Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 58 total)
  • VW T5 owners to the forum!
  • ravingdave
    Full Member

    Hi,

    thinking about family life and stuff. we are considering a 3rd child. as part of that our cars (astra and Octavia) will not be suitable for getting a family of 5 in. we also want to do more camping, cycling and general outdoorsy stuff, holidays on the continent so with that in mind a lot of the MPV type things don’t appear to have big enough boots. is a T5 big enough?

    how does a T5 compare to a normal car for daily duties? is it a bit van like? I assume you can get 3 child seats across the back; they look big enough!

    help appreciated
    cheers

    uphilla
    Free Member

    I have a T5 LWB Camper Conversion as my ‘Car’/daily transport. I find it is no problem in daily use. Mostly OK in car parks. 1.9 Engine 105bhp is most economical, can be remapped to give a bit more torque and economy. Usually around 35mpg. There are all sorts of seating options.

    Yak
    Full Member

    Yes.
    Fine – fits into normal parking spaces
    Yes.
    Yes. (boosters. Likely yes to full seats too).

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    IHN
    Full Member

    I have a SWB T5 as a daily driver. It’s fine; sometimes needs a smidge more thought when picking a car parking space, fits in most but not all multi-storey car parks.

    Marin
    Free Member

    Drive a T4 as day vehicle it’s fine Hire or borrow one for a day. Yes they are vans and drive like a van which is not surprising.

    legend
    Free Member

    is it a bit van like?

    Well given that it’s a van…… very much so. No reason you can’t use it as an everyday vehicle though, we’ve got a 140 that gets us around fine

    ddmonkey
    Full Member

    We have a short wheelbase T5 with three kids for everyday duties. Generally pleased with it, kids like it, roomy enough, drives well on the open road and is v comfy on long journeys but you feel the size when parking & maneuvering. We have 180ps 4 Motion so a bit thirsty but goes well.

    One thing I would say is be careful on the interior spec you chose, there are so many options and if I had my time to choose again I would change a few things. In particular the spec we have has very delicate material surfaces in the boot space and on the back of the bench seat, means you have to be really careful not to trash it when loading it up and putting things like bikes in the back etc. is not great. We have a towbar mounted bike carrier to help here. Also the interior space is good but the way you can access it is tricky and a bit compromised with the seating we have (two captain seat plus bench seat). Would work much better in long wheel base format. We plan to take the captain seats out when all kids are beyond the car seat phase and this will help a lot. For now it helps to keep the kids separated a bit and keep the fighting down on long journeys but its a bugger reaching in and out due to the seat backs getting in the way! Hope that helps.

    LoCo
    Free Member

    Yes T5 drives like a higher version of a passat IMO, ‘footprint’ similar too, loads of room, camping wise with a family of 5 you’ll probably want want a poptop & an awning, you may still find it a touch small.
    I have a T4 swb dailydriver & day van/camper with a family of 4 no poptop (yet 😉 ) and a Khyam motordome sleeper drive away awning that can sleep five plus has plenty of room to eat & cook in if the weather is crap.
    Cheapest way is to get a panel van and get it converted by a proper company, totally custom and get exactly what you want.
    Be warned though once you have a van you’ll never want to be without one 😉

    For conversion or any stuff really these guys are ace! https://www.basecampers.com/

    dienamic
    Full Member

    I’ve got a LWB T5 as my daily driver, wouldn’t be without a van now! Fit’s the 5 of us fine (I’ve got the bench seat up front so can seat 6 if need be). LWB will take bikes in the back without wheels off, so there’s room for 6 bods + bikes and kit for days/weekends away. The rear seat is on a quick release so is a 2 minute job to remove should I need to for work, I’ve also made a bolt in camper unit and bed for weekends away camping. we have slept all 5 of us in it on a few occasions (no pop-top or awning), which is snug but doable for the odd night, usually when travelling somewhere, although we’ve now got a decent driveaway awning for the kids to sleep in. Drove to Greece and back in it last year and it was pain free. Mine gets 600 miles per tank (T32, 105ps), no matter how laden or seemingly how I drive it, it’s always 38mpg.
    Make sure any that you get (if going 2nd hand) has full service history, they’re long life service intervals which need to be kept to apparently. Cruise is an easy an fairly cheap retro fit if you want that and find the right van that doesn’t have it, air-con on the other hand is a fortune, so if that’s important make sure you have it from the off.
    I prefer barn doors for loading, but a tailgate would make a bike rack easier. If you end up with barn doors you’re pretty much restricted to a towbar mounted rack.

