We want to buy a van-conversion campervan - does the Fiat Ducato have a reliable engine? | Ask Honest John

We want to buy a van-conversion campervan - does the Fiat Ducato have a reliable engine?

We're buying a new or nearly new van conversion-type campervan in the next year or two, most likely a 6m long Knaus. Most big brands like Knaus are based on the Fiat Ducato and, for 2020, Fiat has just introduced their Euro6 van engine now with AdBlue. What's the industry reliability of the current Fiat van engines (115/130/150bhp) and the likely reliability and perception of the new 2020 Euro's 6 engine range? Also, do you have any comments on Fiat vs the Mercedes equivalent that seem to be highly regarded by motorhome and campervan manufacturers and buyers even when sold at a premium price?

Asked on 30 October 2019 by Simon Rixon

Answered by Dan Powell

The majority of Fiat Ducato complaints (we hear about) are gearbox related. This seems to be a problem for many of the larger vans that have either the 2.3 130 or 3.0 157 engines with six-speed gearboxes. It seems that the old four-speed 'box was adapted to five-speed and six-speed but the extra gears are not very well supported and failures are common. Fiat has introduced a new nine-speed automatic to correct this reported issue, but it's too early to say if it's more reliable. We will likely know within the next 12 months and (if we receive any complaints) they'll be listed in the good/bad section of our Ducato review: vans.honestjohn.co.uk/van-reviews/fiat/ducato-2006/

For us, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is the best large van on the market: vans.honestjohn.co.uk/van-reviews/mercedes-benz/sp.../

Tags: vans camper vans van conversion

Similar questions

I want a large van to convert to a camper - what do you consider as high mileage for a van?

I want to buy a large panel van for conversion to a camper. My price range is up to £5000. Most of the vans I have seen advertised at this price have done over 150,000 miles, and some a lot more than that....

What's the best £5k van to convert to a camper?

I am looking for advice on what type of van to buy with a £5000 budget. This van would be to convert into a camper so I'm looking for van with a medium wheelbase that's tall enough to stand in.

What van would be good for every day use before converting into a camper?

We currently have a 61 plate Renault Trafic SWB 2.0 dCi SL27 115 van which is used for weekly shopping trips as well as filling it with stock and towing a caravan for weekend shows. We've had it for a...

Related models