Vito – swb or lwb?

Anyone any pics of bikes in back?
How many fit?

Loads.
Had 11 in my old SWB in bits.
3 MX bikes fit!
DH bikes go in full length front to back fully built. Probably get 5 in a panel van, wheels on, no bother.
Went to the Alps in a crew cab LWB. 5 guys, kit, 9 bikes and spare wheels/tyres. Had to strip them, wheels off, air out and bars off though!

The xlwb will take full bikes straight in the back behind the rear seats, think the most I’ve had is 8.
I regularly take 5 or 6 with pedals off, and luggage, riding gear etc.

Vito has 3 seats, so 3 bikes is enough. I’d buy a LWB for the sleeping room.

My vito has 5 seats.
There are 3 sizes, compact, long, and extra long.
All available as dualiner.
The extra long is pretty much same same size internally as a T5 LWB.

Nobeer – road trip, car and a van, 2 vehicles, 8 people…
Or 3 seats, trail and DH bike each so 6. Since when has one bike each been enough!

T5 Kombi SWB easily swallows 5 bikes with just the front wheel off behind the 2 row of seats.

Thanks talking about a five seater here

Track down thelittlesthobo on here,

He has been in VW and Merc commercial sales…

For 5 seals id buy the lwb for ability to throw bikes in still assembled.

Really not hard to park at all despite what folk tell you about them not fitting in a standard parking bay.

Unless of course its longer than an lwb transit…….

[hijack] looking for some general feedback on these as might go and look at a swb dualiner later on. any comments? 2010 onwards but not newnew.

For 5 seals id buy the lwb for ability to throw bikes in still assembled.

You’ll need the extra lwb for that. Unless you put them diagonally or turn the bars quite a lot.

I’ve had a 120cdi (3.0l v6) since new in 2006 and it’s been fantastic, 158000 miles now and still drives like new.
If you can find one with the full comfort package they are much nicer inside than a T5 (particularly the boot area, fully lined).

Any pics anyone?

I’ll take some in the morning, pm me if I don’t post here, head like a sieve.

Here’s the back seats, gives an idea of legroom etc

Here’s the boot area with a Giant Faith.

No idea why the photos aren’t showing, they’re in my public folder on Flickr.

Ive got a ‘long’ (the middle length). 6 seater. 2 bikes fit in diagonally fully assembled with all seats in, or handily remove 1 seat and get 2 bikes in straight with the wheels on down the side. With all seats removed its vast. Can easily have a stack of kit behind the seats and still stretch out to sleep. I think its 5.19 metres so still fits in a parking space and 1.8 metres high so will go under most car park barriers. If you want more bikes, fully assembled and all seats in think xlwb.

I am very close to going with the 190 Compact at the moment… just waiting to see if anything else sways me first! With a bulkhead behind the second row of seats (Dualiner) I am not going to be getting bikes in the back, but that tends to be full of work gear. However there is plenty of room infront of the back seats to pop a bike or two… even better if the back seats get taken out first 😉

That is my plan anyway… Just got to see what the numbers come back as!

What’s your Flickr Colp?

Just buy a sprinter…. 🙂

I’ve uploaded some to my own server.

And that’s the extra long wheelbase?

Thanks for putting those up.

No worries.
Extra long dualiner with comfort package.
With the single seat of the second row out, you can get 8’x4′ sheets of ply etc in.
I often carry a Ducati track bike in there, for that I can just tip the single seat forward.

I would never go for an XLWB through choice. They are just too blooming long from a day to day perspective. There is another perspective but i will get to that later.

Compact = Not much different in total length to a Ford Mondeo Estate. Goes into car park spaces at ASDA with absolute ease. A 26″ bike used to be able to fit in the back sideways on with the front wheel removed. We took 5 blokes plus camping gear and bikes to Ford William with ease. I just used to run around with the bike fully built with the front wheel turned and bungee strapped to the back of the seats.

Long Wheelbase = Will fill a ASDA car park space but not too bad. It does make it a bit more of a pain to park elsewhere though so it put me off. You most definately find that you feel like you are driving a ‘bigger’ vehicle. You still cant fit a bike in fully built from rear seats to back door which dissapointed me most.

XLWB = Yes you can fit bikes in without dismantling them. But then you go from lengths as follows

4895mm = Compact
5140mm = LWB
5370mm = XLWB

Its just a PITA for me tbh and i wouldnt have one.

Now to the other reasons i wouldnt recommend one.

1) They are not available in Sport trim in XLWB. If you order a Vito you get a sport as it carries a lot of premium over a specced up standard. You dont get that with XLWB. Not an issue if you are keeping for 10yrs plus but these things sell for big money with 100,000mls on and being a sport effects this still

2) The biggest reason is that it will effect being able to sell it. I reckon the numbers are 1 in 500 are XLWB. Thats a pretty small market which you could say makes them a premium. It works the other way and i wouldnt find a XLWB easy to sell.

Finally the solution i would suggest is to find one with rear comfort seats. Colp looks like it is a XLWB with Comfort interior. They all became comfort interior after a while because the saving for basic was a few quid and no-one wanted them. BUT he only has basic seats with vynl trim. Make sure you get comfort seats. Its only a £300 option from the factory and means you can fold the seats, rock them out of the way without taking them out or in an emergency you can remove them (They weigh a ton).

Weigh up how often you carry a full load of bikes plus all the passengers. Can this be done with just removing front wheels? If so take the option of the LWB. If it cant then go for the XLWB. If its more likely you will have 2 or 3 people plus bikes then just fold the seats up, strap the bikes in and off you go.

For comparrison

Compact Vito
SWB Transporter
LWB Vito
LWB Transporter
XLWB Vito

Are my understanding of comparative load lengths

Good points, although the elwb is only 47cm longer than a bmw 5 series.
I’ve not found it a problem.

Anyway, TLH, what’s the final answer, T5 or Vito?

When I was looking around the lack of available xlwb dualiners on the second hand market meant I ended up with a lwb T5. I was open to either depending on what came up, and there was just so many more T5 to choose from in that size.

Oddly the compact and lwb Vito have the same wheelbase, only the xlwb has a different wheelbase. The difference in the compact and lwb is in the rear overhang.

Colp, i have emailed you. Sorry it took so long

Still not bought one.
Anyone else any opinions this fine evening?