    Do it, you won’t look back!

    cloudnine
    Free Member

    T5 kombi owner with 3 small children, dogs, surfboards, bikes, clutter etc
    Perfect vehicle for throwing everything in in the back and going.. Minimal faff and even get changed my in it

    ravingdave
    Full Member

    cheers guys, all useful stuff, we would be getting one 2nd hand due to cost; they are expensive and hold their value really well saw one with 200k miles for £8k! I imagine we would just buy a boggo 5/6 seater and convert later on as funds permitted. My misses wants one of these large tepee style tents which we could just bung in the back…

    any dealers to approach or avoid?

    bob_summers
    Full Member

    Very tempted by a T4/5, though there aren’t that many Kombis here (Spain), 2nd hand is generally transporter or multivan. Like the idea of the multivans (two of us with 3yo, loaded up with camp gear and possibility of folding the seat down and spending a night on the way somewhere) but I generally drive two or three times a month and that’s a lot of money to spend on something sitting unused most of the time. Something like a berlingo probably makes more sense.

    Yak
    Full Member

    Because of the high 2nd hand values, the approved vw van centres are often no-more expensive than a private buy, but you get a limited warranty. Worth a look first.

    llama
    Full Member

    You will get a pretty nice big estate for the cost of a half decent T5/6 and it will be more comfortable, better specced, more economical, and have better performance. There is no getting away from the fact it is a van.

    But on the other hand, if you do really need the space, a T5/6 or similar is the only option.

    They drive OK, long journeys are pleasant, around town less so, but I’m no petrolhead. Parking wise there are a couple of car parks in town I don’t even consider in my LWB.

    xyeti
    Free Member

    T5 California here, drives like a car shaped like a van, it’s the beach version so no pots and pans or cupboards and shit like that, two front seats swivel, two swivelling removable 2nd row seats and 3 seat 3rd bench.

    Ours replaced an estate and it’s fantastic, has a pop up roof, handy for days out as well as sleeping in and eating in, also great for shagging in. It’s got an awning.

    My Mrs calls it the 2nd home, it does everything and there’s tons of room, we get away in ours and I use it as a daily driver. 2nd hand residuals are prob one of the best in the motoring industry? You will pay good money for one, beware the builders special decked out in wood and carpet and more miles than the battle star galactica, you will pay up on purchase but get a good return.

    big_scot_nanny
    Full Member

    Started a similar thread a couple of years ago – and 2 years later we (me, wife, kids, friends) love it. Multivan in CH is the same as a Caravelle in UK. Wee bit fancy, 7seats, sliding rails, very good climate control, brilliant way to move the 5 of us and the dug about, plus crumblies when they visit.

    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/help-needed-convincing-the-missus-that-a-t5-multivan-is-the-ideal-car

    Doing a tour from Basel to Aviemore via Hull, Yorkshire, Penrith, Edinburgh Aberdeen and Aviemore at the end of July, so if you see a big white Swiss T5 driving past you – give us a wave!

    to the OP – just get one, they are just so bloody practical.

    I do want a set of 19″ black wheels, but that might be pushing it too far!

    crewlie
    Full Member

    Reading big-scot-nanny’s thread ended up with us deciding to take the plunge and buy a T5 a year ago. Can’t imagine being without it now. my wife drives it more often than me and has no real problem parking it wherever she needs to be. I find it very comfortable on long trips and not bad fuel economy, but then it replaced a Disco 3 so that’s no surprise!

    legend
    Free Member

    xyeti – Member

    T5 California here, drives like a car shaped like a van

    yes, a big, high, soft, bouncey, rolly, slow, unresponsive car (in short, a van)

    onandon
    Free Member

    I’ve been considering buying t5 for a while. I may be moving to Geneva again in October so this could be ideal for some long weekends in the mountains.
    Hummmmmm 40 in June, could be the ideal mid life crisis gift to myself.

    big_scot_nanny
    Full Member

    On and on – very popular here in der Schweiz as family vehicles. 4 motion is a complete blast in winter, not much stopping it. Ours also has the extra separate heater thingy, which you can set the timer on, which = extremely happy family at the end of a day’s skiing 🙂

