real hassle.
Work out what you want from it, be realistic. 3 up front is not comfortable for a long journey so if you want more then proper rear seats/seatbelts is a must.
Do you want to sleep in it or just haul plenty of comfy kit around?
If you want to sleep in it then less glass and more insulation are key.
Fuel ecomony – not as good as a car for obvious reasons

3.0 viano does over 30 in grandma mode 29 average on a run to the alps. Brother’s vito 150 does 35, 40 in grandma mode

However, with the right tuning and a spoiler, you CAN smash out 160mph on the Nevada roads….

DrP

I get 45mpg in my battered old vivaro, mostly it’s pretty empty though and hardly no urban miles.

Average mid to high thirties in 04 plate 1.9 T5

38 average, 42 on a run in my t5.1 2.0 tdi. It’s a Caravelle too so probably a good chunk heavier than a van.

my 2.5 T5 is now heavier than it was as 8 seater Caravelle with pop-top and furniture (bench with firdge, drawers, storage inc 2nd row of seats…)

light right foot = 🙂 mpg

My VW T4 Kombi 88bhp 2.5 does between 36 and 40mpg depending on what kind of driving I’m doing.

44mpg San Sebastian to Cumbria and back, stuffed to the gunwales with three weeks of camping stuff, bikes etc. 1.9tdi Caravelle. Cruise control at 100kmh though which might be too sedate for some.