Anyone got a Van derived Car? (Kangoo, Berlingo, Tourneo etc) - Update NCD Soon!

not_the_dj

We're starting to look for a new(ish) family car and Mrs DJ has taken a shine to these van based cars (massive amounts of space and sliding doors).

Anyone got one....and how are they in the real world?

We've got two young kids and all the stuff that entails, plus we go on driving/camping holidays....and I also regularly load up the car for gigs etc...so maybe it's a good idea.

The Ford Tourneo Connect looks to be the best spec from 20mins of googling

So for a purely practical family carrier with no regards to speed, street cred or looks are these sorts of things a good idea?

vasselmeyer

When we were planning to expand our family, my missus liked the look of those things or a people carrier and I said I'd rather have a vasectomy. We compromised on an estate. Still had the vasectomy though...

Our drummer uses one and the side-door load in and out is really very useful.

Snap

Had  Berlingo for a holiday car. For that purpose, luggin stuff and people to the beach it was great. Sliding door and van style rear opening was really good. It drove OK too, pretty good on long journeys and was comfortable.

Id rather have one of those than the devils work that is a people carrier. Nothing else says I've given up on life, like a bastard Picasso (insert similar, Zafira whatever).

Richardj

We had a new Renault Kangoo as a hire car while ours was in the shop, really nice.  OK, a bit crude compared to a conventional hatchback/saloon but very comfortable, economical, not too badly equipped and most importantly big enough for loads of stuff.  We had our 60+KG Newfoundland in the back no problems.  Actually thinking of getting one as our next 'normal' car to replace our Golf (we have a Hyundai Terracan for horse towing and building supplies duties).

stimpsonslostson

I drove a kangoo for work for several months. Not a bad wee car. Does what you'd expect, drives like a car, but has lots of extra space. 

Sure it's not going to win many style points, but I've got kids and have had the snip already. So lets face it, I'm marking time till I die.

snakemanStoo

Have had 2 Berlingos.  Pretty good things, loads of space in them and the side mirrors we got were really big, helped a lot with maneuvering.  Also managed to fit a whole bands worth of kit + PA and other assorted electronics into one easily with the back seats rolled down.

Richardj

Also worth looking at is the Skoda Yeti.  Very nicely put together, good VAG mechanicals and loads of room inside.

The times of being a brand snob are well and truly over when it comes to Skoda.

guitarfishbay

I already drive a Skoda so really don't care about style points.  I'd drive one of those Tourneos, looks a great idea.

guitarfishbay

Richardj said:

Also worth looking at is the Skoda Yeti.  Very nicely put together, good VAG mechanicals and loads of room inside.

The times of being a brand snob are well and truly over when it comes to Skoda.

They're nice, but the boot on them is tiny unless you sacrifice the rear seats.  Once you do that though they're pretty big.  I can't imagine them being much use if you've got rear passengers and need a lot of luggage space.

not_the_dj

Someone at work has a Yeti and I don't think it quite has the features we're after. It's not that big a boot and the sliding side doors seem to be something my wife really wants (kids getting in out at the supermarket seems to be the main benefit there).

To be honest I'm surprised all the comments have been positive so far about these!

EricTheWeary

Looked at them in the past. One of the issues was they don't/ didn't have proper rear windows or air con so we thought potentially very hot in the back in a traffic jam in the summer. Plus slow, low on mod cons, quite big,etc. They seemed to depreciate very fast but that meant there were used bargains.

Moe_Zambeek

Rear ride quality in the Tourneo connect is really fidgety... I wondered if the back seat passengers would get carsick with it. Plus the fuel economy on the petrol is very poor; not keen on Ford diesels.

robinbowes

I've had an Alhambra from new (bought it in 2003). It's had some hammer, and is getting a bit tired now (seats, interior trashed by kids, etc) but it's been great.

I'm currently using it for my daily driver (400 miles/week). I get about 45mpg if I cruise at 70mph, 50mpg if I drop to 65mph.

Plus, loads of room for all my guitar gear

R.

speshul91

Snap;756073" said:

Had  Berlingo for a holiday car. For that purpose, luggin stuff and people to the beach it was great. Sliding door and van style rear opening was really good. It drove OK too, pretty good on long journeys and was comfortable.



Id rather have one of those than the devils work that is a people carrier. Nothing else says I've given up on life, like a bastard Picasso (insert similar, Zafira whatever).

I've got a picasso, with an induction kit and a heavy toe it flies. And also carries a 125 scooter with ease.

Sambostar

VW Caddy Maxi is awesome.  Some other companies ripped it off and might offer it cheaper.

Snap

speshul91 said:

Snap;756073" said:

Had  Berlingo for a holiday car. For that purpose, luggin stuff and people to the beach it was great. Sliding door and van style rear opening was really good. It drove OK too, pretty good on long journeys and was comfortable.



Id rather have one of those than the devils work that is a people carrier. Nothing else says I've given up on life, like a bastard Picasso (insert similar, Zafira whatever).

I've got a picasso, with an induction kit and a heavy toe it flies. And also carries a 125 scooter with ease.

Aye well....

like I said.........

I thought a scooter was for riding around on, not carrying?

MPVs - terrible things.

They come new with matching his n hers fleeces and Crocs don't they?

ICBM

MPVs are fantastic, I wouldn't drive anything else now. All other vehicles are the wrong shape.

It's hard to understand why you would be willing to sacrifice all sorts of supposed street cred until you find out just how well-designed the good ones are. More space inside than you would think possible from the road footprint, nice driving position, good economy, and hugely versatile - I can use mine as a 7-seater or as something nearly the size of a small van, and it can be switched between the two in no more then a couple of minutes.

I quite liked the idea of a van-based one until I got in a couple of them (Kangoo, older model Berlingo). They're clunkier and rattlier than an MPV - just less nice as a vehicle, they are very obviously still vans underneath. An MPV at least feels more like a car. (I like vans a lot by the way - just not when I want a car.)

Many of the larger MPVs also come with sliding side doors…

speshul91

Snap;756288" said:

speshul91 said:

Snap;756073" said:Had  Berlingo for a holiday car. For that purpose, luggin stuff and people to the beach it was great. Sliding door and van style rear opening was really good. It drove OK too, pretty good on long journeys and was comfortable.







Id rather have one of those than the devils work that is a people carrier. Nothing else says I've given up on life, like a bastard Picasso (insert similar, Zafira whatever).

I've got a picasso, with an induction kit and a heavy toe it flies. And also carries a 125 scooter with ease.





Aye well....



like I said.........



I thought a scooter was for riding around on, not carrying?



MPVs - terrible things.



They come new with matching his n hers fleeces and Crocs don't they?

It was a recovery mission lol.

Dunno about the fleeces and crocus, mine is second hand and not far off taxi miles.

Sambostar

Just buy a Mk5 Tranny with 4 months MOT for £300.

And mount a .50 Cal in the back on a bungee sling above the bed and when VOSA stop you...Boof boof boof boof boof.

Then go on a Transit rampage and put it on YouTube so I can watch it and think how cool you are and how I want to be exactly like you when I grow up.

strumjoughlamps

we had a Kangoo for 6 years, loved it, great for camping, great for shopping(Ikea etc.), we pretty much used it to move house.. no upholstery apart from the seats so we could take the back seat out fill it full of garden waste then hoze the back down after, reinforced tyres so it could hold some weight.

BigMonka

Anyone know whether these van-derived-cars have the lower speed limit of a van (60mph on a motorway/dual carrageway) - not that many van drivers go at that speed.