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    As a T5 owner, anyone who says any of the following is talking rubbish:
    – it drives like a car
    – anything over 150k miles is “just run in”
    – remapping them will cause you to die in a ball of flames
    – you MUST have air con
    – you MUST have a tailgate
    – the 2.0 CR engines are unreliable
    – the 2.0 BiTDI engines are unreliable
    etc etc etc

    zelak999
    Free Member

    Great multi use vehicle, pretty much drives like a car, fits into most spaces okay.
    Wouldn’t be without ours now.
    One thing i would get next time is twin sliding doors as it would be super handy!

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    Sod it, have a picture too:

    +1 for the rubbish list, banded steels will cause you to die and pigs to mutate into giants and eat your children.

    Sundayjumper
    Full Member

    LWB T4 Caravelle here. I wouldn’t really want to drive it every day (and I don’t), but there’s no real reason why you couldn’t. It does ~45mpg on a mix of driving including a few long runs and it’s pretty comfy.

    The Caravelle is more car-like than a Transporter but there’s no getting away from the fact it’s a) big and b) a van with soundproofing.

    Scamper
    Free Member

    3 kids here, the youngest 4 weeks, and we have a facelift T5 full conversion. We also have a new Seat Alhambra which is basically massive. Both have roughly the same 2.0 engine (just one is more powerful and updated), but to suggest the `van’ has anywhere near the refinement levels of the car is just silly.

    However, I could quite easily put up with the T5 as a daily driver if not going far. In fact I did, sticking on 15k in 12 months on the commute, which was daft. Also you can never have too much space and the turning circle is far better than our people carrier or even the Passat before it. I think its narrower too. However, as a full conversion it no longer works for us so will be sold.

    Hob-Nob
    Free Member

    Owned and driven T5 & 5.5 extensively.

    Agree with some of the posts on here. To suggest it drives like a car? Maybe a really sh*t car, yes. But it drives nothing like anything half decent.

    It’s a van, it drives like one. Against over vans, it drives very nicely, but it’s still terrible compared to a decent car.

    They are a decent multi purpose vehicle. One downside is everyone wants to be your friend for moving sofas at the weekend.

    LoCo
    Free Member

    As a T5 owner, anyone who says any of the following is talking rubbish:
    – it drives like a car

    In comparison to to my N plate t4 (2.4 5cyl) and 53 plate b5.5 passat (sport 😮 ) the 5.1 Ts and T6s feel just like a high up car,
    Then again you all drive masteratis now don’t you, they’re nothing like that though 😉

    legend
    Free Member

    DaveyBoyWonder – Member

    As a T5 owner, anyone who says any of the following is talking rubbish:
    – you MUST have a tailgate

    Nope. You can’t shelter under barn doors

    boxelder
    Full Member

    If you get a panel van, it will be classed as a commercial vehicle and therefore have -10mph speed limits. I got caught recently by camera with reg recognition.
    The bench seats in the back can be a long way behind the front seats for passing stuff to kids while driving – develops catching skills!
    Go for air con.
    Watch the older 130bhp models with chain drive – known faults with camshaft and oil coolers etc.
    Wouldn’t want to be without one now.

    ravingdave
    Full Member

    one of the of the reasons for looking at a T5 is the ability to chuck everyone along with loads of stuff and disappear off. The majority of estate cars, wont take 3 children and stuff; its either or.

    xyeti
    Free Member

    Legend, Not only are you an expert on all things cycling related you can automatically assume that my 15 Plate 180 DSG 4 Motion drives like a van and not at all like a car,

    That’s great, but having driven vans and cars I’d say it’s not at all wallowy nor unresponsive or slow, it’s actually quite brisk. FOR A VAN, which has no panels all windows and seats on sliding rails, heated seats, air con, DSG, night heater, Xenons, sat nav, hands free Bluetooth phone integrated media, auto sliding side door,

    Compared to a car it’s quite nice, comfy arm rests, nice driving position, very relaxed and a nice thing to drive

    brassneck
    Full Member

    If the ‘drives like a van’ thing bothers you too much, look at an S Max – pretty big, 3 full size rear seats, drives like a car. Probably the closest you’ll get to a car with a decent amount of space.

    That said I have a S Max, 3 boys, too many bikes and like camping holidays. I’m buying a T5 as soon as I can 🙂

    We’re into roof box, towbar bike rack and taking one bike apart territory when we camp. A possible alternative would be a trailer, but I’d like a van for quick cheeky overnights without tent and Mrs B doesn’t mind driving it to school, so its settled 😉

    brassneck
    Full Member

    If you get a panel van, it will be classed as a commercial vehicle and therefore have -10mph speed limits. I got caught recently by camera with reg recognition.

    I did not know that. If you have it converted or buy it converted, can you get the designation changed at the DVLA?

    postierich
    Free Member

    Not had it long but ticks all the boxes for me after owning a T2 for 10 years!
    Vanping rocks!!
    [url=https://flic.kr/p/Fg8ZNT]Untitled[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

    xyeti
    Free Member

    Nice cally

    legend
    Free Member

    xyeti – Member

    Legend, Not only are you an expert on all things cycling related you can automatically assume that my 15 Plate 180 DSG 4 Motion drives like a van and not at all like a car,

    Interesting, does it drive massively differently to my 14 plate 140ps then?

    having driven vans and cars I’d say it’s not at all wallowy nor unresponsive or slow, it’s actually quite brisk. FOR A VAN

    So does that mean you do agree with me then? They do drive well for a van, but not anywhere near as good as a normal car?

    I’m confused.

    boxelder
    Full Member

    can you get the designation changed at the DVLA?

    You can with bed, cooker, water supply etc, etc. You lose space then though. You also have to make it look like a camper van externally – crappy stickers or whatever. In fact, if you convert to a camper van, it’s a legal requirement that you do re-classify:

    From DVLA:
    In order for a converted vehicle to qualify as a motor caravan it must have certain minimum features, as
    follows:
    ? a door that provides access to the living accommodation
    ? a bed, which has a minimum length of 1800mm or 6 feet. This can be converted from seats used
    for other purposes during the day but must be permanently fixed within the body of the vehicle
    ? a water storage tank or container on, or in, the vehicle
    ? a seating and dining area, permanently attached to the vehicle. The table may be detachable but
    must have some permanent means of attachment to the vehicle. It is not good enough to have a
    loose table
    ? a permanently fixed means of storage, a cupboard, locker or wardrobe
    ? a permanently fixed cooking facility within the vehicle, powered by gas or electricity
    ? at least one window on the side of the accommodation
    If the vehicle has all of these features present, permanently fixed and installed properly, then it is a legal
    requirement to have it reclassified as a motor caravan on the V5C.

    agent007
    Free Member

    So does that mean you do agree with me then? They do drive well for a van, but not anywhere near as good as a normal car?

    A T5 will drive just as nicely as a car, it’s not better or worse, just different. The better visibility (over hedges etc) makes journeys to the countryside a lot more pleasant. Similarly it’s far easier and nicer than a car to drive in traffic as you can spot hazards so much easier.

    A higher powered T5 will easily keep up with most cars cross country, no it’s not physically as quick but the extra visibility you get allows you a much better view ahead resulting in increased momentum should you decide to press on. I also drive an RS4 but enjoy driving my T5 every bit as much. If you enjoy spirited driving then sometimes less is more and I can safely take my T5 nearer to the edge of it’s handling and performance envelope (allowing for traffic and road conditions), whilst remaining well within the speed limit. Can’t do that with the RS4.

    Hob-Nob
    Free Member

    A T5 will drive just as nicely as a car, it’s not better or worse, just different. The better visibility (over hedges etc) makes journeys to the countryside a lot more pleasant. Similarly it’s far easier and nicer than a car to drive in traffic as you can spot hazards so much easier.

    You have an odd opinion of what is nice to drive.

    The only environment I can think a Transporter is better than a nice car is its sheer load carrying ability.

    Something I would gladly forgo, not to have to drive a van.

    themilo
    Free Member

    I got around the speed limit issue by buying a 2.4 diesel T4 that’s was nearly as old as me and putting massive wheels on it to destroy, even further, the already woeful performance. I loved every minute of ownership dearly. My wife cried when I sold it. I just had enough of travelling to hilly Corwall and having to use Devon as a run up. Still miss it though.

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